Buffering the outside world from the technical decisions these guys had to make. Part, peoplein like kraft had the same experiences you had, wouldnt you say as a formal as a former flight director he knew . Washristopher columbus entirely appropriate for this guy. Pioneer in Mission Control. He launched each one of the mercury missions. But he was the mentor, teacher and tutor for this young generation who became known as Mission Controllers. He set the mold for everything that would be done thereafter and in particular, he set the and for the flight director the flight director being able to take any action necessary for crew safety and mission success. He had done that in the beauty of the thing was even though he physically had left the console, wase he knew his job now to give them the confidence to make the technical decisions and he was going to broker whatever political fallout might occur. A spectacular man. He was the interface between the top level and politics. I found that
The First Mission where in apollo now, where we had been flight directors on gemini, we were coming back together again. So you had probably the three most experienced people at the counsel, and it was a question of who was going to get to do what. Lonnie had been to the moon a couple times. Charlesworth had launched saturns. I had the lunar module experience. You had no driver that said this person ought to be doing this phase of the mission. I was division chief at that time and kraft had been really on top of us to nail down who is going to do what until finally after the apollo 9 mission we all managed to get together, and charlesworth as lead had to make the calls. I called him and said cliff, we got to make a decision on which flight director is going to cover which phase of the mission. This is probably the most anticlimactic meeting ive ever had in my life. He looked me straight in the face, and he said, well, im going to launch it, and im going to do the eva. So that only leav
11, and what a thing to go back over, thats a big project. The theres many things that stand out, a person says, where were you when . I had sure had an awful lot of great breaks in my life, i mean, whether they be in college, whether they be in flying airplanes, but one of the ones that i remember that is related to apollo 11, in a very direct fashion was the day that i got the assignment to do the landing phase. Cliff charlesworth was the lead flight director and one of the responsibilities of the lead flight director is to identify which flight director is going to cover which phase of the mission. The and moving in there, this was the First Mission where in apollo now, where lonnie, charlesworth and myself, who had been flight deck or thes on gemini, were actually coming back together again. So, you had probably the three most experienced people at the console and it was a question f of, who is going to get to do what . The and lonnie had been to the moon a couple times. Charleswor
Apollo 11 in a very direct fashion was the day that i got the assignment to do the landing phase. Cliff charles worth was the lead flight director. One of the responsibilities of the lead flight director is to identify which flight director is going to cover which phase of the mission. And moving in there, this was the First Mission where in apollo now, where we had been flight directors on gemini, we were coming back together again. So you had probably the three most experienced people at the koi council, and it was a question of who was going to get to do what. Lonnie had been to the moon a couple times. Cha charl charlesworth had launched saturns. I had lunar experience. You had no driver that said this person ought to be doing this phase of the mission. I was division chief at that time and kraft had been really on top of us to nail down who is going to do what until finally after the apollo 9 mission we all managed to get together, and charlesworth as lead had to make the calls. I
You also took part in the whole thing. Lets go back over apollo 11, what a thing to go back over, big project. There were many things that stand out, the person says, where were you when . I head sure had an awful lot of great rakes in my life. I mean, whether they were in college, flying airplanes, or a lot of the ones i remember related to apollo 11 in a direct fashion for the day that i got the assignment and cliff was the lead flight director. One of their responsibilitys of the lead flight director is to identify which flight director is going to cover which phase of the mission. And, moving in there, this is the First Mission where, in apollo now were lonnie, charlesworth and myself and we had been flight directors on gemini, were actually coming back together again. So, you had probably the three most experienced people at the consul and, it was a question of who was going to get to do what. And, lonnie had been to them in a couple times, charlesworth has launched saturn and i h