ASTRONAUT

Joseph A. Walker

1921 - 1966

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Joseph Albert Walker (February 20, 1921 – June 8, 1966) (Capt, USAF) was an American World War II pilot, experimental physicist, NASA test pilot, and astronaut who was the first person to fly an airplane to space. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. In 1961, Walker became the first human in the mesosphere when piloting Flight 35, and in 1963, Walker made three flights above 50 miles, thereby qualifying as an astronaut according to the United States definition of the boundary of space. The latter two, X-15 Flights 90 and 91, also surpassed the Kármán line, the internationally accepted boundary of 100 kilometers (62.14 miles). Making the latter flights immediately after the completion of the Mercury and Vostok programs, Walker became the first person to fly to space twice. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Joseph A. Walker is the 145th most popular astronaut (down from 114th in 2019), the 5,307th most popular biography from United States (down from 4,264th in 2019) and the 69th most popular American Astronaut.

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Among ASTRONAUTS

Among astronauts, Joseph A. Walker ranks 145 out of 556. Before him are Vance D. Brand, Sidney M. Gutierrez, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Rusty Schweickart, Georgy Grechko, and Rakesh Sharma. After him are Joe Engle, Aleksei Yeliseyev, Mae Jemison, Charles E. Brady Jr., Dumitru Prunariu, and Georgi Ivanov.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1921, Joseph A. Walker ranks 235. Before him are Sune Andersson, Ursula Franklin, Jean Robic, Carmen Laforet, Kathleen Antonelli, and Harry Schell. After him are Simin Daneshvar, Ziya Bunyadov, Samuel T. Cohen, Edith Farkas, Ernesto Vidal, and Bengt Danielsson. Among people deceased in 1966, Joseph A. Walker ranks 125. Before him are C. S. Forester, Anna Langfus, Arthur Waley, Mehmet Fuat Köprülü, Alfred Berger, and Nikolay Cherkasov. After him are Helen Kane, Ernest Burgess, Courtney Hodges, Hans Hofmann, Dirk Brouwer, and Seán T. O'Kelly.

Others Born in 1921

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Others Deceased in 1966

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Joseph A. Walker ranks 5,307 out of 20,380. Before him are Gene Kranz (1933), James A. Michener (1907), Rose Wilder Lane (1886), David Koresh (1959), Osceola (1804), and Henry Paulson (1946). After him are Leland Sklar (1947), Alicia Silverstone (1976), Octavia E. Butler (1947), Dennis Weaver (1924), Eve Meyer (1928), and Steve Berry (1955).

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Among ASTRONAUTS In United States

Among astronauts born in United States, Joseph A. Walker ranks 69. Before him are Alfred Worden (1932), Peggy Whitson (1960), Christina Koch (1979), Vance D. Brand (1931), Sidney M. Gutierrez (1951), and Rusty Schweickart (1935). After him are Joe Engle (1932), Mae Jemison (1956), Charles E. Brady Jr. (1951), Karen Nyberg (1969), Mike Massimino (1962), and Michael Foreman (1957).

American born Astronauts

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