Personal: Born April 3, 1926, Mitchell, Indiana. Died January 27, 1967 in the Apollo 204 fire at Cape Kennedy. Was married, two children.

Education: B.S. in mechanical engineering, Purdue University, 1950.

Spaceflights: Command pilot, Mercury-Redstone 4 (1961) and Gemini 3 (1965).

Was chosen with the first group of astronauts in 1959. Was pilot for Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty Bell 7), a suborbital flight, command pilot for Gemini 3, backup command pilot for Gemini 6, and had been selected as commander of the first Apollo flight at the time of his death.