Gerry Griffin

Gerald D. Griffin
Gerry Griffin in 1982, as director of the Johnson Space Center
Born	(1934-12-25) December 25, 1934 (age 82) Athens, Texas
Residence	Hunt, Texas, USA
Nationality	USA
Citizenship	USA
Education	Aeronautical Engineering
Alma mater	Texas A&M University
Occupation	Flight director during Apollo era; 1982-86 director of Johnson Space Center
Employer	NASA (Retired)
Known for	Human Space Flight
Spouse(s)	Sandra "Sandy" Huber Griffin
Children	Kirk (b.1959), Gwen (b.1963)

Gerald D. "Gerry" Griffin was born December 25, 1934 in Athens, Texas. He graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas in 1952, then attended Texas A&M University where in 1956 he received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering. Upon graduation from Texas A&M Gerry was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. He served four years on active duty, first in flight training, then flying as a weapon systems officer in jet fighter-interceptors. In 1960 Gerry left active duty and began his space career as a systems engineer/flight controller at the USAF Satellite Test Center in Sunnyvale, California.

In 1964 Gerry joined NASA in Houston as a flight controller in Mission Control, specializing in guidance, navigation and control systems during Project Gemini. In 1968 he was named a Mission Control flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo Program manned missions, including all nine manned missions out to the moon, six of which included lunar landings. Gerry’s “Gold” team conducted half of the lunar landings made during Apollo: Apollo’s 14, 16, & 17. His team was scheduled to conduct the landing of Apollo 13, but when the landing was canceled as a result of the oxygen tank explosion, his team played a key role in the safe return of the astronauts.

Because of his real life role as a flight director during the troubled flight of Apollo 13 Gerry was a technical advisor for the movie Apollo 13. Later he was a technical advisor for and an actor in the movies Contact and Deep Impact . Most recently Gerry was the technical advisor for the movie Apollo 18. Gerry is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. In the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, he was played by actor David Clyde Carr.

After the Apollo Program was completed Gerry served in other roles at NASA, first in multiple positions at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, then as the deputy director of the Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center in California, then as deputy director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In 1982 he returned to Houston as director of the Johnson Space Center.

Gerry received numerous awards during his years with NASA including the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and two NASA Exceptional Service Medals.