Young, John, 1930-2018

JOHN W. YOUNG (CAPTAIN, USN RET.)
NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)
PERSONAL DATA: Born September 24, 1930, in San Francisco, California. Died on
January 5, 2018. He is survived by his wife, two children, and several grandchildren and
great grandchildren.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Orlando High School, Orlando, Florida; received a
bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering with highest honors from Georgia
Institute of Technology in 1952.
ORGANIZATIONS: Fellow of the American Astronautical Society (AAS), the Society
of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), and the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA).
SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor (1981), 4
NASA Distinguished Service Medals, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (1992), NASA Exceptional Engineering
Achievement Medal (1987), NASA Outstanding Achievement Medal (1994), Navy Astronaut Wings (1965), 2 Navy
Distinguished Service Medals, 3 Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Georgia Tech Distinguished Young Alumni Award
(1965), Distinguished Service Alumni Award (1972), the Exceptional Engineering Achievement Award (1985), the Academy of
Distinguished Engineering Alumni (1994), and the American Astronautical Society Space Flight Award (1993), Distinguished
Executive Award (1998), Rotary National Space Achievement Award (2000). Inducted into 6 Aviation and Astronaut Halls of
Fame. Recipient of more than 80 other major awards, including 6 honorary doctorate degrees.
NAVY EXPERIENCE: Upon graduation from Georgia Tech, Young entered the United States Navy. After serving on the west
coast destroyer USS LAWS (DD-558) in the Korean War, he was sent to flight training. He was then assigned to Fighter
Squadron 103 for 4 years, flying Cougars and Crusaders.
After test pilot training at the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in 1959, he was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center for 3 years. His
test projects included evaluations of the Crusader and Phantom fighter weapons systems. In 1962, he set world time-to-climb
records to 3,000-meter and 25,000-meter altitudes in the Phantom. Prior to reporting to NASA, he was maintenance officer of
Phantom Fighter Squadron 143. Young retired from the Navy as a Captain in September 1976, after completing 25 years of active
military service.
NASA EXPERIENCE: In September 1962, Young was selected as an astronaut. He is the first person to fly in space six times
from earth, and seven times counting his lunar liftoff. The first flight was with Gus Grissom in Gemini 3, the first manned Gemini
mission, on March 23, 1965. This was a complete end-to-end test of the Gemini spacecraft, during which Gus accomplished the
first manual change of orbit altitude and plane and the first lifting reentry, and Young operated the first computer on a manned
spacecraft. On Gemini 10, July 18-21, 1966, Young, as Commander, and Mike Collins, as Pilot, completed a dual rendezvous
with two separate Agena target vehicles. While Young flew close formation on the second Agena, Mike Collins did an
extravehicular transfer to retrieve a micro meteorite detector from that Agena. On his third flight, May 18-26, 1969, Young was
Command Module Pilot of Apollo 10. Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan were also on this mission which orbited the Moon,
completed a lunar rendezvous, and tracked proposed lunar landing sites. His fourth space flight, Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972,
was a lunar exploration mission, with Young as Spacecraft Commander, and Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke. Young and Duke
set up scientific equipment and explored the lunar highlands at Descartes. They collected 200 pounds of rocks and drove over
16 miles in the lunar rover on three separate geology traverses.
Young’s fifth flight was as Spacecraft Commander of STS-1, the first flight of the Space Shuttle, April 12-14, 1981, with Bob
Crippen as Pilot. The 54-1/2 hour, 36-orbit mission verified Space Shuttle systems performance during launch, on orbit, and
entry. Tests of the Orbiter Columbia included evaluation of mechanical systems including the payload bay doors, the attitude and
maneuvering rocket thrusters, guidance and navigation systems, and Orbiter/crew compatibility. One hundred and thirty three of
the mission’s flight test objectives were accomplished. The Orbiter Columbia was the first manned spaceship tested during ascent,
on orbit, and entry without benefit of previous unmanned missions. Columbia was also the first winged reentry vehicle to return
from space to a runway landing. It weighed about 98 tons as Young landed it on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base,
California.
Young’s sixth flight was as Spacecraft Commander of STS-9, the first Spacelab mission, November 28-December 8, 1983, with
Pilot Brewster Shaw, Mission Specialists Bob Parker and Owen Garriott, and Payload Specialists Byron Lichtenberg of the USA
and Ulf Merbold of West Germany. The mission successfully completed all 94 of its flight test objectives. For ten days the 6-man
crew worked 12-hour shifts around-the-clock, performing more than 70 experiments in the fields of atmospheric physics, Earth
observations, space plasma physics, astronomy and solar physics, materials processing and life sciences. The mission returned
more scientific and technical data than all the previous Apollo and Skylab missions put together. The Spacelab was brought back
for re-use, so that Columbia weighed over 110 tons as Young landed the spaceship at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Young was also on five backup space flight crews: backup pilot in Gemini 6, backup command module pilot for the second
Apollo mission (before the Apollo Program fire) and Apollo 7, and backup spacecraft commander for Apollo 13 and 17. In
preparation for prime and backup crew positions on eleven space flights, Young has put more than 15,000 hours into training so
far, mostly in simulators and simulations.
He has logged more than 15,275 hours flying time in props, jets, helicopters, rocket jets, more than 9,200 hours in T-38s, and six
space flights of 835 hours.
In January 1973, Young was made Chief of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office, providing operational and
engineering astronaut support for the design and development of the Space Shuttle. In January 1974, he was selected to be Chief
of the Astronaut Office, with responsibility for the coordination, scheduling, and control of activities of the astronauts. Young
served as Chief of the Astronaut Office until May 1987. During his tenure, astronaut flight crews participated in the Apollo-Soyuz
joint American-Russian docking mission, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Approach and Landing Test Program, and 25 Space Shuttle
missions. From May 1987 to February 1996, Young served as Special Assistant to the Director of JSC for Engineering,
Operations, and Safety. In that position, he had direct access to the Center Director and other senior managers in defining and
resolving issues affecting the continued safe operation of the Space Shuttle. Additionally, he assisted the Center Director in
providing advice and counsel on engineering, operational, and safety matters related to the Space Station, Shuttle upgrades, and
advanced human Space Exploration Programs, back to the Moon and on to Mars.
In February 1996 Young was assigned as Associate Director (Technical), responsible for technical, operational and safety
oversight of all Agency Programs and activities assigned to the Johnson Space Center. On December 31, 2004 Young retired
from NASA. He continued to advocate the development of the technologies that will allow us to live and work on the Moon and
Mars. Those technologies over the long (or short) haul will save civilization on Earth.
This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individuals.

