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|  | ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAeronauticsAnniversariesBiographiesCenters & OfficesExplorationHuman SpaceflightPhoto-VideoReferenceSatellitesSpace BiologySpace PolicySpace ScienceNASA Search: |  |  |  | **Biographies**Vance BrandKonstantin D. BushuyevJames C. FletcherArnold W. FrutkinRobert R. GilruthMstislav V. KeldyshValeriy Nikolayevich KubasovChester M. LeeAlexei Arkhipovich LeonovGeorge Michael LowGlynn S. LunneyRocco PetroneBoris N. PetrovDonald K. SlaytonThomas P. StaffordJohn F. Yardley**Vance Brand** (1931- ) received a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Colorado in 1953, a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1960, and a master's degree in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1964. He was a commissioned officer and naval aviator with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 to 1957. After this, Brand continued in Marine Corps Reserve and Air National Guard jet fighter squadrons until 1964. Then he was employed as a civilian by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation from 1960 to 1966. In 1963, Brand graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Prior to selection to the astronaut program, Brand worked at the West German F-104G Flight Test Center at Istres, France. He was one of the 19 pilot astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He flew on four missions: Apollo-Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, and STS-35. Brand was launched on his first spaceflight on 15 July 1975, as Apollo command module pilot on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. This flight resulted in the historic meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. The Soyuz spacecraft was launched at Baykonur in Central Asia, and the Apollo was launched at the Kennedy Space Center. Two days later, the Apollo accomplished a successful rendezvous and docking with Soyuz. The linkup tested a unique new docking system and demonstrated international cooperation in space. There were 44 hours of docked joint activities that included four crew transfers between the Apollo and the Soyuz. Twenty-eight experiments were performed during the flight. Six records for docked and group flight were set on the mission and are recognized by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. After the Apollo and Soyuz capsules undocked, Brand was responsible for maneuvering the Apollo for a further two days of scientific experiments and for landing the spacecraft. Brand has logged 746 hours in space and has commanded three Shuttle missions. He served as Director of Plans for the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) Program until its end in 1994, after which he served in a variety of positions at Dryden Flight Research Center including Acting Chief Engineer and Deputy Director of Aerospace Projects. He is currently the Deputy Director for Programs at Dryden. ("Brand, Vance DeVoe" biographical file, Lek 1/3/2 #221, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) **Konstantin D. Bushuyev** (1914-1978) graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1941 with a degree in theoretical and applied mechanics; he became the Deputy Head of the institute's Construction Department where he developed a number of the Soviet Union's robotic probes and satellites for atmospheric and planetary exploration. He later became a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He was the Soviet Technical Director of the ASTP from 1970 to 1975; his work focused particularly on the issue of docking compatibility between the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft. ("Bushuyev, K. D." biographical file, Lek 1/3/5/ #262, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**James C. Fletcher** (1919-1991) received an undergraduate degree in physics from Columbia University and a doctorate in physics from the California Institute of Technology. After holding research and teaching positions at Harvard and Princeton Universities, he joined Hughes Aircraft in 1948 and later worked at the Guided Missile Division of the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation. In 1958, Fletcher cofounded the Space Electronics Corporation in Glendale, California. In 1964, he became President of the University of Utah, a position he held until he was named NASA Administrator in 1971. He was the Administrator who gained the approval of the Nixon administration on 5 January 1972 to develop the Space Shuttle as the follow-on human spaceflight effort of the Agency. He also served as NASA Administrator a second time for nearly three years following the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger on 28 January 1986. During his second tenure, he presided over the effort to recover from the Challenger accident. Indeed, he oversaw or initiated virtually every major space project of the last two decades. Although the missions were planned before he took over, he was Administrator during the three Skylab missions in 1973 and 1974 and the two Viking probes that landed on Mars in 1976. He also approved the Voyager space probe to the outer planets, the Hubble Space Telescope program, and the ASTP mission, which in 1975 linked American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts in space. Dr. Fletcher participated in some of the prefatory talks for the ASTP mission and also saw the possibility of expanded U.S.