Honoring the first American who died in the race for space -- five decades to the day after a tragic accident.
Friday morning dozens gathered to remember Air Force Captain Theodore Freeman -- who was killed upon landing in a T- 38 jet crash in Houston on October 31, 1964.
An investigation determined a large goose struck the plane and he was able to eject.
But he was too close to the ground for the parachute to open in time.
Freeman was chosen in the third group of men in 1963 to join the astronaut corp -- and was considered for the Gemini Program before his death.
For astronauts like Jon McBride, his work and sacrifice paved the way for the successes of the American space program.
"If it weren't for guys like Ted and those who flew before me, I wouldn't be here today," says McBride, a former shuttle astronaut.
Freeman's daughter and granddaughter were among those who remembered his sacrifice fifty years ago today.
"You do repay the debt to us by being here. You repay it with this memorial that other people can see," says Faith Johnson, Freeman's Daughter.
Starfighters Aerospace performed a flyover in Captain Freeman's memory.
His legacy lives on despite never reaching space -- as we continue to explore 50 years after his death.
Captain Theodore Freeman is memorialized on the Space Mirror Memorial and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.