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In paraday of the original astronaut selection, this group dubbed themselves The Original Nineteen. Chosen for Apollo and Apollo Applications Program, members of this group served in NASA from the end of the Gemini Program to the early years of the International Space Station Program. In 2008Vance Brand, became the final member of the original NASA Astronaut selections (1959-1969) to leave NASA service though he flew his last space mission in 1990. This group included moon walkers Ed Mitchell, Jim Irwin and Charlie Duke. Paul Weitz, Jack Lousma and Bill Pogue each flew space station missions on Skylab whilst Brand flew on Apollo Soyuz before completing three shuttle missions. Weitz and Lousma also commanded shuttle missions. Al Worden, Tom Mattingly and Ron Evans performed the first deep space EVA’s during Apollo. Fred Haise and Jack Swigert flew on the ill-fated Apollo 13 whilst Jerry Carr commanded the longest Skylab flight of 84 days. Ed Givens was killed in an off duty automobile accident before making a space flight and John Bull had to withdraw due to medical reasons prior to flying in space. Joe Engle, Don Lind and Bruce McCandless each had long waits of nearly two decades to make their first orbital space flights during the shuttle programme. McCandless completed the first un-tethered space walks, flying the manned manouvering unit. (MMU).
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