April 07

Ronald Evans was a United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut selected in 1966. He served as the command module pilot for Apollo 17, the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, completing a lunar orbital flight. During the mission, he conducted scientific experiments and made observations that contributed to our understanding of the Moon's environment. Evans logged over 295 hours in space without landing on the lunar surface. Prior to his astronaut career, he earned a master's in aeronautical engineering and served as a naval test pilot. After retiring from NASA and the Navy, he continued to influence aerospace engineering until his passing.

Georgy Timofeyevich Shonin was a Soviet cosmonaut and Air Force general born in 1935. He flew on the Soyuz 6 mission in 1969, performing scientific experiments and testing spaceflight procedures. Before joining the cosmonaut corps in 1963, Shonin served as a test pilot and flight instructor. His career combined military service and space exploration at the height of the Space Race. After retiring from active duty, he lectured on aerospace technologies before his death in 1997.