Gordon Cooper

“I think it was a good idea to go with the 'Right Stuff' guys. We were all test pilots.”

“For many years I have lived with a secret, in a secrecy imposed on all specialists in astronautics.”

“I could have gone on for another three or four orbits, but it was a question of playing it safe.”

“I believe that these extra-terrestrial vehicles and their crews are visiting this planet from other planets.”

“It was a fabulous flight. It's a great feeling to be a pioneer in space.”

“I get a lot of mail from people who want to know about UFOs. I've had a lot of questions about that.”

“Man, that was a ride.”

“Things were beginning to malfunction. The attitude control system was acting up, and the automatic pilot was not working.”

“We were pushing the envelope. That's what we were there for.”

“The view from space is tremendous. It’s a very moving experience.”