Rocco Petrone
| Rocco A. Petrone | |
|---|---|
Official NASA portrait
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| Born |
Rocco Anthony Petrone March 31, 1926 Amsterdam, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 2006 (aged 80) Palos Verdes Estates, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
United States Military Academy, B.S. 1946 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, 1951 |
| Occupation | Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Holley Petrone |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Anthony Petrone Theresa Petrone |
| Military career | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
Rocco Anthony Petrone (March 31, 1926 – August 24, 2006) was an Italian American engineer who was the third director of the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, from 1973 to 1974. Petrone previously served as director of launch operations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from July 1966 until September 1969, and then as Apollo program director at NASA Headquarters.
The son of Italian immigrants, Anthony and Theresa (née DeLuca) Petrone, emigrated from Sasso di Castalda, Petrone was raised Roman Catholic and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. There he played defensive tackle in the 1945 national football championship winning team. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1946, he served in West Germany from 1947 to 1950.
He also earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 and received an honorary doctorate from Rollins College. During two decades with the U.S. Army, Petrone took part in developing the Redstone rocket, the first U.S. ballistic missile and the vehicle used to launch America's first astronauts, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom on their suborbital missions. He retired from the army in 1966 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
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