View source for Deke Slayton

{{short description|American astronaut (1924–1993)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|image               = Slayton.jpg
|caption             = Slayton in 1973
|signature           = Deke Slayton signature.svg
|type                = [[NASA astronaut]]
|birth_name          = Donald Kent Slayton
|birth_date          = {{Birth date|1924|03|01}}
|birth_place         = [[Sparta, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|death_date          = {{Death date and age|1993|06|13|1924|03|01}}
|death_place         = [[League City, Texas]], U.S.
|other_names         = Deke Slayton
|previous_occupation = {{hlist|[[Bomber pilot]]|[[test pilot]]}}
|alma_mater          = [[University of Minnesota]] (BS)
|rank               = [[Major (United States)|Major]], [[USAF]]
|time                = 9d 01h 28m
|selection           = [[Mercury Seven|1959 NASA Group 1]]
|mission             = [[Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]]
|insignia            = [[File:ASTP patch.png|55px]]
|Date of ret         = February 27, 1982
|awards              = {{ubl|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[Collier Trophy]]|[[James H. Doolittle Award]]}}
}}

'''Donald Kent''' "'''Deke'''" '''Slayton''' (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was a [[United States Air Force]]  [[Aviator|pilot]], [[aeronautical engineer]], and [[test pilot]] who was selected as one of the original [[NASA]] [[Mercury Seven]] [[astronaut]]s.  He went on to become NASA's first [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for NASA crew assignments.

Slayton joined the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]] during [[World War II]], and flew in [[European theatre of World War II|Europe]] and the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]]. He left the Army after World War II, and later joined the [[Minnesota Air National Guard]] after working for [[Boeing]] as an [[aeronautical engineer]].  He joined the [[United States Air Force]], and attended the [[Air Force Test Pilot School]] in 1955.  In 1959, he applied to, and was selected as one of the [[Mercury Seven]], NASA's first class of astronauts. Slayton was scheduled to pilot the second U.S. crewed [[orbital spaceflight]], but was grounded in 1962 by [[atrial fibrillation]], an irregular heart rhythm.  In March 1972, he was medically cleared to fly and was the docking module pilot of the 1975 [[Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]] (ASTP). Slayton continued to work at NASA until 1982. He also helped develop the [[Space Shuttle]].

He died from a brain tumor on June 13, 1993, aged 69.

==Early life and career==
[[File:Donald K. Slayton (WW II).jpg|thumb|left|Deke Slayton as a bomber pilot during [[World War II]]]]
[[File:Astronaut Deke Slayton during World War II - GPN-2004-00028.jpg|thumb|right|Deke Slayton (right) beside a [[Douglas A-26 Invader|Douglas A-26]] bomber]]

Donald Kent Slayton was born on March 1, 1924, on a farm near [[Leon, Monroe County, Wisconsin|Leon, Wisconsin]], to Charles Sherman Slayton (1887–1972) and Victoria Adelia Slayton ({{nee|Larson}}; 1895–1970).<ref name=nasahist>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/slayton.htm|title=Donald K. "Deke" Slayton
|last1=Gray|first1=Tara|access-date=October 6, 2016|website=NASA History Program Office}}</ref><ref name="deke!">{{cite book
  | last1 = Slayton
  | first1 = Donald
  | last2 = Cassutt
  | first2 = Michael
  | author2-link = Michael Cassutt
  | title = Deke! U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle
  | publisher = Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
  | date = 1994
  | location = [[New York, New York]]
  | url = https://archive.org/details/dekeusmannedspac00slay
  | isbn = 0-312-85503-6
  }}</ref>{{rp|9}} He was of [[English people|English]] and [[Norwegians|Norwegian]] descent.  From a young age, he worked on the farm to raise sheep and cows, and grow tobacco.  Throughout Slayton's childhood, his family's home did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. At the age of five, Slayton was clearing a horse-drawn hay mower when his left ring finger was severed.<ref name="deke!"/>{{rp|10–15}} He attended a two-room elementary school in Leon, and graduated from Sparta High School in 1942, where he [[boxing|boxed]], played [[trombone]], and was active in the [[Future Farmers of America]] (FFA).<ref name="deke!"/>{{rp|15–17}}

