Joe Engle, Date of Birth, Place of Birth

Joe Engle

American astronaut

Date of Birth: 26-Aug-1932

Place of Birth: Chapman, Kansas, United States

Profession: astronaut, engineer, military officer, test pilot, aircraft pilot, aerospace engineer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Joe Henry Engle (born August 26, 1932) (Maj Gen USAF, Ret.) is an American pilot, aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut.
He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2, the program's second orbital flight.
He also participated in the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests.
Engle is one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. As an X-15 pilot, Engle made three flights above 50 miles, thus qualifying for astronaut wings per the American convention for the boundary of space.
In 1966 he was selected for NASA's fifth Astronaut Group, joining the Apollo program.
He was the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14 and originally scheduled as LMP for Apollo 17.
However cancellation of later flights prompted NASA to select geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt as LMP, displacing Engle. Engle is an experienced spaceplane operator and the last living X-15 pilot.