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Man who created NASA's Mission Control dead
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IANS | 23 Jul, 2019
Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr. -- NASA flight director at some of the
most iconic moments of space history -- has died. He was 95.
A
legendary figure at the Johnson Space Center, Christopher created the
concept of NASA's Mission Control and developed its organization,
operational procedures and culture -- making it a critical element of
the success of human spaceflight programmes, the US space agency said in
a statement late on Monday.
"America has truly lost a national
treasure today with the passing of one of NASA's earliest pioneers --
flight director Chris Kraft. We send our deepest condolences to the
Kraft family," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
"Chris
was one of the core team members that helped our nation put humans in
space and on the Moon, and his legacy is immeasurable," he added.
Kraft
joined the NASA Space Task Group in November 1958 as first flight
director, with responsibilities that immersed him in mission procedures
and challenging operational issues.
He personally invented the
mission planning and control processes required for crewed space
missions, in areas as diverse as go/no-go decisions, space-to-ground
communications, space tracking, real-time problem solving and crew
recovery.
During the Apollo programme, Kraft was responsible for overall human spaceflight mission planning, training and execution.
"His leadership in this critical area continued through the Apollo 12 mission in 1969," said NASA.
He
served as the center director from January 1972 until his retirement in
August 1982, playing a vital role in the success of the final Apollo
missions, the Skylab crewed space station, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
and the first flights of the space shuttle.
Since his retirement
from NASA, Kraft has consulted for numerous companies including IBM and
Rockwell International, served as a Director-at-Large of the Houston
Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Board of Visitors at
Virginia Tech.
In 2001, he published an autobiography titled "Flight: My Life in Mission Control".
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