Joseph A. Walker

Full Name: Joseph Albert Walker
Profession: Experimental Physicist, Astronaut and NASA Test Pilot

Biography: Joseph A. Walker was the American pilot and physicist that first flew an airplane to space in 1963, a feat achieved in the North American X-15 experimental space plane. He flew this plane three times to over 50 miles.

The accepted United States definition for the boundary of space is 50 miles, which made Walker technically an astronaut for these flights. Two of his flights exceeded even the international definition of 100 kilometers (62.14 miles).

Walker was the first person to enter space twice, and the only test pilot to take the X-15 over 100km.

Born: February 20, 1921
Birthplace: Washington, Pennsylvania, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rooster
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: June 8, 1966 (aged 45)
Cause of Death: Aircraft collision when his F-104 Starfighter chase aircraft collided with a XB-70 Valkyrie at an altitude of about 25,000 ft (7.6 km).