Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999), (Capt, USN), was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and during the Apollo 12 mission became the third man to walk on the Moon. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with his Command Pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission. After Apollo, he commanded the Skylab 2 mission (the first manned one), on which he and his crewmates repaired significant launch damage to the Skylab space station. For this, President Jimmy Carter awarded him the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978.
June 2, 1930, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died
July 8, 1999, Ojai, California, United States
Place Of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)
Profession
Actor
Spouse
Nancy Marjorie Crane (m. 1990–1999), Jane DuBose (m. 1953–1989)
Children
Peter Conrad, Christopher Conrad, Andew Conrad, Thomas Conrad
Star Sign
Gemini
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Quote
1
[upon stepping onto the lunar surface and referring to Neil Armstrong's famous quote] Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me!
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Fact
1
He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
2
NASA honored and celebrated Conrad's memory and his contributions to America's space program with the presentation of the Ambassador of Exploration Award on November 18, 2006, at The Museum of Flight in Seattle. Conrad's widow Nancy accepted the award on his behalf and presented it for display to The Museum of Flight President Bonnie Dunbar, also a former NASA astronaut. The award was a sample of lunar material mounted for public display. The material is part of the 842 pounds of samples brought back to Earth during the six Apollo lunar expeditions from 1969 to 1972.
3
Conrad died July 8, 1999 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Ojai, California.
4
He had four spaceflights during the Apollo era. Gemini 5 was flown with Mercury veteran Gordon Cooper. He commanded Gemini 11 flying with Richard Gordon docking with the Agena target vehicle immediately after achieving orbit as in a lunar mission. In Apollo 12 he, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon conducted the second trip to the moon bringing back lunar rocks and pieces of the Surveyor 3 probe. He also commanded the first Skylab mission with Paul Weitz and Joe Kerwin spending 28 days in space setting a new duration record. On the Apollo 12 flight the command module was called the Yankee Clipper while the lunar module was designated the Intrepid.
5
Much to director Ron Howard's surprise, Conrad auditioned for a part in Apollo 13 (1995), genuinely wanting to be in the film. Howard couldn't find a part for him, but was overjoyed to meet him anyway.
6
Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 125-126. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
7
Over one chapter was dedicated almost solely to Charles Conrad in Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff, however, no mention of him was made in the movie.
8
Crew member on Gemini 5 mission, 1965. Navy test pilot and astronaut. Commander of the Apollo 12 mission to the moon in 1969. Conrad was the third man to walk on the moon, in November, 1969.
9
Third man to walk on the moon (Apollo 12).
10
Astronaut.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Beverly Hills, 90210
1996
TV Series
Charles Conrad
Stowaway to the Moon
1975
TV Movie
News Commentator
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Moonbug
2010
Documentary as Pete Conrad
Project Gemini: A Bridge to the Moon
2003
Video documentary
Himself (as Pete Conrad)
The Planets
1999
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - Commander, Apollo 12 / Himself - Astronaut
Space Shuttle Discovery: John Glenn Launch
1998
TV Movie
Himself / coanchor (as Pete Conrad)
Good Morning America
1994
TV Series
Himself
Moon Shot
1994
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Astronaut Candidate (as Pete Conrad)
Plymouth
1991
TV Movie
Himself (as Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr.)
The Other Side of the Moon
1990
Documentary
Himself
For All Mankind
1989
Documentary
Narrator - Apollo 12 (voice, as Charles P. Conrad Jr.)
It's Garry Shandling's Show.
1987
TV Series
Himself
Spaceflight
1985
TV Series documentary
Himself
Science Fiction Film Awards
1978
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Presenter (as Charles 'Pete' Conrad)
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Surfing the Healthcare Tsunami: Bring Your Best Board
2012
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Universum
2010
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Apollo Years
2009
Video
Himself
When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions
2008
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
Secrets of the Moon Landings
2007
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option 2
2005
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Failure Is Not an Option
2003
TV Movie documentary
Himself
What Happened on the Moon? - An Investigation Into Apollo
2000
Video documentary
Himself - Apollo 12 Astronaut (uncredited)
Was It Only a Paper Moon?
1997
Documentary
Himself - Apollo 12 Astronaut (uncredited)
Known for movies
For All Mankind (1989) as Narrator - Apollo 12
The Other Side of the Moon (1990) as Himself
Science Fiction Film Awards (1978) as Himself - Presenter
$20 Million