-Soviet cooperation in space after ASTP and into the 1980s. However, this cooperation would not come about until the Shuttle-Mir missions of the 1990s. During his second administration at NASA, Fletcher was largely involved in efforts to recover from the Challenger accident. He was in charge of the Agency when the Space Shuttle finally returned to flight on 29 September 1988. When he left NASA in 1977, Dr. Fletcher became an independent consultant in McLean, Virginia, and served on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh. During the nine years between his terms as NASA Administrator, Fletcher was extremely active as an advisor to key national leaders involved in planning space policy. Among other activities, he served on an advisory board involved in developing the Strategic Defense Initiative. ("Fletcher, James C." biographical file, Lek 6/3/2 #4215, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) Also, see Roger D. Launius, "A Western Mormon in Washington, DC: James C. Fletcher, NASA, and the Final Frontier," Pacific Historical Review 64 (May 1995): 217-241.**Arnold W. Frutkin (1918- )** was Deputy Director of the U.S. National Committee for the International Geophysical Year in the National Academy of Sciences when NASA hired him in 1959 as Director of International Programs, a title that changed in 1963 to Assistant Administrator for International Affairs. In 1970, he and Thomas Paine, the NASA Administrator at the time, held discussions with Soviet officials in regards to U.S.-Soviet docking in space for the purpose of rescue. These talks formed the base for what would become the ASTP. In 1978, he became Associate Administrator for External Relations, a post he relinquished in 1979 when he retired from federal service. During his career, he had been NASA's senior negotiator for almost all of the important international space agreements. ("Frutkin, Arnold W." biographical file, Lek 1/6/6 #726, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) **Robert R. Gilruth (1913-2000)** was a NACA engineer at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory from 1937 to 1946, then Chief of the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division at Wallops Island from 1946 to 1952, exploring the possibility of human spaceflight before the creation of NASA. He served as Assistant Director at Langley from 1952 to 1959 and as Assistant Director (manned satellites) and Head of Project Mercury from 1959 to 1961, technically assigned to the Goddard Spaceflight Center but physically located at Langley. In early 1961, Glennan established an independent Space Task Group under Gilruth to supervise the Mercury program. Gilruth was then director of the Houston operation from 1962 to 1972. From 1970 to 1972, he was involved in some of the early U.S.-Soviet negotiations and agreements, primarily on rendezvous and docking, for what would become the ASTP. He also chose some of the managers who would help bring ASTP to fruition, including Glynn Lunney. ("Gilruth, Robert R." biographical file, Lek 1/7/2 #782, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) Also, see Henry C. Dethloff, "Suddenly Tomorrow Came . . .": A History of the Johnson Space Center (Washington, DC: NASA SP-4307, 1993); and James R. Hansen, Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917-1958 (Washington, DC: NASA SP-4305, 1987), pp. 386-388. Also see a NASA news release about his death.**Mstislav V. Keldysh** (1911-1978) was trained in physics and mathematics at Moscow University (Ph.D., 1938), and he became the Chief Theoretician of Soviet Cosmonautics in the 1960s. He had previously served many years in a variety of positions at the Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics, Moscow University, and the Steklov Mathematical Institute. In 1960-1961, he was Vice President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and thereafter as President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences until 1975. He had expressed interest in space cooperation with the United States as early as 1967 and was involved with the negotiations over what would become the ASTP from the beginning in 1970. In 1971, he was revealed, in a rare move by the Soviet Union, as Chief Space Planner for the Soviets. ("Keldysh, M. V." biographical file, Lek 1/10/3 #1164, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Valeriy Nikolayevich Kubasov** (1935- ) entered the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1952. During his studies there, he displayed an inclination for theoretical research. On graduating the institute in 1958, he worked at Sergei Korolyov's design bureau in the ballistic studies department. He is the author of a number of studies dealing