Vance D. Brand
A cool-headed test pilot who bridged the Cold War gap in orbit, commanding the first joint US-Soviet mission and later the Space Shuttle.
Born 1931 (age 95)·American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer and astronaut·Birthday: May 9·The Silent Generation
Biography
Vance Brand's career is a timeline of American spaceflight evolution, from the Apollo era to the Shuttle program. An aeronautical engineer and naval aviator, he brought a test pilot's methodical nerves to the astronaut corps. His first flight was nearly historic for the wrong reasons; as command module pilot for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, a dangerous cabin leak during re-entry threatened the crew, but Brand's calm response helped ensure a safe return. That mission, a handshake in space between superpowers, stood as his defining achievement. He later transitioned to the Space Shuttle, commanding three missions that included the first Spacelab flight dedicated to life sciences. Brand embodied the unsung, professional flyer, less a celebrity astronaut and more the capable manager of complex machines in a hostile environment.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Vance was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Vance Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Vance's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 80
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2026Age 95 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as command module pilot for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first joint U.S.-Soviet space mission.
- Commanded STS-5, the first fully operational flight of the Space Shuttle program.
- Commanded STS-41-B, which featured the first untethered spacewalk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit.
Did You Know?
Before joining NASA, he was a test pilot for the Lockheed YF-12, the interceptor variant of the SR-71 Blackbird.
During the Apollo-Soyuz mission, he famously greeted the Soviet cosmonauts with the Russian phrase 'Tovarichi, privyet' (Hello, comrades).
He logged over 9,000 hours of flight time in various aircraft.
“We had to fly the spacecraft manually; the computer had failed.”
