An astronaut who worked in the Apollo program and was one of the first space shuttle commanders is dead. Joe Engle, a retired Air Force major general, died at his home in Houston Wednesday. He was 91.

A native of Chapman, Kansas, Engle was the only astronaut to pilot the X-15 fighter jet and the space shuttle.

Vanessa Wyche, director at the NASA Johnson Space Center, said Engle’s contributions to the advancement of human spaceflight will inspire generations of explorers for year to come.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran paid tribute to Engle in a post on social media:

Joe Engle was a pioneer in space exploration whose career as an astronaut began in the early years of the Apollo missions & included commanding several space shuttle missions. Born in Chapman, KS, Joe was proud to be a Jayhawk, an Air Force pilot & an astronaut.

[ photo:  Cosmosphere ]