===World War II===
The 1941 [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] by the [[Japanese Empire]] occurred during Slayton's senior year of high school.  He initially wished to join the [[U.S. Navy]], but joined the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]] when it began accepting high school graduates to fly.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|17}}{{refn|group=note|The [[United States Navy]] required its pilots to have a college degree.}} After graduation, Slayton moved to [[San Antonio, Texas]], and entered the [[Aviation Cadet Training Program (USAAF)|Aviation Cadet Training Program]].  He was initially medically delayed because of his severed ring finger, but was deemed able to fly.  Slayton began flight training in [[Vernon, Texas]], where he trained on the [[Fairchild PT-19]], the [[PT-17 Stearman]], and the [[AT-6 Texan]]. After three months of primary training, Slayton moved to [[Waco, Texas]], for basic flight training, where he flew the [[BT-13 Valiant]]. Despite Slayton's wishes to fly single-engine fighter aircraft, he was selected to fly multi-engine aircraft. Slayton began multi-engine training on the [[Beechcraft AT-10]], Cessna AT-12, and the Curtis AT-9. Slayton graduated from flight training on April 22, 1943, and was assigned to fly on the [[B-25 Mitchell]], his last choice for aircraft.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|18–22}}

Slayton moved to [[Columbia Army Air Base]] in [[South Carolina]] for the three-month-long B-25 Mitchell training. After completing training, he was assigned to the [[340th Flying Training Group#World War II|340th Bombardment Group]], and departed for the [[European theatre of World War II|European theater of operations]] on ship from [[Newport News, Virginia]]. After a stop in Zerni, North Africa, his convoy traveled to [[Naples]], Italy.  While traveling near the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], their ships came under attack from German bombers and [[U-boat#World War II (1939–1945)|submarines]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|23–24}} After he arrived in Naples, the 340th Bombardment Group moved to San Petrazio, where Slayton flew combat missions into the [[Balkan Peninsula]].  After six weeks, he moved to [[Foggia Airfield Complex|Foggia]], where 48 aircraft were destroyed after an eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]].  Afterwards, Slayton flew out of [[Salerno]] and [[Corsica]], where he upgraded from copilot to pilot. After 56 combat sorties, Slayton completed his combat tour and returned to the U.S. in May 1944.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|26–32}}

Immediately upon his return to Columbia Army Air Base to serve as a B-25 instructor, Slayton applied and was accepted to fly the new [[A-26 Invader]] bomber aircraft. He moved to [[Selfridge Field]] in [[Michigan]] for training, and began preparing for a deployment to the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]]. In July 1945, he arrived on [[Okinawa Island]] and joined the [[319th Operations Group#World War II|319th Bombardment Group]]. He flew seven combat missions over [[Japan]], and encountered little Japanese resistance. Slayton flew his final combat mission on August 12, three days after the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki#Nagasaki|bombing of Nagasaki]] and spent two months waiting for his return to the U.S. After the war, Slayton worked as B-25 instructor in [[Albany, Georgia]], and [[Boca Raton, Florida]] and separated from the Army in November 1946.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|33–40}}<ref name=nmspace />

===Post-World War II===
After he was discharged from the Army, Slayton enrolled at the [[University of Minnesota]], in [[Minneapolis]], and studied [[Aerospace engineering|aeronautical engineering]].  As a student, he supported himself using the [[GI Bill]] and by working at a [[Montgomery Ward]] warehouse.  He graduated with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in 1949, and accepted a job as an engineer with the [[Boeing|Boeing Aircraft Corporation]] at [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]].<ref name=nasajsc>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/slayton_donald.pdf |date=June 1993 |title=Deke Slayton |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref>  After moving to Seattle, Slayton lived in a rooming house and began working as a junior design engineer.  While at Boeing, he worked on the [[B-52 Stratofortress]] and the [[KC-97 Stratofreighter]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|40–47}}

While he was a college student, Slayton joined the [[Air Force Reserve]], and was a T-6 Texan pilot flying out of [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]]. He transitioned to the [[Minnesota Air National Guard]] (ANG), after accepting a demotion from captain to second lieutenant, to allow him to fly the A-26 Invader and [[P-51 Mustang]]. He left the Minnesota ANG when he moved to Seattle. Slayton attempted to join an Air Force Reserve unit in Seattle at the start of the [[Korean War]], but was rejected on the grounds that his inactive reserve status had expired. He contacted his previous squadron commander in Minnesota and accepted his offer to rejoin his former squadron in February 1951. Upon his return, Slayton was initially medically disqualified from flying for his eyesight. He served as a maintenance officer while waiting for his medical clearance and then became a maintenance flight test officer once he had returned to flying status.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|40–49}}

In 1952, Slayton transferred to active duty Air Force from the Air National Guard. After completing his education at [[Air Command and Staff College|Air Command and Staff School]], he was assigned as a maintenance inspector at [[Twelfth Air Force]] Headquarters in [[Lucius D. Clay Kaserne|Wiesbaden Army Airfield]], [[West Germany]]. He additionally served as an [[F-86 Sabre]] pilot and maintenance officer with the [[36th Wing|36th Fighter Day Wing]] at [[Bitburg Air Base]], [[West Germany]].  While stationed in Germany, he met Marjorie Lunney and married her on May 18, 1955.<ref name=nmspace>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=106|title=Flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission|access-date=October 6, 2016|website=New Mexico Museum of Space History}}</ref><ref name=deke! />{{rp|52–54}}

