Dick Gordon, Apollo 12 astronaut, dies aged 88

'Cool guy and best possible crewmate' Richard F Gordon Jr piloted orbiting command module while Alan Bean and Charles Conrad explored moon's surface

The Apollo 12 astronaut Richard "Dick" F Gordon Jr, one of a dozen men who flew to the moon but didn't land, has died aged 88.

Gordon was a test pilot when he was chosen for Nasa's third group of astronauts in 1963. He flew on Gemini 11 in 1966, walking in space twice. In 1969 Gordon circled the moon in the Apollo 12 command module Yankee Clipper while crewmates Alan Bean and Charles Conrad landed and walked on the lunar surface.