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Group 3 astronauts. Back row, L-R: Collins, Cunningham, Eisele, Freeman, Gordon, Schweickart, Scott, Williams. Front row, L-R: Aldrin, Anders, Bassett, Bean, Cernan, Chaffee.

Astronaut Group 3 was a group of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA. Their selection was announced in October 1963.^[1] Four died in training accidents before they could fly in space. All of the surviving ten flew in the Apollo program; five also flew Gemini missions. Aldrin, Bean, Cernan and Scott walked on the Moon. They are the only ones of the first 19 NASA astronaut groups to have no members fly on the Space Shuttle.

Group 3 was the first to waive the requirement of a test pilot background, though military jet fighter aircraft experience was substituted. This applied to Aldrin, Anders, Cernan, Chaffee, Cunningham and Schweickart; all the others were test pilots.

A chart showing Group 3 assignments in Gemini and Apollo in relation to assignments from other astronaut groups. It shows how the surviving members of this group flew on Apollo, providing more moonwalkers than any other group (four), with half of the group (seven) making it to lunar orbit. This group also bore the brunt of casualties, with four members dying in the span of three years.

Group members

• 
  Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin, Jr (born 1930), U.S. Air Force (2 flights)

Gemini 12 – November 1966 – Pilot – First productive EVA without tiring

Apollo 11 – July 1969 – Lunar module pilot – First manned lunar landing; Aldrin became the second man to walk on the Moon

Aldrin also served as backup pilot for Gemini 9 and backup command module pilot for Apollo 8.

• 
  William A. Anders (born 1933), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 8 – December 1968 – Lunar module pilot – First manned circumlunar flight; Anders was responsible for significant photography

Anders also served as backup pilot for Gemini 11 and backup command module pilot for Apollo 11.

• 
  Charles A. Bassett II (1931–1966), U.S. Air Force

Selected as Pilot for Gemini 9, but died in a T-38 plane crash less than four months before the mission.

• 
  Alan L. Bean (1932–2018), U.S. Navy (2 flights)

Apollo 12 – November 1969 – Lunar module pilot – Second manned lunar landing; Bean became the fourth man to walk on the Moon

Skylab 3 – July–September 1973 – Commander – Second American space station mission

Bean also served as backup Command Pilot for Gemini 10 and backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 9, and as backup Commander for ASTP

• 
  Eugene A. Cernan (1934–2017), U.S. Navy (3 flights)

Gemini 9A – June 1966 – Pilot – Second American EVA, first mission where a backup crew completely replaced the prime crew

Apollo 10 – May 1969 – Lunar module pilot – "Dress rehearsal" for Apollo 11, first lunar flight of the lunar module and highest velocity achieved by a manned vehicle

Apollo 17 – December 1972 – Commander – Final manned lunar mission and final manned lunar landing; Cernan is currently the last person to walk on the Moon

Cernan also served as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 7 and backup Commander for Apollo 14.

• 
  Roger B. Chaffee (1935–1967), U.S. Navy

Slated to be Pilot on the Prime Crew for first manned Apollo mission, but was killed in a cabin fire during launch rehearsal.

• 
  Michael Collins (born 1930), U.S. Air Force (2 flights)

Gemini 10 – July 1966 – Pilot – First double rendezvous, first manned mission to change orbital plane

Apollo 11 – July 1969 – Command module pilot – First manned lunar landing

Collins also served as backup pilot for Gemini 7 and was on the "Apollo 3" (later Apollo 8) crew, but was removed for medical reasons months before launch.

• 
  R. Walter Cunningham (born 1932), U.S. Marine Corps (1 flight)

Apollo 7 – October 1968 – Lunar module pilot – First manned Apollo mission

• 
  Donn F. Eisele (1930–1987), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 7 – October 1968 – Command module pilot – First manned Apollo mission

Eisele also served as backup command module pilot for Apollo 10.

• 
  Theodore C. Freeman (1930–1964), U.S. Air Force

Killed in T-38 crash in 1964 before being selected for any flight assignment.

• 
  Richard F. Gordon Jr. (1929–2017), U.S. Navy (2 flights)

Gemini 11 – September 1966 – Pilot – First direct-ascent rendezvous, set highest apogee Earth orbit, first artificial gravity experiment

Apollo 12 – November 1969 – Command module pilot – Second manned lunar landing

Gordon was slated to command Apollo 18 but the mission was canceled due to budget cuts. He was also backup pilot for Gemini 8, backup command module pilot for Apollo 9 and backup Commander for Apollo 15.

• 
  Russell L. Schweickart (born 1935), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 9 – March 1969 – Lunar module pilot – First manned flight of the lunar module

Schweickart also served as backup Commander for Skylab 2.

• 
  David R. Scott (born 1932), U.S. Air Force (3 flights)

Gemini 8 – March 1966 – Pilot – First docking (Gemini ATV) in space and first mission abort from Earth orbit

Apollo 9 – March 1969 – Command module pilot – First manned flight of the lunar module

Apollo 15 – July 1971 – Commander – Fourth manned lunar landing, first use of the Lunar Rover; Scott became the seventh person to walk on the Moon

Scott also served as backup Commander for Apollo 12.

• 
  Clifton C. Williams (1932–1967), U.S. Marine Corps

Trained as a lunar module pilot. Served as backup pilot for Gemini 10. Selected as a member of the backup crew for Apollo 9, but died in a plane crash before the mission.

See also

• List of Apollo astronauts

References