(CNN) — Apollo astronaut Colonel Frank Borman, who led the first mission to orbit the moon, has died in Billings, Montana, NASA announced. He was 95 years old.
“Today we remember one of NASA’s best. Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero. Among his many accomplishments was that he served as mission commander for Apollo 8, the first human mission around the moon in 1968.
“In addition to his critical role as mission commander, he is a Gemini 7 veteran, having spent 14 days in low Earth orbit and leading the first space rendezvous, coming within a few feet of the Gemini 6 spacecraft,” Nelson added.
Shown here, from left, are Frank Borman, commander of the three-man Apollo 8 crew, William A. Anders and James A. Lovell Jr. on December 21, 1968, before their lunar orbital flight.
Burman died on November 7, according to the statement.
In 1967, Borman was a member of the Apollo 204 review board, which investigated a fire that killed three astronauts aboard Apollo 1, according to a brief NASA biography. Borman would later lead the team that redesigned the Apollo spacecraft.
Borman continued his career in aviation after working at NASA as CEO of Eastern Airlines, according to the statement.
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