At the start of his assignment in West Germany, Slayton applied to the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School]] (TPS), but was rejected on the basis that he had to complete his current three-year assignment. He reapplied and was accepted in 1955, and joined TPS Class 55C. After graduating in December 1955, he became a [[test pilot]] at the [[Air Force Test Center|Flight Test Center]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]]. He tested the [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|F-101]], [[Convair F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102]], [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104]], [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105]] and [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wisconsinaviationhalloffame.org/inductees/slayton.htm |title=Donald K "Deke" Slayton |access-date=August 8, 2013 |publisher=Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame |quote=While at Edwards, Deke Slayton flew test flight missions on the F-101, F-102, F-105 and the F-106.}}</ref>  He was first assigned to the F-102, and tested the [[MGM-1 Matador|Matador]] and [[AIR-2 Genie|Genie]] missiles, and later tested the stall-spin characteristics of the F-105.<ref>{{cite book |title=Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond |last=Kranz |first=Gene |author-link=Gene Kranz |year=2000 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-0079-9 |lccn=00027720 |oclc=43590801 |quote=...[H]e was one of the hot test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base, pushing the F-105 to its limits. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780743200790 }}</ref> In 1958, he helped test Britain's first supersonic fighter, the [[English Electric Lightning|English Electric P1B Lightning]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|55–65}}

== NASA career ==

=== Mercury Seven ===
[[File:Donald K. Slayton (1960).jpg|right|thumb|upright|Deke Slayton]]
In January 1959, Slayton was selected as one of the candidates for [[NASA]]'s [[Project Mercury]], the first U.S. crewed space flight program. Despite his initial lack of interest in spaceflight, he agreed to pursue astronaut selection. After an initial interview at the temporary NASA headquarters in the [[Dolley Madison House]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], Slayton was psychologically and physically tested at the [[Lovelace Clinic]] in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], along with fellow future astronauts [[Scott Carpenter]] and [[Jim Lovell]]. On April 2, 1959, Slayton was notified of his selection as an astronaut. He moved his family from Edwards Air Force Base to a housing development near [[Fort Eustis]], where he was neighbors with fellow [[Mercury Seven]] astronauts [[Gus Grissom]] and [[Wally Schirra]].<ref name=nasahist /><ref name=deke! />{{rp|66, 69–75}}

After he began at NASA, Slayton was assigned to the development of the [[Convair]] [[Atlas LV-3B]].<ref name="weseven">{{cite book|last1=Carpenter|first1=Scott|author1-link=Scott Carpenter|last2=Cooper|first2=Gordon|author2-link=Gordon Cooper|last3=Glenn|first3=John|author3-link=John Glenn|last4=Grissom|first4=Virgil|author4-link=Gus Grissom|last5=Schirra|first5=Walter|author5-link=Wally Schirra|last6=Shepard|first6=Alan|author6-link=Alan Shepard|last7=Slayton|first7=Donald|title=We Seven|publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]]|year=1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y9spQAAACAAJ|isbn=978-1-4391-8103-4}}</ref>{{rp|98}} In 1959, during a [[High-G training|centrifuge]] training course, he underwent an [[electrocardiogram]] that found that he had erratic heart activity. He received further medical evaluation at [[Brooks Air Force Base]] and was diagnosed with [[idiopathic]] [[atrial fibrillation]], but he was considered healthy enough to continue flying.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|78–79, 85–86}} During the uncrewed [[Mercury-Atlas 4]] orbital spaceflight, he worked at the tracking station in [[Bermuda]]. He was selected for the second American crewed orbital mission, [[Mercury-Atlas 7]], which he intended to name ''Delta 7''.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|104–105, 110}} In early 1962, NASA Administrator [[James E. Webb|James Webb]] opened an investigation into Slayton's atrial fibrillation. On March 15, 1962, two months prior to the launch of ''Delta 7'', Slayton was medically disqualified from the flight and replaced on the mission by [[Scott Carpenter]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|111–114}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA4-Mission-Page/Documents/D14_03749_OA_Deke_Slayton_Bio.pdf |title=Deke Slayton at Orbital ATK |access-date=November 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125040308/http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA4-Mission-Page/Documents/D14_03749_OA_Deke_Slayton_Bio.pdf |archive-date=November 25, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=times>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/27/archives/deke-slayton-studies-russian-and-dreams-of-space.html |title=Deke Slayton Studies Russian and Dreams of Space |last1=Altman|first1=Lawrence K.|date=April 27, 1972 |access-date=June 14, 2018|work=New York Times}}</ref>  Initially, Slayton's ineligibility was only for his assigned mission, and he attempted to improve his health by exercising more regularly and abstaining from alcohol. NASA leadership determined that Slayton was still at risk for atrial fibrillation and removed his eligibility to fly any of the remaining Mercury missions.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|115–116}}<ref name=nmspace /> Flight doctors recommended a [[cardiac catheterization]] to determine if he had a congenital condition, but NASA management rejected the proposal because of the risks of the operation.<ref name=times/>

