jim_mcdivitt_profile

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Jim McDivitt

Jim McDIVITT
PROFILE
Full Name:	James Alton McDIVITT.
Rank:	Brigadier-General USAF (Deceased).
Born:	10 June 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, USA (American).
Died:	13 October 2022, in his sleep, in Tucson, Arizona, aged 93.
Education:	1949: Graduated Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 1950: AA, Jackson Junior College, Jackson, Michigan. 1959: BSc degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan (First in class out of 606 students).
Career Highlights:	1949: Worked as a water boiler repairman while taking classes at Jackson College. Jan 1951-Nov 1952: Entered the US Air Force as an aviation cadet; (May 1952) received his pilot wings and commissioned 2nd Lieutenant; (Nov 1952) completed combat crew training. Nov 1952-Sep 1953: Served in the Korean conflict with the 35th Bombardment Squadron, where he flew F-80s and F-86s on 145 combat missions. Sep 1953-Nov 1954: Returned to the US; served as pilot and Assistant Operations Officer with the 19th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Dow AFB, Maine. Nov 1954-Jul 1955: Attended Advanced Flying School, Tyndall AFB, Florida. Jul 1955-Jun 1957: Pilot, Operations Officer and later Flight Commander, 332nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, McGuire AFB, New Jersey. Jun 1957-Jun 1959: Returned to his studies under the Air Force Institute of Technology Program at the University of Michigan, where he received his BSc degree. Jun 1959-Jul 1962: Student test pilot, Edwards AFB, California; (Mar 1960) graduated; following graduation he remained at Edwards with the Air Force Flight Test Center, as an experimental pilot; completed the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School. Jul-Sep 1962:Joined the Manned Spacecraft Operations Branch at Edwards AFB, California. He was eligible for selection to fly the X-15 rocket plane but was instead selected by NASA for astronaut training.

NASA ASTRONAUT ASSIGNMENTS
1962:	(17 Sep) Selected as one of the nine astronauts chosen by NASA for Group 2 ("The Next Nine"); basic training.
1963:	(Jan) Received a tehnical assignment on guidance and navigation issues.
1964:	(Jul) Assigned to the Astronaut Office (Code CB) Apollo Branch Office; (Jul) named as Command Pilot, Gemini 4; Gemini mission training, as well as working on Apollo issues.
1965:	Gemini mission training; (3-7 Jun) flew as Command Pilot, Gemini 4 (4 days 1 hr 56 min); first US EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity, or spacewalk); (15 Jul) promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel; (Sep) named as CB Apollo Branch Chief; (Dec) replaced as Apollo Branch Chief by Grissom; chosen to commaned first crewed test flight of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) in Earth orbit; selected as BUp Commander (CDR) Apollo 1 and potential CDR Apollo 3; Apollo mission training.
1966:	Apollo mission training; (Nov) original Block I Apollo 2 mission cancelled and McDivitt crew reassigned to new Block II Apollo 2 mission to test the LM; Apollo mission training.
1967:	Apollo mission training; (Jan) programme suspended and crews stood down following Apollo 1 pad fire, pending inquiry and return to flight qualification; generic Apollo training.
1968:	Generic Apollo training; (Aug) decision to send Apollo 8 around the Moon means McDivitt crew is moved to Apollo 9; Apollo mission training.
1969:	Apollo mission training; (3-13 Mar) flew as CDR Apollo 9 (10 days 1 hr); first crewed test flight of LM in Earth orbit; following Apollo 9, he was under consideration for the command of Apollo 13 and ws also approached to head up the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) programme, but decided to take up a management role at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC); (Jun) left the Astronaut Office; (25 Jun) Manager for Lunar Landing Operations, Apollo Program Office, MSC, Houston, with primary responsibility in planning future landing missions subsequent to the first lunar landing; (Sep) when that role was completed, the position was eliminated; (25 Sep) Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, MSC Houston.
1970:	Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, MSC.
1971:	Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, MSC.
1972:	Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, MSC; (1 Mar) promoted to Brigadier-General; Special Assistant to the Center Director (MSC), Organisational Affairs; (Jun) resigns from NASA and retires from the USAF with the rank of Brigadier-General.

