\<COLOUR 1> DATE OF BIRTH: \<COLOUR 0> September 24, 1930
\<COLOUR 1> COUNTRY: \<COLOUR 0> USA
\<COLOUR 1> FIRST FLIGHT: \<COLOUR 0> March 23, 1965; in Gemini 3
\<COLOUR 1> ACHIEVEMENTS: \<COLOUR 0> The most experienced US astronaut, whose career spanned the Gemini, Apollo and shuttle eras; he flew on the first Gemini flight (Gemini 3, 1965) and on Gemini 10 (1966); he was command module pilot on Apollo 10 lunar circumnavigation (1969) and walked on the Moon on the Apollo 16 mission (1972); he commanded the first flight of the space shuttle (STS-1) in 1981 and the first Spacelab flight (STS-9) in 1983.