=== NASA management ===
[[File:Deke Slayton (on stool at left), Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins during the last pre-flight press conference.jpg|thumb|right|Deke Slayton (on stool at left) and the Apollo 11 crew during the last pre-flight press conference]]
After being grounded by NASA, Slayton was selected in early 1962 to serve as the senior manager of the astronaut office. One of his first roles was to select the [[NASA Astronaut Group 2|Group 2]] astronauts, and the new class was announced in September 1962. Additionally, he was tasked with making future crew assignments, and assigned [[Gordon Cooper]] to [[Mercury-Atlas 9]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|115–122}} In an administrative restructuring in October 1963, Slayton became assistant director of Flight Crew Operations, in addition to his job managing the astronaut office. In November 1963, he resigned from his commission in the Air Force after he was permanently disqualified from flying and became a civilian executive for NASA. After [[Alan Shepard]] was grounded due to [[Ménière's disease]], he replaced Slayton as the manager of the astronaut office, while Slayton continued to work for Flight Crew Operations and was promoted to its director in 1966.<ref name="deke_bio_space">{{cite web|last=Howell|first=Elizabeth|title=Deke Slayton: Mercury Astronaut Who Waited To Fly|publisher=Space.com|date=January 30, 2014|url=https://www.space.com/24481-deke-slayton.html|access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name=deke! />{{rp|133–140}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Compton|first=W. David |title=Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions |date=1989|id=SP-4214 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, DC |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-4214/ch5-4.html |access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref> Slayton continued to be responsible for making crew assignments, and determined the astronauts that would fly on the [[Project Gemini|Gemini]] and [[Apollo program|Apollo]] missions.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|166–168, 184}} Slayton created a crew rotation, where a crew would be selected as the backup crew for a mission and would later be the prime crew three missions later.<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|42}}

During the [[Apollo 1#Fire|Apollo 1 fire]], Slayton was in the [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34|Cape Canaveral LC-34]] blockhouse. He was a close friend of fellow astronaut Gus Grissom and had considered working inside the capsule to determine communications problems and would have worked under the footrests, where the fire would later begin.<ref name="chaikin">{{cite book|last=Chaikin|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Chaikin|title=A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E043uAEACAAJ&q=a+man+on+the+moon|isbn=978-0-14-311235-8}}</ref>{{rp|16–17}}<ref name=deke! />{{rp|185, 189}} After the fire, Slayton called a meeting of the astronauts from the first groups to be chosen, in April 1967 and announced that they were the candidates for the first lunar landing.<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|27}} Slayton oversaw the crew reassignments for the upcoming Apollo missions, as well as the selection for [[NASA Astronaut Group 6|Group 6]] and [[NASA Astronaut Group 7|Group 7]] astronauts. During this time, he continued to show symptoms of atrial fibrillation. After NASA Administrator James Webb decided that [[Apollo 8]] would become a circumlunar mission, Slayton switched the previous crew to the [[Apollo 9]] because of their experience with the [[lunar module]] and moved both the prime and backup crew from Apollo 9 to Apollo 8. Due to his crew rotation schedule, the backup crew of [[Neil Armstrong]], [[Buzz Aldrin]] and [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]] became the primary crew for [[Apollo 11]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|200–203, 223–224, 250}}<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|58–62, 136–137}} Slayton continued to assign the crew for the remaining lunar landings.  Slayton chose to replace [[Ken Mattingly]] with [[Jack Swigert]] on [[Apollo 13]], after concerns arose that Mattingly could develop [[measles]] during the mission.<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|288}} In 1969, he made the controversial decision to assign Alan Shepard as the [[Apollo 13]] commander, which was viewed by some astronauts as a conflict of interest, due to Shepard's previous position as head of the astronaut office. Shepard would be later reassigned to command [[Apollo 14]] by the Office of Manned Spaceflight director [[George Mueller (NASA)|George Mueller]], against Slayton's wishes, who felt that Shepard needed additional training time.<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|346–348}} After the [[Apollo 15 postal covers incident|postal covers scandal]] during the [[Apollo 15]] mission, Slayton reassigned the crew to non-flying jobs, effectively ending their astronaut careers.<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|496–497}} Slayton supported keeping [[Joe Engle]] as the lunar module pilot on [[Apollo 17]], but was pressured by NASA management to replace him with [[Jack Schmitt]], a scientist-astronaut.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|271}}<ref name=chaikin />{{rp|450–451}}

