Conrad became the third astronaut to walk on the moon on November 12, 1969, during the Apollo 12 mission VIDEO CNN's Miles O'Brien reports on the life of former astronaut 'Pete' Conrad (July 9) Windows Media 28K 80K

July 9, 1999
Web posted at: 3:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT)

In this story: 'Fast bikes, fast cars' 'Whoopie!' From Navy to space A pioneer to the end RELATED STORIES, SITES

OJAI, California (CNN) -- Flags at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Johnson Space Center in Houston flew at half-staff Friday in memory of the third person to walk on the moon -- former Apollo astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. -- who died in a motorcycle accident.

Conrad, 69, was riding his Harley Davidson when it crashed on a turn Thursday near Ojai. He died five hours later at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. The preliminary cause of death was listed as internal injuries, the highway patrol said.

An autopsy was to be performed Friday. Neither drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident, authorities said.

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin paid tribute to Conrad as "a cutting-edge pioneer" and "a man who was deeply committed to his country."

NASA selected Conrad, an aeronautical engineer, to be an astronaut in 1962

"Pete was developing new commercial ways to open the space frontier," Goldin told CNN, and had founded his own company to work on commercial space ventures.

"He had invented a new rocket that was going to cut the cost and improve the reliability of going to space," Goldin said. "There was Pete, always pushing the boundaries, always coming into my office with a new idea. And at 69, he had the spirit of a 13-year-old."

Just last spring, Conrad said he was looking forward to the day he would turn 77.

"I fully expect that NASA will send me back to the moon as they treated Sen. (John) Glenn, and if they don't do otherwise, why, then I'll have to do it myself," he declared.

Glenn became the oldest person in space at age 77, aboard the shuttle Discovery last year.

'Fast bikes, fast cars'

Conrad, of Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, was on a trip to Monterey with his wife, Nancy, and friends when he crashed, Ventura County Deputy Coroner James Baroni said.

Baroni said Conrad's injuries didn't appear that severe at first, but he got worse after arriving at the hospital.

"He showed that he had some type of internal bleeding and they needed to do exploratory surgery," Baroni said. But doctors were unable to revive him.

Officials said Conrad was wearing a helmet and was traveling under the posted 55-mph speed limit when he took the turn.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times several years ago, Conrad said he enjoyed "fast bikes, fast cars and anything that moves."

The second lunar landing was made during the Apollo 12 mission

Conrad was a veteran of four space flights, but is best remembered for his role in the second lunar landing on November 19, 1969, during the Apollo 12 mission he commanded.

Conrad and astronaut Alan Bean spent seven hours and 45 minutes on the moon's surface.

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. He was followed by crew mate Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said as he stepped onto the lunar surface.

When the 5-foot-6 Conrad stepped onto the surface, he exclaimed with his trademark sense of humor: "Whoopie! That may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me."

Conrad was the pilot for the Gemini 5 mission in 1965, and set an endurance record during the flight

Conrad was born in Philadelphia on June 2, 1930, and earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University in New Jersey in 1953.

Trained as a Navy aviator, he became an astronaut in 1962, serving as pilot of the Gemini 5 mission in 1965, the command pilot of the Gemini 11 mission in 1966, commander of Apollo 12 three years later and Skylab 2 in 1973.

In his final space mission, Conrad commanded the first crew assigned to the Skylab space station, which had sustained damage during its launch.

During the 28-day mission, Conrad and his crew repaired the station during three harrowing spacewalks, saving the program from potential failure.

"Pete and his crew saved the Skylab. He was one hell of a guy," said former astronaut Tom Stafford, who joined NASA the same year as Conrad.

Conrad retired from the U.S. Navy and NASA in 1974.

After leaving the space agency, Conrad devoted his time to developing reusable spacecraft, initially with aerospace giant McDonnell Douglas.

In 1995, he formed his own company, Universal Space Lines, and several sister companies with the goal of commercializing space.

"He was going back to space as an entrepreneur, trying to create ways for rockets to launch inexpensively and manage satellites," said his widow.

Among his numerous awards are the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, two Navy Distinguished Service Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

He was enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1980.

Conrad is the third of the 12 original moon walkers to die. James Irwin of Apollo 15 died in 1991 and Alan Shepard of Apollo 14 died a year ago.

In reflecting on the upcoming 30th anniversary of Apollo 11, Conrad recently said, "Time flies when you're having fun, and I've been having fun for the last 30 years."

Conrad, who divorced his first wife, is survived by his second wife, Nancy, three sons and seven grandchildren. A son preceded him in death. Funeral arrangements were pending.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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