John Watts Young (September 24, 1930 – January 5, 2018) was an American astronaut, naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and aeronautical engineer. He became the ninth person to walk on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. He flew on four different classes of spacecraft: Gemini, the Apollo command and service module, the Apollo Lunar Module and the Space Shuttle.

Before becoming an astronaut, Young received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and joined the U.S. Navy. After serving at sea during the Korean War he became a naval aviator and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. As a test pilot, he set several world time-to-climb records. Young retired from the Navy in 1976 with the rank of captain.

In 1962, Young was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 2. He flew on the first crewed Gemini mission (Gemini 3) in 1965, and then commanded the 1966 Gemini 10 mission. In 1969, he flew as the command module pilot on Apollo 10. In 1972, he commanded Apollo 16 and spent three days on the lunar surface exploring the Descartes Highlands with Charles Duke. Young also commanded STS-1 in 1981, the Space Shuttle program's first launch, and STS-9 in 1983, both of which were on Columbia. Young served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1974 to 1987, and retired from NASA in 2004.

John Watts Young was born at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco, California, on September 24, 1930, to William Young, a civil engineer, and Wanda Young (née Howland).[1]: 9 [2] His father lost his job during the Great Depression, and the family moved to Cartersville, Georgia, in 1932. In 1936, the family moved to Orlando, Florida, where he attended Princeton Elementary School.[1]: 10–11  When Young was five years old, his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and taken to Florida State Hospital.[1]: 12  Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Young's father joined the U.S. Navy as a Seabee and left Young and his younger brother Hugh in the care of a housekeeper. Young's father returned after the war and became a plant superintendent for a citrus company. Young attended Orlando High School, where he competed in football, baseball, and track and field, before he graduated in 1948.[1]: 15–16 

