Knight Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, seven children. Born in Noblesville, Indiana, USA. Leukemia.

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: USAF Dynasoar Group - 1960. Deceased Entered space service: 20 September 1962. Left space service: 10 December 1963. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 0.0070 days.

Pete Knight was born Noblesville, Indiana. He joined the US Air Force in 1951 and obtained degrees in mathematics and aeronautical engineering from the USAF Institute of Technology. He spent ten years as a fighter pilot before attending the Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB. He was selected as a pilot for the Dynasoar spaceplane project in March 1962. The Dynasoar was cancelled in 1963, and Knight was then assigned as an X-15 test pilot. He made sixteen X-15 flights, including an astronaut wings flight to 85.5 km and the fastest X-15 flight, Mach 6.7 (7270 km/hr). Knight served in Vietnam 1969-1970 (253 combat missions in the F-100). Following work in development and test flight of the F-15 fighter, he was made Vice Commander of the Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, in 1979. His work there included test of F-16 development aircraft. He retired in 1982 with over 6,000 flight hours in over 100 aircraft types.

He then pursued a career in local politics, being elected to the Palmdale City Council in 1984. After serving there and as Mayor of Palmdale, he became a California State Assemblymen in 1992. He was elected a State Senator in 1996 and continued in that position to the end of his life. Knight was survived by his wife Gail, sons William, David and Stephen, four stepsons and 15 grandchildren.

• 17 October 1967 Flight: X-15 Flight 190. Flight Up: X-15 Flight 190. Flight Back: X-15 Flight 190. Flight Time: 0.0070 days.

1 April 1960 - USAF Dynasoar Astronaut Training Group selected.. The group was selected to provide pilots for X-20A Dyna-Soar spaceplane flights.. Qualifications: Assigned from pool of active USAF and NASA Test Pilots.. Ten test pilots (7 USAF, 3 NASA) underwent physical examinations in August 1959. Seven were secretly selected in April 1960.