Eugene F. Kranz
| Gene Kranz | |
|---|---|
Gene Kranz c. 2005
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| Born |
Eugene Francis Kranz August 17, 1933 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Gene Kranz |
| Alma mater | Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, B.S. 1954 |
| Occupation | Flight director during Gemini and Apollo programs; Director of NASA Mission Operations |
| Years active | 1960–1994 |
| Employer | NASA (Retired) |
| Known for | Lead flight director during Apollo 13 Flight Director during first lunar landing (Apollo 11) |
| Predecessor | Chris Kraft (first Lead Flight Director) |
| Spouse(s) | Marta Cadena |
| Children | 6 |
| Parent(s) | Leo Peter Kranz (father) |
| Awards |
Presidential Medal of Freedom NASA Distinguished Service Medal NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal NASA Exceptional Service Medal |
Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an engineer, a retired NASA Flight Director and manager. Kranz served as a Flight Director, the successor to NASA founding Flight Director Chris Kraft, during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and is best known for his role in directing the successful Mission Control team efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13, which later became the subject story of a major motion picture of the same name, in which he was portrayed by actor Ed Harris, and serving as flight director during the first lunar landing of Apollo 11. He is also noted for his trademark close-cut flattop hairstyle, and the wearing of dapper "mission" vests (waistcoats), of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, during missions for which he acted as Flight Director.
A personal friend of the American astronauts of his time, Kranz remains a prominent and colorful figure in the history of U.S. manned space exploration, the embodiment of "NASA tough-and-competent" of the Kranz Dictum. Kranz has been the subject of movies, documentary films, and books and periodical articles. Kranz is a recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Kranz was ranked as the #2 most popular space hero.
Kranz was born August 17, 1933, in Toledo, Ohio and attended Central Catholic High School. He grew up on a farm that overlooked the Willys-Overland Jeep production plant. His father, Leo Peter Kranz, was the son of a German immigrant, and served as an Army medic during World War I. His father died in 1940, when Eugene was only seven years old. Kranz has two older sisters, Louise and Helen.
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