Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller and the Management of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program

323 Pages·2012·242.97 MB·English

by  Arthur L. Slotkin (auth.)

Doing the Impossible
George E. Mueller and the Management of NASXs Human Spaceflight
Program

Arthur L. Slotkin
Doing the Impossible
George E. Mueller and the Management of NASA's
Human Spaceflight Program
Published in association with
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Springer Praxis Publishing
Chichester, UK
Arthur L. Slotkin
Atlanta
Georgia
USA
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ISBN 978-1-4614-3700-0 ISBN 978-1-4614-3701-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-3701-7
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Contents
illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Tables ..................................................... ix
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
lutroductiou ................................................ xvii
1. Reorganizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I
2. Program management ......................................... 29
3. Getting ready ............................................... 55
4. Resuming lligbt .............................................. 79
5. Learning, developing aud planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 03
6. Peaks aud valleys ........................................... 129
7. Recovery .................................................. 157
8. All-up testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9. Orbiting tbe Moon .......................................... 205
10. A railroad in space .......................................... 229
Epilogue .................................................. 255
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Judex .................................................... 297
v

illustrations
A-1 George E. Mueller and Arthur L. Slotkin, Museum of Flight,
Seattle, Washington, July 16, 2008 .............................. xv
1-1 Apollo llliftoff, Charles W. Mathews, Wemher von Braun,
George E. Mueller, and Samuel C. Phillips, July 16, 1969 ........... xviii
1-1 Hugh L. Dryden swearing in George E. Mueller, September 3, 1963 . . . . . 8
2-1 George E. Mueller presents Apollo to John F. Kennedy,
November 15, 1963 .......................................... 36
2-2 John F. Kennedy and NASA officials intently listen to George E.
Mueller's Apollo briefing, November 15, 1963 ...................... 37
3-1 George E. Mueller, Wernber von Braun, Eberhard F. M. Rees and
Rocco A. Petrone at SA-6 launch, May 28, 1964 .................... 60
4-1 Edward H. White, Jr. performing first American EVA, Gemini IV,
~3,1~ ............................................... ~
5-1 George E. Mueller and Wernber von Braun, Saturn V rollout,
May 26, 1966 ............................................. 122
5-2 "The Angry Alligator," Gemini IX-A, June 3, 1966 ................ 125
6-1 Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin training underwater for Gemini XII ......... 133
6-2 Completing the Gemini Program, James A. Lovell, Jr. and Edwin E.
Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., Gemini XII .............................. 137
6-3 Scorched capsule after the Apollo 204 fire ........................ 143
vii
viii Doing the Impossible
6-4 Senate Hearings, Apollo 204 Fire: Robert C. Seamans, Jr.,
James E. Webb, George E. Mueller, and Samuel C. Phillips,
February 27, 1967 .......................................... 152
8-1 Apollo 4 (AS-501), November 9, 1967 ........................... 185
9-1 Apollo 8 (AS-503)- Earthrise 1968 ............................. 206
9-2 Samuel C. Phillips at Kennedy Space Center during Apollo (cid:13)6#
launch, December 21, 1968 ................................... 221
10-1 George E. Mueller during Apollo lllaunch, July 16, 1969 ........... 238
10-2 George E. Mueller after Apollo lllaunch, July 16, 1969 ............. 239
10-3 Apollo 12 lightning strike, November 14, 1969 .................... 249
E-1 George E. Mueller receives Lifetime Achievement Trophy from
National Air and Space Museum, April 2011 ..................... 267
Tables
1-1 Saturn launch vehicles and stages ............................... 13
1-2 OMSF ilirectors 1963-1969 .................................... 16
3-1 Apollo Program Office GEM boxes, air force System Program
Offices" and GEM boxes as modified by Phillips .................... 64
7-1 Seamans' Schedule for "mainline" Apollo flights (May 8, 1967) ....... 175
10-1 Top "twelve" contributors to the Apollo Program (August 8, 1969) .... 242
ix