Arlington, VA - Under a hot summer sky and surrounded by three generations of American space heroes, the third human to walk on the Moon was laid to rest today in the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Former Gemini and Apollo astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad was hailed as an American space hero who also maintained a sense of humor during his four space missions from 1965 to 1973.

"He had his feet planted firmly on the Moon, reaching for the stars," said NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. Goldin hailed Conrads pioneering spirit and said that the former astronaut had not been content to "rest on his laurels" but worked in his later years to make space accessible to all. "He danced with dreamers," Goldin said. "He was looking at entrepreneurial ways to take the next bold steps in space exploration," he added.

Present for the service at Arlingtons Fort Myer Chapel was one of the largest gatherings of U.S. astronauts in years. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the crew of Apollo 11, were present, as were Conrads fellow crewmates Dick Gordon and Alan Bean from his 1969 Apollo 12 mission. Also present were Mercury astronauts John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gemini and Apollo astronauts James Lovell, Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan, James McDivitt, T.K. Mattingly, Frank Borman, and Joe Kerwin. Space Shuttle astronauts Richard Truly and Bob Crippen were also present, as were other retired NASA and space officials from the Apollo era.

Conrad flew four U.S. space missions; he was pilot aboard Gemini 5 in August 1965, Commander of Gemini 11 in September 1966, Commander of Apollo 12 in November 1969, and Commander of Skylab 2 in May of 1973.

Conrad, 69, was killed July 8th near Ojai, California when a motorcycle he was riding struck a drainage ditch.