NASA astronaut Frank Borman, who orbited the moon 10 times on Apollo 8 in 1968 and later returned home to Montana, died Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Billings, the agency announced. He was 95.
Borman was commander of the Apollo 8 and served with fellow astronauts Jim Lovell and William Anders.
“It changed not only my life but the lives of my family,” Borman said told MTN News in 2018. “All of a sudden from a test pilot and a fighter pilot, one of thousands. All of a sudden we were one of a few people that had been to the moon. So there was a dramatic change.”
After retiring from NASA, Borman went to work for Eastern Airlines and later became the company's CEO, according to The Wall Street Journal.
He later owned a ranch in Custer and lived in Billings.
Borman suffered a stroke at a retirement community and died at Billings Clinic, according to The Wall Street Journal..
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called Borman a "true American hero.
“Frank knew the power exploration held in uniting humanity when he said, ‘Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.’ His service to NASA and our nation will undoubtedly fuel the Artemis Generation to reach new cosmic shores," Nelson said in a statement.
