James W. Wood
James Wayne Wood (born August 9, 1924 in Paragould , Arkansas , USA ; † January 1, 1990 in Melbourne , Florida , USA) was a Colonel in the United States Air Force and USAF aspiring astronaut .
Wood flew ten military missions in World War II and more than 100 in the Korean War .
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1954 and became a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base . In 1959, he unsuccessfully applied for the first group of NASA astronauts.
In April 1960, however, Wood was selected by the Air Force for the military Dyna Soar program, although this group of astronauts was not made public until September 1962. Wood was to be the crew for the first manned flight. In December 1963 the Dyna Soar program was terminated. Wood remained a test pilot at the USAF until 1978, most recently in the rank of commander and then held the position of Director of Operations at Tracor Flight Systems in Newport Beach .
Web links
- James W. Wood in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Astronaut biography: James Wood. spacefacts.de, July 5, 2009, accessed October 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Dynasoar 3 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica , accessed on October 2, 2013 (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wood, James W. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wood, James Wayne (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronaut and test pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 9, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paragould , Arkansas, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1990 |
| Place of death | Melbourne (Florida) , Florida, USA |