William Reid Pogue (January 23, 1930 – March 3, 2014) was an American astronaut and test pilot who was also an accomplished teacher, public speaker and author.

Biography

Pogue was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex W. Pogue who lived in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Pogue was of Choctaw descent. He was married with three children. He enjoyed running and playing paddleball andhandball, and his hobbies included cabinet making.

Education

Pogue attended primary and secondary schools in Oklahoma and received a bachelor of science degree in education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1951 and a master of science degree in mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1960. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of science degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1974.

Flight experience

Pogue enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and received his commission in 1952. While serving with the Fifth Air Force during the Korean War, from 1953 to 1954, he completed a combat tour in fighter bombers. From 1955 to 1957, he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds. He was a solo and a slot pilot with them.

He gained proficiency in more than 50 types and models of American and British aircraftand was qualified as a civilian flight instructor. Pogue served in the mathematics department as an assistant professor at the United States Air Force Academy inColorado Springs, Colorado, from 1960 to 1963. In September 1965, he completed a two-year tour as test pilot with the British Ministry of Aviation under the USAF/RAF Exchange Program, after graduating from the Empire Test Pilots' School inFarnborough, England.

An Air Force colonel, Pogue came to the Manned Spacecraft Center from an assignment at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he had been an instructor at the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School since October 1965.

He logged 7,200 hours of flight time, including 4,200 hours in jet aircraft and 2,017 hours in space flight.

NASA experience

Pogue was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for theApollo 7, 11, and 14 missions. He was also scheduled as Command Module Pilot for the canceled Apollo 19 mission. Instead Pogue and Gerald Carr of Apollo 19 went to Skylab, America's first space station.

Pogue was the pilot of Skylab 4 (third and final manned visit to the Skylab orbital workshop), launched November 16, 1973, and concluded February 8, 1974. This was the longest manned flight (84 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes) in the history of manned space exploration to date. Pogue was accompanied on the record-setting 34.5-million-mile flight by Gerald P. Carr (commander) and Dr. Edward G. Gibson (science-pilot). They successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the earth.

They also acquired extensive earth resources observations data using Skylab's earth resources experiment package camera and sensor array and logged 338 hours of operations of the Apollo Telescope Mount which made extensive observations of the sun's solar processes. He logged 13 hours and 31 minutes in two EVAs outside the orbital workshop.

Pogue retired from both the United States Air Force and NASA on September 1, 1975. He was self-employed as a consultant to aerospace and producer of general interest videos on space flight.

Pogue was a member of the Air Force Association Explorers Club, American Astronautical Society, and Association of Space Explorers.

Writing career

In 1991, Pogue authored the book How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space?, answering 270 common questions he received. In 1992, he co-authored The Trikon Deception, a science fiction novel, with Ben Bova.

In 2003, Pogue published Space Trivia with Apogee Books. It covered the trivial questions and answers from the Project Mercury era to the Space Shuttle/International Space Station era. His autobiography, But for the Grace of God: An Autobiography of an Aviator and Astronaut, was released in January 2011 (published by Soar with Eagles).

Death

Pogue died at his Florida home during the night of March 3, 2014 from natural causes at the age of 84.[2] He is survived by his third wife Tina, three children from his first marriage and four stepchildren from his second marriage.

Special honors

• NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1974) and JSC Superior Achievement Award (1970)
• Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (while a member of the USAF Thunderbirds)
• Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and Command Pilot Astronaut Wings (1974)
• City of Chicago Gold Medal (1974)
• Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1973 (1974)
• City of New York Gold Medal (1974)
• Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 (1975)
• Federation Aeronautique Internationale's De La Vaulx Medal and V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1974 (1975)
• General Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy for 1974 (1975;
• Fellow of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma State University (1975)
• AIAA Haley Astronautics Award for 1974 (1975)
• American Astronautical Society's 1975 Flight Achievement Award (1976)
• 5 Civilized Tribes Hall of Fame (1975)
• Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame (1980)
• U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (1997)
• Clarence E. Page Memorial Trophy - Oklahoma Aviation and Space Museum (1989)

The William R. Pogue Municipal Airport (FAA Code: OWP; ICAO Code: KOWP) in Sand Springs, Oklahoma is named in Pogue's honor.