Sand Springs Astronaut Dies At 84

Tuesday, March 4th 2014, 11:21 pm

By: News On 6

Bill Pogue, the astronaut from Sand Springs, died Tuesday at his home in Florida. Pogue was born in Okemah, but grew up in Sand Springs.

He graduated from Sand Springs High School in 1947 and launched a 25-year career in the Air Force.

According to his official NASA bio, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and received his commission in 1952. He served with the Fifth Air Force during the Korean conflict where he completed a combat tour in fighter bombers. From 1955 to 1957, he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds.

He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1966 and served as the pilot aboard the third and final flight to Skylab, this country's first space station.

That 12-week flight in 1973 and 1974 set a record for what, at the time, was history's longest space flight.

The city of Sand Springs named its airport for Bill Pogue. He was 84 years old.