The Explorers' Club, № CMXLVI

The Space Race—The New Nine, Part V
Charles "Pete" Conrad Junior (2 June 1930-8 July 1999), Captain, U.S. Navy—He flew Gemini V (1965), Gemini XI (1966), Apollo 12 (Yankee Clipper & Intrepid, 1969), & Skylab 2 (1973); he was the third of the twelve Moonwalkers & won a bet with the journalist Oriana Fallaci by his first words on the Moon, "Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small [step] for Neil, but that's a long one for me."

Commentary: Conrad was named Charles after his father, but his parents agreed that he would always be called "Peter," eventually "Pete." Peter was not his middle name—he didn't have a middle name—but a nickname.

Conrad was noted for the saying, perhaps even the motto, "If you can't be good, be colorful."

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The New Nine—Pete Conrad
James Darren, "I've Got the World On a String" from This One's from the Heart (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Pete Conrad
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXVI: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini V, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXVIII: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini V, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXIX: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XI, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXL: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XI, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXVII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXIX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part III

Commentary: Even this lengthy "Wayback Machine Tour" is not yet exhaustive, as Captain Conrad would command the first manned Skylab expedition (May-June 1973). Look for "Explorers' Club" coverage of the fiftieth anniversary of Skylab 2 later this spring & summer, heaven permitting & should the world perdure.

Requiescat in pace.