The Apollo-era astronaut Philip K. Chapman practiced in the Lunar Module Simulator, Centrifuge and the Apollo Mission Simulator at the then Crew of Spacecraft, now Johnson Space Center. in Houston. Credit: NASA
NASA is saddened by the death of the Apollo-era astronaut Philip K. Chapman. He was selected in August 1967 to be a member of Astronaut Group 6, which was primarily scientists rather than pilots.
Chapman was the first American-born American astronaut. During the International Geophysical Year in 1958, he was an auroral / radiophysicist at Mawson Station, Antarctica, as a member of the Australian National Antarctic Research expeditions. He was later awarded a doctorate in aerospace by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After his selection into the astronaut corps, he completed one year of training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and was involved in preparations for lunar missions, serving primarily as a mission scientist for the Apollo 14 mission. Dr. Chapman left the agency in 1972.
Dr. Chapman wanted to expand humanity beyond the earth: “We can build arches for communities of people to go on multi-generation missions.”
His career after leaving NASA is reported on Wikipedia’s Chapman page. Philip Chapman passed away on April 5, 2021 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In this image from 1968, dr. Chapman in the Lunar Module Simulator, Centrifuge and the Apollo Mission Simulator at the then Manned Spacecraft Center, now Johnson Space Center. in Houston.