Young attended the Georgia Institute of Technology on a Naval ROTC scholarship.[1]: 16  He completed a midshipman cruise aboard USS Missouri, where he worked alongside his future Apollo 10 crewmate Thomas P. Stafford,[1]: 19 [3]: 9  and another aboard USS Newport News.[1]: 22  His senior year, Young served as regiment commander of his ROTC detachment.[4]: 154  He was a member of the honor societies Scabbard and Blade,[4]: 161  Tau Beta Pi,[4]: 311  Omicron Delta Kappa,[4]: 303  Phi Kappa Phi,[4]: 308  ANAK Society,[1]: 21  and the Sigma Chi fraternity.[4]: 277  In 1952, Young graduated second in his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy on June 6, 1952.[1]: 22 [5]

Navy service
Young applied to become a naval aviator, but was selected to become a gunnery officer aboard USS Laws out of Naval Base San Diego.[1]: 22–23  He completed a Pacific deployment as a fire control and division officer on Laws in the Sea of Japan during the Korean War. In May 1953, he received orders to flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola.[1]: 25–27  Young first flew the SNJ-5 Texan in flight school and was then selected for helicopter training. He flew the HTL-5 and HUP-2 helicopters and completed helicopter training in January 1954.[1]: 28–30  Young returned to flying the SNJ-5, and advanced to fly the T-28 Trojan, F6F Hellcat, and the F9F Panther. He graduated from flight school and received his aviator wings in December 1954.[1]: 30–31 

After flight school, Young was assigned to Fighter Squadron 103 (VF-103) at NAS Cecil Field to fly the F9F Cougar.[1]: 31  In August 1956, he deployed with the Sixth Fleet aboard USS Coral Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Young flew during the Suez Crisis, but did not fly in combat. His squadron returned in February 1957, and later that year began the transition to fly the F8U Crusader. In September 1958, VF-103 deployed with the Sixth Fleet on USS Forrestal to the Mediterranean Sea. In January 1959, Young was selected to be in Class 23 at the United States Naval Test Pilot School and returned home from deployment.[1]: 35–39, 43 

In 1959, Young graduated second in his class and was assigned to the Armament Division at the Naval Air Test Center.[1]: 43  He worked alongside future astronaut James A. Lovell Jr. and tested the F-4 Phantom II fighter weapons systems.[1]: 44–45  In 1962, he set two world time-to-climb records in the F-4, reaching 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 34.52 seconds and 25,000 m (82,000 ft) in 227.6 seconds.[5] In 1962, Young was assigned to fly with Fighter Squadron 143 (VFA-143) until his selection as an astronaut in September 1962.[1]: 49–50, 57 [6]

Young retired from the Navy as a captain in September 1976. He had 24 years of service.[6]

In September 1962, Young was selected to join NASA Astronaut Group 2.[1]: 57  Young and his family moved to Houston, Texas, and he began his astronaut flying, physical, and academic training.[1]: 58–63  After he completed his initial training, Young was assigned to work on the environmental control system and survivor gear. Young's team selected the David Clark Company G3C pressure suit, and he helped develop the waste disposal and airlock development systems.[1]: 63–64 

Project Gemini
Gemini 3
Further information: Gemini 3
Photograph of Young standing in his Gemini spacesuit
Young during a pre-launch exercise of Gemini 3
In April 1964, Young was selected as the pilot of Gemini 3, commanded by Gus Grissom.[1]: 64  The crew had originally been Alan Shepard and Thomas P. Stafford, but they were replaced after Shepard was diagnosed with Ménière's disease.[3]: 50  The Gemini 3 backup commander was Wally Schirra, with Stafford as the backup pilot. The primary mission of Gemini 3 was to test the ability of the spacecraft to perform orbital maneuvers throughout the flight. Biological experiments were assigned to test the effects of radiation on human blood and microgravity on cell division, and an experiment to test reentry communications was created. Both crews initially trained in simulators at the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved their training when the simulators were set up at the Manned Spacecraft Center and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in October 1964. Both primary and backup crews participated in Gemini 3's capsule system tests before it left the McDonnell facility.[7]: 220–223  The capsule was brought to the Kennedy Space Center on January 4, 1965,[7]: 226  and both crews trained in it from February 14 to March 18.[7]: 223–224  Young advocated for a longer mission than the planned three orbits, but his suggestion was rejected.[1]: 74 