=== Return to flight status ===
While grounded, Slayton took several measures to attempt to be restored to flight status, including regularly exercising, taking vitamins, quitting cigarette smoking and coffee and reducing his consumption of alcoholic beverages. In 1970 his palpitations became more frequent and he started taking experimental daily doses of [[quinidine]], a crystalline alkaloid. This treatment was successful, but concerned that taking medication would still disqualify him from solo flying, Slayton stopped taking it against doctors orders.<ref name=times/> After a decade of seeing doctors around the world,<ref name="kennedy19850429">{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=J. Michael |date=April 29, 1985 |title=Shuttle Flight Is Lind's First Mission : Astronaut's 19-Year Wait for Space Trip Ends Today |language=en-US |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-29-mn-12831-story.html |access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref> in 1971 Slayton was examined at the [[Mayo Clinic]] after a long period without heart fibrillation, and was determined to not have a coronary condition. On March 13, 1972, NASA announced that Slayton had returned to flight status.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|264, 274, 275}}

=== Apollo–Soyuz flight ===
{{Main|Apollo–Soyuz Test Project}}
[[File:Astronaut Donald K. Slayton and cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov in the Soyuz Orbital Module.jpg|thumb|right|Deke Slayton (right) with cosmonaut [[Alexei Leonov]] in the [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz spacecraft]]]]
In February 1973, Slayton was assigned to the [[Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]] (ASTP) as a docking module pilot, along with commander [[Thomas P. Stafford|Thomas Stafford]] and command module pilot [[Vance D. Brand|Vance Brand]]. The American crew began a two-year training program, which included learning the Russian language and making trips to the [[Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center]] in the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]. He remained in a managerial role throughout the [[Skylab]] program, and resigned as Director of Flight Crew Operations in February 1974 in preparation for his upcoming flight.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|280–281, 290}}<ref name=nasahist/><ref name="wehavecapture">{{cite book|last1=Stafford|first1=Thomas|author1-link=Thomas P. Stafford|last2=Cassutt|first2=Michael|author2-link=Michael Cassutt|title=We Have Capture|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution Press]]|year=2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BqdqBgAAQBAJ&q=We+Have+Capture|isbn=978-1-58834-070-2}}</ref>{{rp|160–166}}

The Apollo and [[Soyuz programme|Soyuz]] spacecraft both launched on July 15, 1975. On July 17, the two craft rendezvoused in orbit and the American astronauts conducted crew transfers with cosmonauts [[Alexei Leonov]] and [[Valeri Kubasov]]. At the end of the flight, an erroneous switch setting led to noxious [[nitrogen tetroxide]] fumes from the command module's RCS thrusters being sucked into the cabin during landing and the crew was hospitalized as a precaution in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]], for two weeks. During hospitalization, a [[lesion]] was discovered on Slayton's lung and removed. It was determined to be benign, but he would have likely been grounded from ASTP if it had been discovered before the flight.<ref name=deke! />{{rp|300–305}}<ref name="wehavecapture" />{{rp|188–195}} He was 51 years old, making him the oldest astronaut to fly in space at the time.<ref name="deke_bio_space"/>

===Space Shuttle program===
{{Main|Space Shuttle}}
[[File:B 747 SCA airplane with Columbia on board before touchdown at KSC.jpg|thumb|right|Deke Slayton flying [[Northrop T-38 Talon|T-38]] (far left) during the return of [[Shuttle Carrier Aircraft|
B 747 SCA airplane]] with [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] on board just before touchdown at [[Kennedy Space Center]], March 1979]]
Prior to the ASTP flight, Slayton was assigned by [[Chris Kraft]] to manage the [[Approach and Landing Tests]] (ALT) of the Space Shuttle program. The ALT program developed the tests for the [[Space Shuttle orbiter]] ''[[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Enterprise]]'', and modified several [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104 Starfighters]] and [[T-38 Talon]]s to train the astronauts. While working on the Space Shuttle, he also assisted in developing the [[Shuttle Carrier Aircraft]].<ref name=nasahist /><ref name=deke! />{{rp|306–312}}

The ALT program ended in late 1977 and Slayton agreed to manage the Space Shuttle's Orbital Flight Tests (OFT). During the selection of the [[NASA Astronaut Group 8|Group 8]] astronauts, Slayton advocated for fewer selections, with the expectation that two-man crews would fly the regular satellite deployment missions. He officially retired in 1980, but continued to serve in an advisory role for [[STS-1]], and flew a T-38 chase plane during the landing of [[STS-2]]. He formally left NASA on February 27, 1982, and had flown 7,164 hours.<ref name=nasahist /><ref name=deke! />{{rp|310–323}}

