Edward Givens

Infobox Astronaut
name =Ed Givens Jr.


type =NASA Astronaut
status =Deceased
nationality =American
date_birth =January 5, 1930
date_death =June 6, 1967
place_birth =Quanah, Texas
place_death =Houston, Texas
occupation =Test pilot
rank =Major, USAF
selection =1966 NASA Group
mission =None
insignia =|

Edward Galen (Ed) Givens Jr (January 5, 1930 in Quanah, Texas - June 6, 1967 near Houston, Texas) was an United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He was selected in 1966 by NASA as a member of the 'Original 19' group.

He was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He and his wife Ada had three children.

Military career

Givens was commissioned in the Air Force upon graduating from United States Naval Academy in 1952 and received his flight training as a student pilot at the United States Air Force Air Training Command. In 1954, he was a flight commander and fighter pilot with the 35th Fighter Interceptor Group on duty in Japan. He served as an instructor at the Air Force Interceptor Weapons School from January 1956 to March 1958 and subsequently attended the United States Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Upon graduation he became an instructor in the Stability and Control Section.

His next assignment took him to the Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, where he was a project pilot with Air Development Squadron 4. While there, he not only conducted operational evaluations but also was responsible for compiling and developing the operation procedures and tactics for fleet operation of the F8U-2N.

He served as Assistant to the Commandant at the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School from November 1961 to September 1962 and then attended the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, from which he graduated in 1963. When informed of his selection for astronaut training in 1966, he was assigned as Project Officer with USAF SSD Detachment 2 at the Manned Spacecraft Center.

He logged more than 3,500 hours flight time; 2,800 hours in jet craft.

NASA career

Givens was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. After completing astronaut training, he briefly served on the Apollo 7 support crew before being killed in an automobile accident while driving his Volkswagen home from a meeting of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

External links

* [http://www11.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/givens-eg.html NASA bio of Givens]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/givens_edward.htm Spacefacts biography of Edward Givens]