Joe Engle
NASA astronaut
Died when: 91 years 319 days (1102 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Joe Henry Engle (born August 26, 1932) was an American pilot, aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut.He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2 in 1981, the program's second orbital flight.
He also flew three flights in the Shuttle program's 1977 Approach and Landing Tests.Engle is one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA.
As an X-15 pilot, Engle made three flights above 50 miles, thus qualifying for astronaut wings under the American convention for the boundary of space.
In 1966 he was selected for NASA's fifth Astronaut Group, joining the Apollo program.He was the backup Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) for Apollo 14 and originally scheduled as LMP for Apollo 17.
However, cancellation of later flights prompted NASA to select geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt as LMP, displacing Engle.Engle is an experienced spaceplane operator and the last living X-15 pilot.