==Post-NASA career==
After his retirement from NASA, Slayton served as president of [[Space Services Inc.]], a Houston-based company earlier founded to develop rockets for small commercial payloads. He served as mission director for a rocket called the [[Conestoga (rocket)|Conestoga]], which was successfully launched on September 9, 1982, and was the world's first privately funded rocket to reach space.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/09/dayintech0909privaterocket/ |title=September 9, 1982: 3-2-1 … Liftoff! The First Private Rocket Launch |last=Abell |first=John C. |date=September 9, 2009 |work=[[Wired (website)|Wired.com]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications|Condé Nast]] |access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref><ref name=deke! />{{rp|329–342}}  Slayton also became interested in [[Air racing|aviation racing]], and was President of International Formula One Pylon Air Racing and [[Director (business)|Director]] of Columbia Astronautics. He also served on the [[COMSTAC|Department of Transportation's Commercial Space Advisory Committee]].<ref name=nasahist /><ref name=deke! />{{rp|323–328}}

In 1991, Slayton began working with space historian [[Michael Cassutt]] to write his autobiography, titled ''Deke!: U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle'', which was published in 1994, a year after his death.<ref name="deke!" />{{rp|343}}  Slayton also co-wrote the 1994 book ''[[Moon Shot|Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon]]'' with fellow astronaut [[Alan Shepard]].<ref name="moonshot">{{cite book
  | last1 = Shepard
  | first1 = Alan
  | last2 = Slayton
  | first2 = Deke
  | author1-link = Alan Shepard
  | title = Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon
  | publisher = [[Turner Publishing Company]]
  | date = 1994
  | location = Atlanta
  | url = https://archive.org/details/moonshotinsidest00shep
  | isbn = 1-878685-54-6
  }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Slayton married Marjorie "Marge" Lunney (1921–1989) on May 18, 1955, and they had one son, Kent Sherman, born April 8, 1957.<ref name=burgess2011>{{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |title=Selecting the Mercury Seven: The Search for America's First Astronauts |year=2011 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4419-8404-3 |oclc=747105631 |lccn=2011925650 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-8405-0 |url=http://cds.cern.ch/record/1399175 |ref=Burgess}}</ref>{{rp|345}} They divorced in April 1978, and Slayton moved to a condominium near the [[Johnson Space Center]].<ref name=deke! />{{rp|308, 312}} He married Bobbie Belle Jones (1945–2010), who also worked at NASA, in October 1983, and they remained married until his death.<ref name=burgess2011 />{{rp|350}}<ref name=deke! />{{rp|318}} 

When Slayton was a test pilot, one of his pilot colleagues was also named Don. In order to avoid confusion in radio communications, Slayton was referred to by his initials, D.K., which were eventually shortened to "Deke."<ref name=deke! />{{rp|58}}

In 1992, Slayton was diagnosed with a malignant [[brain tumor]]. On June 13, 1993, he died in his home in [[League City, Texas]], from the illness, at the age of 69.<ref name="nytimes_obit">{{cite web
  | last1 = Wilford
  | first1= John Noble
  | page=B9
  | title = Donald Slayton Dies at 69; Was One of First Astronauts
  | newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
  | date = June 14, 1993
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/14/obituaries/donald-slayton-dies-at-69-was-one-of-first-astronauts.html
  | access-date = April 8, 2019 }}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Slayton's military and NASA decorations:<ref name=nasajsc />

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan=3|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=103}} {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=award-star|ribbon=NasaDisRib.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=USA - NASA Excep Rib.png|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=NASA Outstanding Leadership Ribbon.png|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=SpaceFltRib.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan=2|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]
|[[Air Medal]]
|-
|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]<br />with two [[5/16 inch star|stars]]
|[[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]
|[[NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal]]
|-
|[[NASA Space Flight Medal]]
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal|European-African-Middle<br />Eastern Campaign Medal]]
|-
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br />with one [[Service star|star]]
|}

