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Theodore Cordy Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964), was an American aeronautical engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Selected in the third group of NASA astronauts in 1963, he was killed a year later in the crash of a T-38 jet, marking the first fatality among the NASA Astronaut Corps .
Theodore Cordy "Ted" Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964), (Capt, USAF), was an American aeronautical engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He was killed in the crash of a T-38 jet, marking the first fatality among the NASA Astronaut Corps.
Freeman, an Air Force captain and a member of NASA's third group of spacemen, was preparing to land his T-38 training jet when it struck a goose and lost power. He ejected from his aircraft, but did not have sufficient altitude for his parachute to open.
Freeman was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. He was piloting a T-38 aircraft when it crashed at Ellington Air Force Base. Theodore C. Freeman made the ultimate sacrifice and lost his life in service to the nation and the space program on October 31, 1964 at 34 years of age.
Freeman served primarily in performance flight testing and stability testing areas; he logged more than 3,300 hours flying time, including more than 2,400 hours in jet aircraft. Freeman was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963 and was assigned the responsibility of aiding the development of boosters. Death
Captain Freeman, the first U. S. astronaut to die while in training, was buried 4 Nov. with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, with the entire astronaut team attending the services. Ted joined the astronaut team on 18 Oct. 1963 and began his training at the Manned Spacecraft Center last February.
THEODORE C. FREEMAN (CAPTAIN, USAF) NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED) PERSONAL DATA: Born February 18, 1930, in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Died October 31, 1964, at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas, in the crash of a T-38 jet. Survived by his wife Faith and one daughter.
