Stafford became interested in aviation following the start of World War II, as the nearby city El Reno has an Army Air Corps training base.

[1]: 1–4, 219 In his senior year of high school, Stafford was recruited to play football at the University of Oklahoma, where he had received a Navy ROTC scholarship.

Stafford intended to play football for the Navy Midshipmen, but sustained a career-ending knee injury during a preseason practice session.

After his freshman year, he sailed aboard the battleship USS Missouri, where his roommate was John Young, his future Apollo 10 command module pilot.

After his second year, Stafford spent a summer at NAS Pensacola, where he was exposed to naval aviation and flew in the SNJ Trainer.

[note 1] Stafford graduated from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering with honors in 1952, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.

In 1954, Stafford was assigned to the 54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, where he flew the F-86 mission for Arctic defense.

In addition, he served as an assistant maintenance officer, developing his interest in applying for the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School.

[1]: 13–24 In 1958, Stafford attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, where he finished first in his class, and received the A.

The required interviews and medical screenings occurred over the summer of 1962 at Brooks Air Force Base and in Houston.

Schirra and Stafford did not eject, and the cause of the shutdown was found to be an electrical issue and a cap inadvertently left on a fuel line.

On February 28, 1966, both crews flew in T-38 Talons to Lambert Field to visit the McDonnell Douglas Gemini assembly facility.

[1]: 85–92 The following day, Cernan attempted an extravehicular activity (EVA), with the primary mission of testing the Astronaut Maneuvering Unit (AMU).

For his technical assignment, Stafford was tasked as an astronaut liaison for the development of Apollo guidance and navigation systems, as well as the command and service module.

Upon ascent, the LM began turning rapidly from a misaligned switch on the Abort Guidance System; Stafford was able to regain control and conduct the burn to rendezvous with the CM.

[1]: 120–135 In July 1969, Stafford replaced Alan Shepard (who had returned to flight status) as Chief of the Astronaut Office.

During this period, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin agreed to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).

Stafford was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in late 1972, and was soon named the commander of ASTP, along with Slayton (who had also returned to flight status) and Vance Brand.

After two days in space, Soyuz and Apollo docked on July 17, where the crews met and conducted joint experiments and held press conferences.

While descending, the Apollo command module began filling with nitrogen tetroxide from the reaction control thrusters.

All crew were safely recovered aboard USS New Orleans, and were hospitalized in Hawaii for edema (swelling) from fuel inhalation.

[1]: 156–197 In June 1975, before ASTP, Stafford was offered command of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB.

He continued to fly (including foreign aircraft such as the MiG-17 and Panavia Tornado) and was involved in the interview of Viktor Belenko after his defection.

In March 1978, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became Deputy Chief of Staff, Research Development and Acquisition in Washington, D.C.

[11] In early 1979, before giving a speech at the Chicago chapter of the Air Force Association, Stafford met with the Chairman of Northrop whose company had started a low-speed experimental stealth reconnaissance program for DARPA and the U.S. Army using smooth surfaces.

On a piece of hotel stationery, Stafford wrote specs for range, payload, radar cross-section, and gross take-off weight for an advanced stealth technology bomber, which later became designated as the B-2.

[1]: 198–210 Following his retirement, Stafford served on several corporate boards, including Omega SA, Gibraltar Exploration, and Gulfstream Aerospace.

[4] Stafford died from liver cancer at a care home in Satellite Beach, Florida, on March 18, 2024, at the age of 93.

I am very proud to have contributed to our nation's future in space and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the beginning of America's venture into the new and endless frontier.Throughout his career, Stafford received numerous awards for his accomplishments.

[34][35][36] The Stafford Building at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City is named after him.