During and after his career, Slayton received numerous awards from different organizations. He received the [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]] (SETP) [[James H. Doolittle Award]] in 1972 and the SETP Iven  C.  Kincheloe  Award. In 1975, he received the National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal, the [[Zeta Beta Tau]]'s [[Richard James Horatio Gottheil|Richard Gottheil]] Medal, and the Wright Brothers International Manned Space Flight Award. In 1976, he received the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Space Award, the American Heart Association's Heart of the Year Award, the District 35-R Lions International American of the Year Award, and the [[American Astronautical Society|AAS]] Flight Achievement Award. In 1977, he received the [[AIAA]] Special Presidential Citation, the [[University of Minnesota]]'s Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Houston Area Federal Business Association's Civil Servant of the Year Award. Slayton, along with Brand and Kubasov, won the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]] Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal in 1976.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30486182/the_bakersfield_californian/|title=Edwards Commander Awarded Medals|newspaper=The Bakersfield Californian|location=Bakersfield, California|date=October 1, 1976|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Additionally, he received the [[Collier Trophy]], the Gen. Billy Mitchell Award, and the AIAA [[Andrew G. Haley|Haley]] Astronautics Award for 1978.  Slayton received an [[Honorary degree|Honorary]] [[Doctor of Science|D.Sc.]] from [[Carthage College]] in 1961, and an [[Honorary degree|Honorary Doctorate]] in [[Engineering]] from [[Michigan Technological University]] in 1965.<ref name=nasajsc />

He was a [[fellow]] of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) and the [[American Astronautical Society]], as well as an associate fellow of the [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]]. He was a member of the [[Experimental Aircraft Association]], the Space Pioneers, the [[Confederate Air Force]], the [[Order of Daedalians]], the [[National Rifle Association of America]], the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]], and the [[Fraternal Order of Eagles]]. Additionally, he was an honorary member of the American Fighter Aces Association, the National WWII Glider Pilots Association and the [[Association of Space Explorers]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Association of Space Explorers|url=http://www.space-explorers.org/members/unitedstates.html|title=Members, United States|access-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104115302/http://www.space-explorers.org/members/unitedstates.html|archive-date=January 4, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=nasajsc />

Deke Slayton was inducted into the [[United States Astronaut Hall of Fame|U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] on May 11, 1990,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/donald-k-deke-slayton/|title=Donald K. (Deke) Slayton|publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation|access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33222502/victoria_advocate/|title=Mercury Astronauts Dedicate Hall of Fame at Florida Site|newspaper=Victoria Advocate|location=Victoria, Texas|date=May 12, 1990|page=38|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1990,<ref name=nmspace /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29964813/el_paso_times/|title=Slayton to Join Space Hall of Fame|newspaper=El Paso Times|location=El Paso, Texas|date=September 27, 1990|page=9|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Sheppard|first1=David|access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref> the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] in 1996,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/ |title=National Aviation Hall of fame: Our Enshrinees |publisher=[[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] |access-date=April 8, 2019 |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312033710/http://www.nationalaviation.org/enshrinees/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the [[International Air & Space Hall of Fame]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sprekelmeyer|first1=Linda|title=These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame|publisher=Donning Co. Publishers|year=2006|isbn=978-1-57864-397-4}}</ref> The Texas Oncology-Deke Slayton Cancer Center in [[Webster, Texas]], is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Texas Oncology-Deke Slayton Cancer Center |url=http://www.texasoncology.com/deke-slayton.aspx|date=2019|access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref> The main stretch of road in League City, Texas, [[Farm to Market Road 518|FM 518]], was renamed Deke Slayton Highway.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bobbie Slayton dead at 65 |url=http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/bay_area/news/article_d799fc34-39dc-5215-8da6-0d2b187414c7.html |access-date = April 8, 2019 |date=November 29, 2010 |newspaper=Bay Area Citizen |publisher=Houston Community Newspapers |location=Houston, TX}}</ref> The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum in Sparta, Wisconsin was named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dekeslaytonmuseum.org/ | publisher=Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum |title=Homepage| access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> The Slayton biographical exhibit includes his Mercury space suit, his Ambassador of Exploration Award, which showcases a lunar sample, and more. In nearby [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]], an annual summer aircraft [[air show]], the Deke Slayton Airfest, has been held in his honor, featuring modern and vintage military and civilian aircraft, along with NASA speakers.  The [[Cygnus CRS Orb-3]] mission, which was lost when the [[Antares (rocket)|Antares rocket]] exploded during its launch, was named the ''S.S. Deke Slayton''.<ref name="sfinside20140711">{{cite web |url=https://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-3/default.aspx |title=ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3): Mission Update – October 22, 2014 |publisher=Orbital Sciences |date=October 22, 2014 |access-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025024734/https://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-3/default.aspx |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=orb-3_fail>{{cite news |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/10/31/orbital-begins-piecing-together-what-destroyed-antares-rocket/ |title=First stage propulsion system is early focus of Antares investigation |work=Spaceflight Now |first=Stephen |last=Clark |date=October 31, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2019}}</ref> The [[Cygnus CRS Orb-4]] Orbital ATK space vehicle was named the ''S.S. Deke Slayton II'' and launched to the [[International Space Station]] on December 6, 2015, on an [[Atlas V]] rocket.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://spacenews.com/atlas-launches-cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-to-space-station/ |title= Atlas Launches Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft to Space Station |last1=Foust|first1=Jeff|date= December 6, 2015 |publisher= SpaceNews|access-date=April 23, 2019}}</ref>

