Astronaut James McDivitt, commander of Apollo 9, dies at age 93

Former NASA astronaut James A. McDivitt, who commanded the Apollo 9 mission, died on Thursday in Tucson, Arizona, surrounded by his family and friends, NASA said in a statement. He was 93.

McDivitt spent 14 days in space over the course of his career. He was selected to be a member of NASA's second astronaut class in September 1962 after graduating from the Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School and serving as an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

In June 1965 he flew to space for the first time as commander of the Gemini IV mission alongside fellow Air Force pilot Ed White, who became the first American to venture outside his spacecraft for a spacewalk during the historic 4-day spaceflight, NASA said.