Description: DONALD "DEKE" SLAYTON Typed Letter - Signed Typed Letter Signed by one of America's Original Seven Astronauts. Letter is dated January 31, 1983 and is on SPACE SERVICES INC Of America letterhead which he was president. This letter is in response to an inquiry from an individual named Deke asking Mr. Slayton how got his nickname "Deke". The letter states as follows: "Dear Deke, My name came from my initials which are D.K. A boss of mine tagged it on me about 30 years ago and it has stuck ever since. In my case it is a nick name but it never bothered me and I don't think you need to be upset about your father giving it to you as a given name. None of us have any control over either our relatives or our names so you should relax and enjoy them both. Study hard and good luck. Sincerely, Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, President Space Service, Inc". Fine Condition Donald "Deke" Slayton was named as one of NASA's Mercury astronauts in 1959. He was originally scheduled to pilot the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, but a heart condition discovered later that year prevented him from participating in that flight. He became Coordinator of Astronaut Activities in 1962 and was responsible for the operation of the astronaut office until the next year, when he became Director of Flight Crew Operations. Slayton was restored to full flight status and certified eligible for manned space flights in 1972, making his first space flight as Apollo docking module pilot of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission, in 1975. The mission, a joint space flight, culminated in the first historical meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts.Slayton was born on March 1, 1924, in Sparta, WI and enlisted in the US Air Force after Pearl Harbor. He flew in combat missions over Europe and Japan as a B-25 fighter pilot.Deke Slayton died from complications of a brain tumor in League City, TX, on June 13, 1993. He was married and had one son. If you elect to send this autographed item to one of eBay's approved authenticators and are not satisfied with the results, the item can be returned within 30 days of purchase for a full refund to include return postage in the amount of the initial postage. This is one of the Best guarantees anywhere!
Price: 3000 USD
Location: Auburn, California
End Time: 2024-02-20T17:04:05.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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