Captain James Lovell, Jr.
NASA Pioneer, and Gemini 7, Apollo 11, and 13 Astronaut
Captain James Lovell, Jr. is one of the most dynamic leaders of our time. His historic space missions in the 1960s culminated with the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, in which he and his crew narrowly escaped disaster.
Captain Lovell has applied his leadership acumen in private business as a corporate executive officer in Bay-Houston Towing, Centel Corporation, and now Lovell Communications. His broad technical and business education, and his experience have earned him numerous honors, and he is one of the most impressive leaders of our time.
Captain Lovell was chosen in September 1962 for the space program following extensive experience as a naval aviator and test pilot. Lovell executed various commands in the Gemini Mission Program, including serving as backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight, and pilot on the history-making Gemini 7 flight that saw the first rendezvous of two manned spacecraft in 1965. He was also the backup commander for the Gemini 9 flight, and in 1966 he commanded the Gemini 12 spacecraft to successfully conclude the Gemini Program.
At the close of the Gemini program, Lovell became command module pilot and navigator for the epic six-day journey on Apollo 8, humanity’s maiden voyage to the moon, during which he and his fellow crew were the first humans to leave the earth’s gravitational influence. He then was backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. His fourth and final flight was on the perilous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. As spacecraft commander, he and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their cryogenic oxygen system failed. Their emergency activation and operation of the lunar module systems conserved both electrical power and water in sufficient supply to ensure their survival in space and their safe return to Earth.
In 1973, Lovell left the space program to join the Bay-Houston Towing Company. He became president and chief executive officer of Bay-Houston Towing in 1975 and then joined Fisk Telephone Systems as company president. The company was acquired by the Centel Corporation in 1980, and he became executive vice president. Today, he is president of Lovell Communications, a business devoted to disseminating information about the U.S. space program.
Capt. Lovell’s education prepared him for the change from explorer to businessperson. He attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Southern California Aviation Safety School, and the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He has also received honorary doctorates from Blackburn University, Mary Hardin-Baylor College, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rockhurst College, Susquehanna University, Washington & Jefferson College, Western Michigan University, and William Patterson College.
He has garnered an impressive share of honors, including the Harmon, Collier, and Goddard Aerospace Trophies; the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the French Legion of Honor; NASA Distinguished and Exceptional Service Medals; the Navy Distinguished Service Medal; two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses; and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He is also a fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
In 1994, Lovell and Jeff Kluger wrote Lost Moon, the story of the courageous mission of Apollo 13. In 2000, the book was re-released as Apollo 13: Anniversary Edition to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission. In 1995, the film version of the best-seller, Apollo 13, was released to rave reviews. Lovell also appeared in several segments of Tom Hanks’s From the Earth to the Moon, the acclaimed HBO documentary miniseries that aired in the spring of 1998.
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Gene Kranz
Apollo XIII Flight Director
Your project team may not be called the “Tiger Team” and your clients’ oxygen system may not be down, but many times you’ve told yourself and your team, “Failure is not an option.” Every project manager can relate to the challenges experienced by Gene Kranz in his heroic story of collaboration and commitment in managing the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. You won’t want to miss the chance to learn first-hand from this great hero who, much like you, had to build and coordinate an effective team, and produce results under pressure.
As the leader of the “Tiger Team” of flight directors who brought the Apollo 13 spaceship safely back to Earth on April 17, 1970, Gene Kranz demonstrated extraordinary courage and heroism. The hit film, Apollo 13, chronicles Kranz’s struggle to devise the plan that would safely bring the ship and its crew of three astronauts home after its oxygen system failed. Actor Ed Harris portrays Kranz in the film, which was directed by Ron Howard.
Kranz retired from NASA in 1994 after 37 years of federal service, and is currently a consultant and speaker. “Failure is not an option,” the motto that carried him through the Apollo 13 crisis, is a major theme of his motivational message.
After receiving his B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from Parks College of St. Louis University in 1954, Kranz was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, and flew high performance jet fighter aircraft, including the F-80, F-86, and F-100. In 1958, he worked as a flight-test engineer for McDonnell Aircraft, developing the Quail Decoy Missile for B-52 and B-47 aircraft.
Kranz joined the NASA Space Task Group at Langley, Virginia, in 1960, and was assigned the position of assistant flight director for Project Mercury. He assumed flight director duties for all Project Gemini Missions, and was branch chief for Flight Control Operations. He was selected as division chief for Flight Control in 1968, and continued his duties as a flight director for the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing before taking over the leadership of the Apollo 13 “Tiger Team.” He was discharged from the Air Force Reserve as a Captain in 1972.
He contributed his expertise to a number of other NASA missions during his career, including the Skylab Program. After the Skylab Program concluded, he was named deputy director of Flight Operations for NASA, which gave him the responsibility for space flight planning, training and mission operations, aircraft operations, and flight crew operations. In 1983, he was assigned the post of director of Mission Operations, and given the responsibility for all aspects of mission design, development, maintenance, and operations of all related mission facilities, as well as the preparation of the Space Shuttle flight software.
Kranz has received many awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received from President Nixon for the Apollo 13 mission, and his designation as a Distinguished Member of the Senior Executive Service by President Reagan.
In addition to his consulting and speaking activities, Kranz is currently a flight engineer on a B-17 “Flying Fortress,” and performs at air shows throughout the U.S. Since his retirement, he has also built an aerobatic biplane. In April 2000, he published a memoir about his experiences in the space program, Failure is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond. He and his wife are the parents of six children, and reside in Texas.
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