Trailblazing Astronaut Joe Engle Dies at 91

Joe Engle, the first astronaut to fly in space aboard two winged vehicles, has passed away at the age of 91. His death was announced by his family on Facebook. Engle began his space career with the X-15 rocket plane in 1965, 10 months before becoming a NASA astronaut. He completed 16 flights with the X-15, reaching speeds exceeding Mach 5 on ten occasions. In 1966, he was selected for NASA's fifth group of astronauts. His second winged spaceflight was aboard the space shuttle Columbia on November 12, 1981, where he commanded STS-2 and became the first to operate the Canadarm remote manipulator system.

Engle was also the youngest person to qualify as an astronaut at the age of 32. He participated in the Space Shuttle's Approach and Landing Tests in 1977 and commanded two orbital missions with Columbia on STS-2 and Discovery on STS-51I in 1985. Over his career, he flew over 180 types of aircraft and logged more than 14,000 flight hours, including 224 hours in space. His contributions to aerospace earned him numerous military decorations, such as the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. Engle is remembered for his pioneering work in both military and civilian spaceflight.