with the calculation of spaceship trajectories and is the holder of a master of science (engineering) degree. In 1966, he was enlisted with the cosmonauts' unit and took a complete course of spaceflight training. As flight engineer of Soyuz-6, he took part in the group spaceflight with spaceships Soyuz-7 and Soyuz-8 in October 1969. On board the Soyuz-6 he conducted experimental welding in outer space. He was named a Hero of the Soviet Union for this flight. He was the flight engineer for the Soyuz 19 spacecraft in the ASTP, during which he participated in a number of experiments including observations of an artificial solar eclipse created by the Apollo spacecraft. He was named a Hero of the Soviet Union a second time for his participation in the ASTP flight. ("Kubasov, Valeriy" biographical files, Lek 1/10/7 #1253-4, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Chester M. Lee** (1919-2000) joined NASA after completing almost 24 years with the U.S. Navy. His Naval duty included planning and participation in the establishment of Cape Canaveral, which involved range clearance safety, organization, instrumentation, and the establishment and support of down-range instrumentation sites; various assignments in the Special Projects Office (Polaris); and assignment to the Range and Space Ground Support Office, Directorate of Research and Engineering, DOD. In 1965, he joined NASA as Chief Mission Planning in Mission Operations, OMSF. In August 1966, he was appointed Assistant Apollo Mission Director. In January 1973, Lee was appointed Program Director of the ASTP. In this capacity, he was responsible for the management of the U.S. side of ASTP, including the spacecraft, docking module, launch vehicle activities, and launch operations. Captain Lee was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his contribution on the Apollo 8 mission. ("Lee, Chester M." biographical file, Lek 1/11/2 #1276, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov** (1934- ) attended the Kremenchug prep school for pilots and the Chuguyev Higher Air Force School in Ukraine, graduating in 1957. He served as a jet pilot in East Germany and was a student at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy in October 1959 when he was picked as part of the first group of Soviet cosmonauts. Leonov was selected to make the world's first walk in space, lasting 10 minutes, in the fall of 1962 on Voshkod 2, for which he was made a Hero of the Soviet Union. He continued his Air Force training and graduated in 1968. He was selected as the commander for the Soyuz spacecraft in the ASTP in 1973. He and Tom Stafford were the two men to make the famous handshake in the tunnel connecting the two spacecraft. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union a second time as a result of the ASTP flight. Following ASTP, Major General Leonov served as Commander of the Cosmonaut Team (March 1976 to January 1982) and as Deputy Director of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, where he was in charge of crew training until his retirement in October 1991. He also received a candidate of technical sciences degree in 1981. For many years, Leonov was the editor and chief designer of the cosmonaut group newspaper Neptune, now called Apogee. ("Leonov, Alexei" biographical file, Lek 1/11/3 #1287, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**George Michael Low** (1926-1984) entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), but his education was interrupted by the war (1944-1946), in which he served in the U.S. Army. After military service, Low returned to RPI and received his bachelor of aeronautical engineering degree in 1948. He then worked at General Dynamics (Convair). Low returned to RPI late in 1948, however, and received his master of science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1950. Low then joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as an engineer at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio (later the Lewis Research Center). He became Head of the Fluid Mechanics Section (1954-1956) and Chief of the Special Projects Branch (1956-1958). During the summer and autumn of 1958, preceding the formation of NASA, Low worked on a planning team to organize the new aerospace agency. Soon after NASA's formal organization in October 1958, Low transferred to the Agency's Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he served as Chief of Manned Space Flight. In this capacity, he was closely involved in the planning of Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. In February 1964, Low transferred to NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas (now the Johnson Space Center), and served as Deputy Center Director. In April 1967, following the Apollo 204 fire, he was named Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, where he was responsible for directing the changes to the Apollo spacecraft necessary to make it flight worthy. George Low became NASA Deputy Administrator in December 1969, serving with Administrators Thomas O. Paine and James C. Fletcher. As such, he became one of the leading figures in the early development of the Space Shuttle and the Skylab program. He served as one of the technical directors and lead delegates for the U.S. side of negotiations on the ASTP from 1970 to 1975. He retired from NASA in 1976 to become President of RPI, a position he held until his death. ("Low, George M." biographical file, Lek 6/6/3 #4133, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) Also, see Sylvia B. Kennick, The George M. Low Papers (Troy, NY: Institute Archives and Special Collections, 1988).