Astronaut Frank Borman at 1999 National Championship Air Races

Born March 14, 1928 in Gary, Ind., Borman learned to fly at age 15 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1950. Borman, an Air Force Pilot from 1951 through 1956, studied aeronautical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, then taught at West Point and the Aerospace Research Pilots School.

In 1962, NASA selected Borman for astronaut training where he commanded two historic missions; the Gemini 7 space endurance flight in 1965 and the first manned flight around the moon in 1968 on Apollo 8.

Gemini Program - The goal of the Gemini Program was announced in December 1961 - to continue the agency's orbit of the Earth with the development of a two-person spacecraft, as well as to extend manned spaceflight to the duration of two weeks. Borman served as backup command pilot on Gemini 4 prior to flying on Gemini 7. In Gemini 7 he made the first space rendezvous with Gemini 6.

Apollo Missions - The Apollo Program was generated by President John F. Kennedy's famous promise in 1962 to land Americans on the moon by 1970. This promise became NASA's overriding directive and resulted in Neil Armstrong's giant step on the moon in 1969. Borman was commander of Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. The crew - Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell were named Time Magazine's Men of the Year.

Borman has been awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the Air Force Command Astronaut Wings. He worked for NASA until 1970 when he joined Eastern Airlines serving as CEO and Chairman of the Board for many years.