On March 23, 1965, Young and Grissom entered their capsule at 7:30 a.m. They conducted their preflight system checkout ahead of schedule but had to delay the launch after there was a leak in an oxidizer line in the Titan II GLV. Gemini 3 launched at 9:24 a.m. from LC-19 and entered in a 122 × 182 km (76 × 113 mi) elliptical orbit.[7]: 223 [8] Twenty minutes into flight, Young recognized multiple anomalous system readings and determined that there might be issues with the instrument power supply. He switched from the primary power supply to the backup, which solved the issue. Young successfully completed the radiation experiment on human blood, but Grissom accidentally broke a handle and was unable to complete his assigned experiment on cell division. Gemini 3 successfully conducted its orbital maneuver tests that allowed it to circularize its orbit, change its orbital plane, and lower its perigee to 72 km (45 mi). On the third orbit, Young fired the retrorockets to begin re-entry. The lift the capsule experienced during reentry was less than predicted, and Gemini 3 landed 84 km (52 mi) short of its target area. After the parachutes deployed, the crew shifted the capsule to its landing orientation, which caused both of them to be thrown forward into the windshield and damaged the faceplates on their helmets. The crew remained inside the capsule for 30 minutes as they waited for a helicopter to retrieve them, and they and the capsule were successfully recovered aboard USS Intrepid.[1]: 82–83  After the flight, it was discovered that Young had smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard, which he and Grissom shared while testing food. The House Committee on Appropriations launched a hearing regarding the incident, and some members argued that the two astronauts had disrupted the scheduled food test.[1]: 84–85 [7]: 235–237 

After Gemini 3, Grissom and Young were assigned as backup commander and pilot for Gemini 6.[7]: 265  On January 24, 1966, Young and Michael Collins were assigned as the Gemini 10 commander and pilot, with Alan L. Bean and Clifton C. Williams Jr. as the backup crew. The primary mission of Gemini 10 was to dock with an Agena target vehicle (ATV) and use its engines to manoeuvre. Using the Agena engines to manoeuvre had been a failed objective of Gemini 8 and Gemini 9. The mission planned for Gemini 10 to dock with its assigned Agena target vehicle and then manoeuvre to rendezvous with the already orbiting Agena that had been previously assigned to Gemini 8. In the event of a failure of Gemini 10's target vehicle, the mission would still launch and attempt a rendezvous with Gemini 8's target vehicle.[7]: 342–344 

The Agena target vehicle was launched on July 18, 1966 at 3:39 p.m. and successfully entered orbit. Gemini 10 launched as scheduled later that day at 5:20 p.m. from LC-19, within the 35-second launch window that maximized its chances of making the dual rendezvous. Once in orbit, the crew attempted to navigate to their first rendezvous using celestial navigation, but were unable to navigate and required inputs from Mission Control. Young manoeuvred to a 265 × 272 km (165 × 169 mi) orbit to prepare for the rendezvous, and he had to make two midcourse corrections due to misalignment during the manoeuvre burns. Gemini 10 successfully rendezvoused and docked with the Agena target vehicle at 11:12 p.m. The higher-than-expected fuel consumption during the midcourse corrections caused flight director Glynn Lunney to cancel planned additional docking practice once the capsule had completed its rendezvous. Using the Agena's engines, Gemini 10 maneuvered to a 294 × 763 km (183 × 474 mi) elliptical orbit, which set a new altitude record for a crewed vehicle at the apogee.[7]: 344–345  Gemini 10 used the rockets on the Agena to maneuver and rendezvous with the Gemini 8 Agena and set another new altitude record of 764 km (475 mi). Young fired the Agena engines to lower the apogee to 382 km (237 mi), and later circularized the orbit with another burn to raise the perigee to 377.6 kilometers (234.6 mi), which was 17 km (11 mi) below the Gemini 8 Agena. Collins performed a standup extravehicular activity (EVA) where he stood at the door of the Gemini capsule to photograph the southern Milky Way to study its ultraviolet radiation. He began a color photography experiment but did not finish it as his and Young's eyes began filling with tears due to irritation from the anti-fog compound in their helmets.[7]: 347–348 

