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NASA·🇺🇸 United States·Born 1924
Deke Slayton
Oldest person to fly in space at the time — age 51 (1975)
Hours in Space
1
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
Biography
One of the original Mercury Seven, grounded for years by an irregular heartbeat and instead made Director of Flight Crew Operations — choosing the crews of Gemini and Apollo. Medically cleared at last, he flew as Docking Module Pilot on Apollo–Soyuz.
Before NASAU.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bomber pilot in World War II, then an Edwards Air Force Base test pilot before selection as a Mercury Seven astronaut.
Records & Firsts
Notable accomplishments by Deke Slayton
- Oldest person to fly in space at the time — age 51 (1975)
Notable Missions
Apollo-Soyuz
Don't just read it — fly it
Relive Deke's missions
Step into the missions Deke Slayton flew — chapter by chapter, from ignition to splashdown.
Beyond the Mission
Fun fact
At age 51 on Apollo–Soyuz in 1975, he was the oldest person to fly in space at the time — sixteen years after being selected as an astronaut.
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