POST-ASTRONAUT EXPERIENCE
1972-1975:	Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Consumers Power Company, Jackson, Michigan.
Mar 1975-1981:	Executive Vice President, Pullman Railroad, Chicago, Illinois; (Oct 1975) President, Pullman Standard Division; subsequently had additional responsibility for the leasing, engineering and construction areas of the company.
Jan 1981-1995:	Vice President of Strategic Management; Executive Vice President, Electronic Operations; Executive Vice President, Defense Electronic Operations; Senior Vice President of Science and Technology; (Jan 1988) Senior Vice President, Government Operations, all for Rockwell International Corporation, Arlington, Virginia; (1 Apr 1995) retired.
From 1995:	Served on numerous boards of private companies and also served on advisory councils for a number of universities and government bodies.
13 Oct 2022:	Died in his sleep in Tucson, Arizona, aged 93.

Jim McDIVITT Space Flight Missions
Mission	Vehicle	Position	Dates DD/MM/YY	Duration DD:HH:MM:SS	Orbits	EVAs (HH:MM)
Gemini 4	Titan II	Command Pilot	03/06/1965-07/06/1965	04:01:56:12	62	None
Apollo 9	Saturn V	Commander	03/03/1969-13/03/1969	10:01:00:54	151	None

Missions Flown:		2	Total Flight Time:	14:02:57:06	213	None

Space Explorer Achievements
First to fly a mission as spacecraft crew commander without having served on a previous crew (Gemini 4, 1965) Commanded first US mission to include an EVA (Gemini 4, 1965) First to fly a spacecraft in space without capability of Earth return (1969 Apollo 9 LM "Spider").

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This profile is copyright Astro Info Service Limited, 2015, 2026.

All images are courtesy of NASA, unless otherwise stated.

The Group 2 astronauts, often considered to be the best group NASA selected. (Back row l-r) Elliott See, Jim McDivitt, Jim Lovell, Ed White, Tom Stafford.
(Front row l-r) Pete Conrad, Frank Borman, Neil Armstrong and John Young.

MSC Houston medical chief Dr. Charles Berry prepares to take McDivitt's blood pressure during preparations for Gemini 4. McDivitt is seen on a tilt table used for the crew's pre-flight physical examinations.

Pre-launch image of McDivitt (foreground) and Ed White inside their Gemini 4 spacecraft on 3 June 1965.

The suited Apollo 9 crew poses for a photo opportunity, with their Saturn V rocket in the background. (L to r) Commander (CDR) Jim McDivitt, CM Pilot (CMP) Dave Scott and LM Pilot (LMP) Rusty Schweickart.

The main objective for the Apollo 9 mission was to test out the Lunar Module (LM) in Earth orbit. This image, taken from the Command Module (call sign "Gumdrop"), shows the LM (call sign "Spider") in lunar landing configuration. Aboard the LM are CDR McDivitt and LMP Schweickart, the first astronauts to transfer between docked spacecraft and fly a vehicle that had no capability of returning to land on Earth.

Taken from a live TV transmission during the flight, this image shows the interior of the LM "Spider". CDR McDivitt is in the foreground, with LMP Schweickart on the left.

After Apollo 9, McDivitt moved into management roles within NASA. This image from Mission Control, Houston, was taken during the Apollo 13 emergency in April 1970. McDivitt (standing, 3rd from left), as Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager, is in discussion with (l to r) Glyn Lunney, Shift 4 Flight Director (FD), Gerald Griffin, Shift 2 FD, Deke Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations and Dr. Willard Hawkins, Shift 1 Flight Surgeon (with hands on console).