In the summer of 1995 I went to Moscow for work. I went with Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper. We both were fortunate enough to have a day at the airshow. We saw an incredible display of Russian airpower. I thought it ended with the cold war, but I was wrong.

Me, in front of a Mig.

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The new Blackshark Helo that comes with explosive bolts on the props. and a vertical ejection seat.  That's Gordon Cooper to the right side of the photo.  Gordon and I saw a wide array of Russian and Soviet aircraft.  One of the most impressive sights was a simulated attack on the airbase by a Tupolov bomber, it shook everything in it's path, including my teeth and bones.

We also went to TSAGI where the Russian aerospace industry tests aircraft and models in many of it's windtunnels.  There are also foriegn companies that do testing there.

Gordon and I had a great time in during our travels from St. Petersburg to Moscow and I had alot of time to talk to him about his life and experiences.  There were alot of new and interesting things I learned from Mr. Cooper.  I found him to be one of the most sincere people that I have ever met.  He has an incredible amount of energy and ran me into the ground during our trip.

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Click on one of the thumbnails for a larger shot of the photos below.

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Links Gordon Cooper

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