Gemini 10 undocked from its Agena and performed two manoeuvres to rendezvous with the Gemini 8 Agena. Gemini 10 successfully rendezvoused with its second target vehicle 47 hours into the mission, and Young accomplished station keeping to keep the capsule approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) from the Agena vehicle. Collins conducted an EVA to retrieve a micrometeorite experiment package. After he handed the package to Young, Collins extended his umbilical to test his manoeuvrability using a nitrogen gun, but struggled with it and pulled himself back to the capsule with his umbilical cable.[1]: 96–98 [7]: 348–349  The crew maneuvered away from the Agena and lowered their perigee to 106 km (66 mi). Young conducted the retrofire burn and manually flew the reentry. The capsule landed 5.4 km (3.4 mi) from their recovery ship, USS Guadalcanal, in the western Atlantic Ocean on July 21, 1966 at 4:07 p.m. After the crew was recovered and aboard the ship, flight controllers completed several burns on the Agena target vehicle to put it in a 352 km (219 mi) circular orbit to be used as a target for future missions.[7]: 350 

Young was originally assigned as backup to the second crewed Apollo mission, along with Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene A. Cernan.[1]: 111  After the delays caused by the fatal Apollo 1 fire in January 1967, Young, Cernan, and Stafford were assigned as the Apollo 7 backup crew.[1]: 117  On November 13, 1968, NASA announced that the Apollo 10 crew would be commanded by Stafford, with Young as command module pilot and Cernan as the lunar module pilot. The backup crew was L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and Edgar D. Mitchell. Apollo 10 would be the only F-type mission, which entailed crewed entry into lunar orbit and testing of the lunar module, but without a landing. It would serve as a final test for the procedures and hardware before the first lunar landing. During flight preparation, the crew spent over 300 hours in simulators, both at the Manned Spacecraft Center and at Cape Kennedy. Mission Control linked with Young in the command module simulator and Stafford and Cernan in the lunar module simulator to provide realistic training. The crew selected the call sign Charlie Brown for the command module and Snoopy for the lunar module, in reference to the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.[9]: 300–302 

On May 18, 1969, Apollo 10 launched at 11:49 a.m. After the trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn, Young successfully docked the command module with the lunar module.[9]: 303  Young took celestial navigation measurements while en route to the Moon as a contingency for a loss of communication. Apollo 10 completed one midcourse correction, and Young performed the retrograde manoeuvre to bring the spacecraft into orbit 110 km (68 mi) above the lunar surface. On May 22, Stafford and Cernan entered the lunar module but were concerned that the docking ports' alignment had slipped by 3.5°. Apollo Program Spacecraft manager George M. Low determined that it was within acceptable limits, and the two spacecraft undocked. Young examined the lunar module after the two spacecraft were separated by 9 m (30 ft) and then manoeuvred the command module 3.5 km (2.2 mi) away.[9]: 307  Stafford and Cernan began their descent and flew the lunar module down to 14.447 km (8.977 mi) above the lunar surface. The lunar module crew tested the abort guidance system but had accidentally changed its setting from "attitude hold" to "automatic". As they prepared for the ascent, the lunar module began manoeuvring as its automatic setting caused it to search for the command module. Stafford regained control of the spacecraft and flew the ascent towards the meeting with the command module.[9]: 310–311  Young flew alone in the command module and prepared to manoeuvre to the lunar module in the event that its ascent engine did not work.[1]: 133–134  Once the lunar module rendezvoused with the command module, Young successfully docked the two spacecraft.[9]: 311  The crew transferred to the command module and undocked from the lunar module, which was flown by Mission Control into a solar orbit. While still in lunar orbit, Young tracked landmarks in preparation for a lunar landing, then flew the trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver.[1]: 134–136  On May 26, Apollo 10 reentered the Earth's atmosphere and safely landed 690 km (430 mi) from Samoa. It landed 6 km (3.7 mi) from its recovery ship, the USS Princeton, and the crew was recovered by helicopter.[9]: 312 

Young was assigned the backup commander of Apollo 13, along with Charles Duke and Jack Swigert. Duke exposed both the primary and backup crews to the German measles, causing the replacement of Ken Mattingly, who was not immune to German measles, by Swigert as the command module pilot two days prior to the launch.[10]: 88 [11]

