American astronaut who orbited the Moon as Apollo 14 Command Module (CM) pilot in 1971 while crewmates Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell explored the surface. Roosa received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Colorado, under the United States Air Force Institute of Technology Program. He served on active duty in the Air Force from 1953 to 1976, retiring as a colonel. Roosa was one of 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966 and made the one spaceflight during which he orbited the Moon alone for 35 hours. Roosa retired from NASA and the Air Force in 1976, and subsequently served in managerial positions with several companies.
