Astronaut Gordon Cooper breaks into a broad grin at the greeting given to him aboard the USS Kearsarge in this May 17, 1963, photo, after his 22-orbit earth flight aboard his spacecraft, Faith 7. Cooper, one of the original Mercury astronauts who were pioneers in human space exploration, has died. He was 77. Cooper died Monday, Oct. 4, 2004, at his home in Ventura, NASA officials said in a statement. (AP Photo)