On March 3, 1971, Young was assigned as the commander of Apollo 16, along with Duke and Mattingly.[12] Their backup crew was Fred Haise, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell.[13] The mission's science objective was to study material from the lunar highlands, as they were believed to contain volcanic material older than the lunar mare that had been the sites of the previous Apollo landings.[12] The Apollo Site Selection Board considered landing sites at Alphonsus crater and the Descartes Highlands, and it chose the Descartes Highlands as the Apollo 16 landing site on June 3. The mission science kit contained instruments to sample and photograph the lunar surface, as well as a magnetometer and a seismometer. Additionally, the crew brought an ultraviolet camera and spectrograph to study interplanetary and hydrogen.[14]: 244  To prepare for their EVAs, Young and Duke participated in field exercises in geological research. They conducted field work at the Mono craters in California to learn how to identify lava domes and tuff and the Sudbury Basin to study breccia.[15]: 289–290 

Apollo 16 successfully launched at 12:54 p.m. on April 16, 1972. After the spacecraft reached Earth orbit, several problems developed with the S-IVB attitude control system, but Apollo 16 was still able to perform its trans-lunar injection burn. Mattingly docked the command module with the lunar module, and the crew decided to perform an early checkout of the lunar module over concerns that it had been damaged but found no issues. Apollo 16 flew behind the Moon 74 hours into the mission and entered into a 20 × 108 km (12 × 67 mi) elliptical orbit. The next day, Duke and Young entered the lunar module and undocked, but Mattingly soon reported an issue with the thrust vector controls on the service propulsion system, which would have prevented the command module from maneuvering in case the lunar module was unable to complete its rendezvous. After a delay, Mission Control approved the landing, and Young and Duke began their descent 5 hours and 42 minutes later than scheduled. As the lunar module descended, its projected landing location was 600 m (2,000 ft) north and 400 m (1,300 ft) west of its target location. Young took corrective action to adjust their landing location, and the lunar module landed 270 m (890 ft) north and 60 m (200 ft) west of its target location.[12]

On April 21 Young and Duke began their first EVA.[12] Young was the first to exit the lunar module, and his first words on the lunar surface were "I'm glad they got ol' Brer Rabbit here, back in the briar patch where he belongs".[16] The two astronauts set up the lunar rover, and deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP).[12] Mission Control informed Young that the U.S. House of Representatives had passed that year's space budget, which included funding to begin the Space Shuttle program.[17] Young tripped over the cables to the heat flow sensors, which irreparably broke the sensors' communication link with Earth.[12] The two astronauts conducted a seismic experiment using pneumatic hammers[18] and began a traverse to Flag crater, which was 1.4 km (0.87 mi) west of the landing site.[12][19] They set up a geology station at the crater, and collected Big Muley, a 11.7 kg (26 lb) breccia that was the largest lunar rock collected during the Apollo program.[20][21] Young and Duke traveled back towards the lunar module, stopping at Spook and Buster craters along the way.[22] Before ending the EVA, they tested the maneuverability of the lunar rover. They finished the EVA after seven hours on the lunar surface.[12]

Young and Duke conducted their second EVA on April 22.[12] They travelled to Cinco crater to sample at three geology sites, with the goal of finding ejecta from the South Ray crater.[23] After they traveled to collect samples at the nearby Wreck crater, the rover's navigation system failed, forcing the two astronauts to manually navigate back to the lunar module.[1]: 187  On their return trip, they stopped at the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package to take soil samples.[15]: 299  They returned to the lunar module and finished their EVA after seven hours on the lunar surface.[12] The third EVA began on the morning of April 23. The two astronauts drove to North Ray crater and collected rock samples from its rim. They collected further samples from outside the crater to allow scientists to recreate the crater's stratigraphy using its ejecta.[15]: 301  They returned to the lunar module and parked the rover to allow its cameras to broadcast their ascent.[1]: 189  They ended their EVA after five hours; it was shorter than the previous two because of the delayed landing on the lunar surface.[24]

