Gene Kranz - the right stuff
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:04 pm
Hey, folks. If you've already streamed the entire Netflix catalog, maybe you need something else to watch.
Last year, I was down in Houston at Johnson Space Center, attending the Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC.) One of the keynote speakers was retired NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz. That's right, Gene F'in Kranz!! For the anniversary of Apollo 11, they brought in the BIG GUNS!
For the uninitiated, Gene was one of the stars of the Apollo program. In the Apollo 13 movie, he was played by Ed Harris - the guy in the vest - who uttered the iconic line "Failure is not an option." And when I say "stars", I don't mean he had a million two Insta followers. I mean he epitomized the crew-cut-wearing, pocket-protector-sportin'. steely-eyed-missile-man of that era. His voice is unmistakable as he clips off the go/no-go poll around the room:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYMHAWAK7hk
What a treat! He gave us a bit of his history, and then a first hand account of getting Apollo 13 home safely. Dude is the epitome of the can-do-spirit that got us to the Moon in 9 years and a great American. Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDWpJel ... e=emb_logo
Last year, I was down in Houston at Johnson Space Center, attending the Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC.) One of the keynote speakers was retired NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz. That's right, Gene F'in Kranz!! For the anniversary of Apollo 11, they brought in the BIG GUNS!
For the uninitiated, Gene was one of the stars of the Apollo program. In the Apollo 13 movie, he was played by Ed Harris - the guy in the vest - who uttered the iconic line "Failure is not an option." And when I say "stars", I don't mean he had a million two Insta followers. I mean he epitomized the crew-cut-wearing, pocket-protector-sportin'. steely-eyed-missile-man of that era. His voice is unmistakable as he clips off the go/no-go poll around the room:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYMHAWAK7hk
What a treat! He gave us a bit of his history, and then a first hand account of getting Apollo 13 home safely. Dude is the epitome of the can-do-spirit that got us to the Moon in 9 years and a great American. Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDWpJel ... e=emb_logo