This month’s episode of the Thought Leader Series, presented by UTMB Health, honors the anniversary of Apollo 11 with insights from part of the crew who helped make the historic mission a success in ‘”Apollo 11: Stories from Mission Control.”
This stellar panel includes Flight Director Gene Kranz, Integrated Communications Officer (INCO) Tom Hanchett, INCO Ed Fendell, and Flight Activities Officer (FAO) Spencer Gardner.
Hear from these four lunar legends as they revisit the journey and approach that allowed them to make one giant leap for mankind.
Kranz was the longtime flight director in Mission Operation Control Room for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. During the Apollo 11 mission, he was responsible for leading and making real-time decisions that were critical in keeping NASA astronauts safe in space. Today, guests can hear Kranz narrate the 12-minute film on our Historic Mission Operation Control Room Tram Tour, tying in the post-mission report and spacecraft journey.
Hanchett ensured that all communication operations worked between the astronauts, the space capsule and mission control room to be able to communicate back and forth throughout the mission. Among his responsibilities, Hanchett was working the space capsule’s on-board tape recorder, recording all data between ground control when the capsule was behind the moon and playing back the data to mission control. His team also ensured the black-and-white footage recorded by the spacecraft camera was transmitted back to Earth.
Fendell worked for the Federal Aviation Administration after leaving the military, and from there landed a job with NASA to serve as a capcom officer at one of the remote sites. Before NASA had satellites to communicate with its spacecraft, it stationed teams around the planet to keep line-of-sight communications with the crew. Fendell, formally trained in marketing, fell into mission controls communication operations learning from other notable leaders. He then ended up at the INCO console during the Apollo missions and was responsible for ensuring all data and voice communications between the ground and spacecraft were linked.
Gardner served as a NASA flight activities officer, and was Gene Kranz’s right-hand man for Apollo 11. Gardner, barely 26 at the time, was one of the youngest flight controllers on duty when the Eagle lunar lander settled onto the Sea of Tranquility with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969. His job was to stay on top of the astronauts’ timeline constantly thinking ahead, considering how best to re-adjust the flight plan if necessary. He would go on to work on five more Apollo missions and attend evening classes for law school. In 1974 he left the agency and became an assistant district attorney, joining a law firm.
Ignite your curiosity and grow your passion for space and science at our monthly Thought Leader Series. The best and brightest minds examine the significance of historic missions, share the latest news in space exploration and look ahead to the future of space travel. This immersive series takes guests beyond our walls to provide inspiring, engaging and educational learning experiences.
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The All-American Rejects are throwing Space Center Houston’s Moon 2 Mars Festival into hyperdrive. Amp up your Space City Spring Break with us!
Access to this all-ages festival is included in general admission.
