Mar 14, 2022 · Left: Director of Flight Crew Operations Donald K. “Deke” Slayton in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center, now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, monitoring the Gemini IV mission in June 1965.

Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was an American Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for NASA crew assignments.

Jun 18, 2024 · (21 Aug. 1965) — View of Mission Control Center at Cape Kennedy, Florida, moments after the Gemini-5 spacecraft was launched from Pad 19 on Aug. 21, 1965. Standing at right is astronaut Donald K. Slayton, assistant director for Flight Crew Operations, Manned Spacecraft Center.

Jan 21, 2025 · On Jan. 19, 1965, following a mostly smooth countdown, Gemini 2 lifted off from Pad 19 at 9:04 a.m. EST. In the MCC, astronauts Eugene Cernan, left, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, Donald “Deke” Slayton, and Virgil “Gus” Grissom monitor the Gemini 2 flight. The Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Deke had a hand in the entire Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab programs; he put the right people in the right places at the right time. He chose Neil Armstrong to be the first man to walk on the moon. Thanks to a healthier lifestyle Deke’s irregular heartbeat went away, and after 10 years on the ground he was restored to active flight status.

By early 1966, I figured Gemini 10 was mine but now Ed White told me it wasn't going to be his, that he had the word from Deke Slayton that he was moving on to Apollo.

Dec 31, 2024 · Donald Kent Slayton was an American astronaut who was one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts in 1959 but did not make a space flight until 1975. Slayton joined the U.S. air force in 1942 and flew 56 combat missions during World War II.

Jun 15, 1995 · Deke Slayton was one of the first seven Mercury astronauts—and he might have been the first American in space. Instead, he became the first chief of American Astronaut Corps. It was Deke...

Oct 12, 2018 · The astronaut's work on Gemini 12, where he successfully proved that extravehicular activity could be performed by astronauts, helped pave the way for the Apollo program that would later lead ...

Slayton’s dedication and leadership skills significantly impacted the success of NASA’s Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab programs. As Chief of the Astronaut Office, Slayton was responsible for overseeing the selection of new astronauts and managing their training, which involved developing curriculum and coordinating with other departments within NASA.