**Glynn S. Lunney** (1936- ) was a longtime NASA official. Trained as an aeronautical engineer, he came to the Lewis Research Center one month before the creation of NASA in 1958 and became a part of the Space Task Group developing Project Mercury the next year. He worked on the Apollo program in a series of positions, moving up to Lead Flight Director. In 1970, George Low appointed him to the U.S. delegation on the U.S.-Soviet cooperative spaceflight that later became the ASTP. He was named Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program in 1972. He acted as the U.S. Project Technical Director of ASTP at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, from 1972 until the completion of the mission in 1975. Thereafter, he managed the development of the Space Shuttle and served in several other NASA positions. Lunney retired from NASA in 1985 and became Vice President and General Manager of Houston Operations for Rockwell International's Space Systems Division. ("Lunney, Glynn S." biographical file, Lek 1/11/7 #1365, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Rocco Petrone** (1926- ) graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1946 and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army. He also received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951. In the Army, he worked on various missile programs, including the Redstone, the U.S.'s first ballistic missile. Petrone began his NASA career in 1960 when the Army loaned him to NASA to work as a Saturn project officer at what is now the Kennedy Space Center. He was instrumental in the development of the Saturn launch facilities and equipment at KSC. Petrone served as Director of Launch Operations at KSC from July 1966 until September 1969. He was then appointed Apollo Program Director, succeeding Lieutenant General Samuel Phillips, at NASA Headquarters. In 1972, he was given the additional role of Program Director for the NASA component of the ASTP, in which he was responsible for the direction and management of the U.S. side of the joint mission. Petrone then moved to Alabama to become the Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1973; he was replaced by Chester M. Lee as ASTP Program Director. In 1974, he left Marshall and moved back to Washington, DC, to become NASA's Associate Administrator. The next year, Petrone retired from NASA and became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Resource Recovery. ("Petrone, Rocco" biographical file, Lek 1/14/3 #1690, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Boris N. Petrov** (1913-1980) was a leading Soviet scientist whose later years were devoted to space exploration. A senior academician in the Soviet Academy of Science, Petrov was Chair of the Inter-Cosmos Council, which promoted cooperation in space among socialist countries during the height of the Cold War, 1966-1980. He was also instrumental in U.S.-Soviet cooperation efforts during the same period, including the preparation for the ASTP, often negotiating with George Low. ("Petrov, Boris N." biographical file, Lek 1/14/3 #1693, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) Also, see "Boris Petrov, 67, Soviet Expert on Automation, Space Research," Washington Post (27 August 1980); and Kenneth W. Gatland, "Boris Petrov," Spaceflight 23 (January 1981): 29. **Donald K. Slayton** (1924-1993) received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1949. Slayton entered the Air Force and received his wings in April 1943. He flew 56 combat missions in Europe. He returned to the United States in mid-1944 as a B-25 instructor pilot. In April 1945, he was sent to Okinawa and flew seven combat missions over Japan. He served as a B-25 instructor for one year and left the Air Force to enter the University of Minnesota. He was recalled to active duty in 1951 with the Minnesota Air National Guard. Returning to the United States in June 1955, he attended the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He was a test pilot from January 1956 until April 1959 and participated in the testing of fighter aircraft. Slayton was named as one of the first seven astronauts in April 1959. He was originally scheduled to pilot the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, but was relieved due to a heart condition in March 1962 and was replaced by Scott Carpenter. Slayton became Coordinator of Astronaut Activities in September 1962. In November 1963, he resigned his commission as an Air Force major to assume the role of Director of Flight Crew Operations. Slayton was