On April 24, the lunar module successfully ascended into lunar orbit and docked with the command module.[15]: 301  The astronauts transferred the 94 kg (207 lb) of lunar samples that they collected and jettisoned the lunar module. The command module completed its trans-Earth injection burn and began its flight back to Earth, during which time Mattingly performed an EVA to recover film from the exterior cameras and conduct an experiment on microbe exposure to ultraviolet sunlight. The command module (CM) reentered the atmosphere on April 27 and landed in the ocean approximately 350 km (220 mi) southeast of Christmas Island, and the crew was recovered aboard the USS Ticonderoga.[1]: 194 [12][25] After the mission, Young was assigned as the Apollo 17 backup commander, along with Duke as the backup lunar module pilot and Stuart A. Roosa as the backup command module pilot.[26] The backup crew was originally the Apollo 15 crew, but were removed after NASA management learned of their plan to sell the unauthorized postal covers they took to the lunar surface.[1]: 198 

Space Shuttle program
In January 1973, Young was made Chief of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office. At the time, the overall Space Shuttle specifications and manufacturers had been determined, and Young's role was to serve as a liaison for the astronauts to provide design input. Young's office recommended changes for the orbiter's RCS thrusters, star tracker, and thermal radiators.[1]: 213–216  In January 1974, he became Chief of the Astronaut Office after the departure of Alan B. Shepard Jr. One of his first roles after taking over the office was overseeing the end of the Skylab program and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission, but the remainder of the spaceflights during his tenure were Space Shuttle missions.[1]: 216–218  Young flew in the T-38 Talon chase planes for several of the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.[1]: 221 Young remained as the chief of the Astronaut Office after STS-9. He was critical of NASA management following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and blamed the disaster on the lack of safety culture within the Space Shuttle program. Young testified before the Rogers Commission, and suggested improvements for the safety program at NASA.[2][31]: 189  Young had been scheduled to fly as the commander of STS-61-J to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope, but the mission was canceled as a result of the Challenger disaster.[32]

In May 1987, Young was replaced as the chief of the Astronaut Office by Daniel C. Brandenstein and was reassigned as Special Assistant to Johnson Space Center Director Aaron Cohen for Engineering, Operations and Safety.[6][33] Young believed that his reassignment was the result of his public criticism of NASA management.[1]: 295  He oversaw the redesign of the solid rocket boosters to prevent a repeat of the Challenger disaster and advocated for the strengthening of the thermal protection tiles at the chin-section of the orbiters.[1]: 295–298  He continued to work on safety improvements in the Space Shuttle program, including improving the landing surfaces, installation of emergency drag parachutes, the inclusion of the Global Positioning System (GPS) into the Space Shuttle's navigation system, and improving landing simulations.[1]: 299–307  In February 1996, he was assigned as the Associate Director (Technical) of Johnson Space Center,[6] where he was involved in the development of the Shuttle–Mir program and the design process for the International Space Station (ISS).[1]: 326–328 

After working at NASA for over 42 years Young retired on December 31, 2004. During his career, he flew for more than 15,275 hours, including more than 9,200 hours in T-38s and 835 hours in spacecraft during six space flights. Additionally, he spent over 15,000 hours in training to prepare for eleven primary and backup crew positions.[6]

Retirement
Photograph of Young and Crippen standing in a row with the crew of STS-135
The crews of STS-1 and STS-135 in 2011
Following his retirement, Young worked as a public speaker, and advocated for the importance of asteroid impact avoidance, colonization of the Moon, and climate engineering.[1]: 374 [6] In April 2006, Young and Crippen appeared at the 25th anniversary of the STS-1 launch at the Kennedy Space Center and spoke of their experiences during the flight.[34][35] In November 2011, Young and Crippen met with the crew of STS-135, the last Space Shuttle mission.[36]

In 2012, Young and James R. Hansen co-authored his autobiography, Forever Young.[1]On December 1, 1955, Young married Barbara White of Savannah, Georgia,[1]: 33  at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palatka, Florida.[37] Together they had two children, Sandra and John, and two grandchildren.[1]: 354 [2] They were divorced in the summer of 1971.[1]: 155  Later that year, he married Susy Feldman,[1]: 155  and they lived in Houston.[2] Young was friends with George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush, and he vacationed at the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.[1]: 353 

Young died on January 5, 2018, at his home in Houston, of complications from pneumonia, at the age of 87.[2] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 30, 2019.[38]