==In media==
* 1983 film ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' – played by [[Scott Paulin]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26872799/the_san_bernardino_county_sun/|title=Scott Paulin had the 'Right Stuff' for role in film|newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun|location=San Bernardino, California|date=October 2, 1983|page=D-1|last1=Cooper|first1=Steve|access-date = April 8, 2019|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
* 1995 film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'' – played by [[Chris Ellis (actor)|Chris Ellis]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26872661/the_palm_beach_post/|title=NASA's true, amazing, out of this world G-whiz forces|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|location=West Palm Beach, Florida|date=July 9, 1995|page=4D|last1=Grantham|first1=Loretta|access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref>
* 1996 TV movie ''[[Apollo 11 (1996 film)|Apollo 11]]'' – played by [[Jack Conley (actor)|Jack Conley]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30394636/reno_gazettejournal/|title=Made-For-TV Movie|newspaper=Reno Gazette-Journal|location=Reno, Nevada|date=July 18, 1999|page=12|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
* 1998 TV [[miniseries]] ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'' – played by [[Nick Searcy]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26872905/asheville_citizentimes/|title=Space Race Revisited|newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times|location=Asheville, North Carolina|date=April 5, 1998|page=D1|last1=Kiss|first1=Tony|access-date = April 8, 2019}}</ref>
* 2009 TV movie ''[[Moonshot (2009 film)|Moonshot]]'' – played by [[Nigel Whitmey]]<ref>{{IMDb title|1251357|Moonshot}}</ref>
* 2015 TV series ''[[The Astronaut Wives Club]]'' – played by [[Kenneth Mitchell (actor)|Kenneth Mitchell]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2015/06/20/astronaut-wives-club-fires-up-abc/|title=Astronaut Wives Club' fires up ABC|publisher=New York Post|date=June 20, 2015|access-date = April 8, 2019|last1=Morabito|first1=Andrea}}</ref>
* 2016 film ''[[Hidden Figures]]'' – played by Evan Holtzman<ref>{{IMDb title|tt4846340|Hidden Figures}}</ref>
* 2018 film ''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]'' – played by [[Kyle Chandler]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/42013-first-man-movie-review.html|title='First Man' Offers an Emotional Account of Neil Armstrong's Life (Film Review)|publisher=Space.com|last1=Snowden|first1=Scott|date=October 4, 2018|access-date=January 4, 2019}}</ref>
* 2019 TV series ''[[For All Mankind (TV series)|For All Mankind]]'' – played by [[Chris Bauer]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/all-mankind-apple-tv-plus-show-release-date-cast-trailer-plot-1468738|title='For All Mankind' Release Date, Cast, Trailer Plot: Everything You Need to Know About the Apple TV+ Show|last1=Spencer|first1=Samuel|date=October 31, 2019|website=Newsweek|access-date=November 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-102819a-for-all-mankind-apple-tv.html|title='For All Mankind' to launch alternate space race on Apple TV+|date=October 28, 2019|access-date=November 18, 2019|website=collectSPACE}}</ref>
*2020 [[Disney+]]/[[National Geographic (U.S. TV channel)|National Geographic]] miniseries ''[[The Right Stuff (TV series)|The Right Stuff]]'' - played by [[Micah Stock]]

==See also==
* [[US space exploration history on US stamps#Apollo–Soyuz Commemorative Issue of 1975|Apollo–Soyuz Commemorative stamp]]
* [[List of brain tumor patients]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
* {{Include-NASA}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.airfest.com/ Deke Slayton Airfest]
* {{IMDb name|0805654}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161228084412/http://astronautix.com/s/slayton.html Astronautix biography of Deke Slayton]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/slayton_donald.htm Spacefacts biography of Deke Slayton]

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=Office Created}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Astronaut Office]]
|years=1962–1963}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Alan Shepard]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{NASA Astronaut Group 1}}
{{Project Mercury}}
{{U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|World War II|Spaceflight}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slayton, Deke}}
[[Category:Deke Slayton| ]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1975 in spaceflight]]
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[[Category:Air Command and Staff College alumni]]
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[[Category:Aviators from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Deaths from brain cancer in the United States]]
[[Category:Collier Trophy recipients]]
[[Category:Mercury Seven]]
[[Category:Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:NASA people]]
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[[Category:People from Sparta, Wisconsin]]
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[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]
[[Category:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Air Force astronauts]]
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
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[[Category:United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II]]