restored to full flight status and certified eligible for manned space flights in March 1972, following a comprehensive review of his medical status. Slayton made his first spaceflight as Apollo docking module pilot of the ASTP mission, 15-24 July 1975, a joint spaceflight culminating in the first historical meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. The crewmembers of both nations participated in a rendezvous and subsequent docking with Apollo. The event marked the successful testing of a universal docking system and signaled a major advance in efforts to pave the way for the conduct of joint experiments and/or the exchange of mutual assistance in future international space explorations. There were 44 hours of docked joint activities during ASTP, highlighted by four crew transfers and the completion of a number of joint scientific experiments and engineering investigations. As Manager for Approach and Landing Test from December 1975 through November 1977, Slayton directed the Space Shuttle approach and landing test project. From November 1977 to February 1982, Slayton served as Manager for the Orbital Flight Test. He also was responsible for the 747/orbiter ferry program. Slayton retired from NASA on 27 February 1982. After his retirement from NASA, he became President/Vice Chairman of the Board of Space Services, Inc., and a consultant to several aerospace corporations. ("Slayton, Donald K." ASTP biographical file, Lek 8/2/2 #2103, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**Thomas P. Stafford** (Lieutenant General, USAF, Retired) (1930- ) received a bachelor of science degree with honors from the United States Naval Academy in 1952 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He received his pilot wings in September 1953. In December 1955, he was assigned to the 496th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany, flying F-86Ds. Upon returning to the United States in August 1958, he attended the Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB and graduated in April 1959. He remained with the school as an instructor and later was Chief of the Performance Branch. General Stafford was selected among the second group of astronauts in September 1962 by NASA to participate in Projects Gemini and Apollo. In December 1965, he was the pilot of Gemini 6-A, which was the first rendezvous in space. In June 1966, he was commander of Gemini 9-A and performed three different types of rendezvous, including a demonstration of a rendezvous that would be used in Apollo. From August 1966 to October 1968, he headed the mission planning analysis and software development responsibilities for the astronaut group for Project Apollo. In May 1969, General Stafford was commander of Apollo 10, the first flight of the lunar module to the Moon. He performed the first rendezvous around the Moon and the entire lunar landing mission except the actual landing. He was assigned as head of the astronaut group in June 1969 and, as such, was responsible for the selection of flight crews for Projects Apollo and Skylab. In June 1971, General Stafford was assigned as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center. He logged his fourth spaceflight as Apollo commander of the ASTP mission, 15-24 July 1975, a joint spaceflight culminating in the historic first meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. The event signaled a major advance in efforts for the conduct of joint experiments and the exchange of mutual assistance in future international space explorations. He and Alexei Leonov were the two men who made the famous handshake in space on that mission. After leaving NASA, General Stafford has been Vice President of Gibraltar Exploration, Ltd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Chairman of the Board of Omega Watch Company of America, New York City, New York; and a member of the board of Bendix Corporation, Southfield, Michigan, and Gulfstream American, Savannah, Georgia. He briefly returned to NASA in 1990-1991 to chair the Synthesis Group that evaluated the proposals for the Space Exploration Initiative. In July 2003, General Stafford became Cochairman of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group, on which he still serves. ("Stafford, Thomas P." ASTP biographical file, Lek 8/2/6 #2193, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.)**John F. Yardley** (1925-2001) was an aerospace engineer who worked with the McDonnell Aircraft Corp. on several NASA human spaceflight projects during the 1950s. He transferred to NASA in the early 1960s and served a series of posts, including Launch Operations Manager at Cape Canaveral and the Technical Director for Project Gemini. He also served as NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight between 1974 and 1981, directing the human spaceflight programs including the ASTP. Thereafter, he returned to McDonnell Douglas as President, from 1981 to 1988. ("Yardley, John F." biographical file, Lek 8/5/7 #2907, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.) |  |
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