Michael James Adams

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Michael James Adams Veteran

Birth
Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, USA
Death
15 Nov 1967 (aged 37)
Johannesburg, Kern County, California, USA
Burial
Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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Astronaut. Born in Sacramento, California in May, 1930. He graduated from Sacramento Junior College and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and earned his pilot wings and commission in 1952 at Webb AFB, TX. After serving as a fighter-bomber pilot during the Korean conflict He spent 30 months with the 813th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at England Air Force Base, LA and six months rotational duty at Chaumont Air Base in France. During his military career he was awarded: Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, Air Force Longevity Service Award with 4 clusters, Air Force Good Conduct Medal and Honts Trophy. Michael received an aeronautical engineering degree from Oklahoma University in 1958. He spent 18 months at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying astronautics, but was then selected in 1962 for the Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. He followed this with the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS), graduating with honors in December 1963. He became one of four Edwards aerospace research pilots to participate in a five-month series of NASA moon landing practice tests at the Martin Company in Baltimore, MD. In July 1966, Major Michael Adams joined the X-15 pilot program, a joint USAF/NASA project and made his first X-15 flight in October of that same year. On November 15, 1967, during Michael's seventh flight, he entered a spin from which he was able to recover; however, he could not bring the aircraft out of an inverted dive because of a technical problem with the adaptive flight control system. He died in the crash of X-15 number three. Michael was posthumously awarded Astronaut Wings for his last flight in the X-15, which had attained an altitude of 266,000 feet - 50.38 miles. In 1991 his name was added to the Astronaut Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In June, 2004, a memorial monument to Michael was erected near the crash site, northwest of Randsburg, California. Michael was 37 years old at the time of his death.
Astronaut. Born in Sacramento, California in May, 1930. He graduated from Sacramento Junior College and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and earned his pilot wings and commission in 1952 at Webb AFB, TX. After serving as a fighter-bomber pilot during the Korean conflict He spent 30 months with the 813th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at England Air Force Base, LA and six months rotational duty at Chaumont Air Base in France. During his military career he was awarded: Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, Air Force Longevity Service Award with 4 clusters, Air Force Good Conduct Medal and Honts Trophy. Michael received an aeronautical engineering degree from Oklahoma University in 1958. He spent 18 months at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying astronautics, but was then selected in 1962 for the Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. He followed this with the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS), graduating with honors in December 1963. He became one of four Edwards aerospace research pilots to participate in a five-month series of NASA moon landing practice tests at the Martin Company in Baltimore, MD. In July 1966, Major Michael Adams joined the X-15 pilot program, a joint USAF/NASA project and made his first X-15 flight in October of that same year. On November 15, 1967, during Michael's seventh flight, he entered a spin from which he was able to recover; however, he could not bring the aircraft out of an inverted dive because of a technical problem with the adaptive flight control system. He died in the crash of X-15 number three. Michael was posthumously awarded Astronaut Wings for his last flight in the X-15, which had attained an altitude of 266,000 feet - 50.38 miles. In 1991 his name was added to the Astronaut Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In June, 2004, a memorial monument to Michael was erected near the crash site, northwest of Randsburg, California. Michael was 37 years old at the time of his death.

Bio by: Shock