EPISODE 18 -- BRUCE MCCANDLESS MEMORIAL

In memory of Bruce McCandless, Rick digs back into his interview archive to share some of Bruce's most memorable stories.

EPISODE NOTES:

*What was it like to be the focus of one of the Space Shuttle program's most iconic photos?

*Bruce faced two problems during his historic MMU flight, and shares how he dealt with them.

*Sleep? Who could sleep after landing on the moon?

*When the Apollo 11 EVA was moved up, Bruce had to hustle back to the MOCR after heading home for dinner.

*Find out what it was like to try to stiff-arm all the president's men.

*Deke Slayton wanted Bruce to wrap up the EVA early, much to his chagrin. Would that wind up costing Bruce?

*Bruce spots Al Shepard in a reflective moment the night before the launch of Apollo 14.

Rest in peace, sir. Rest in peace.

Episode 17 -- John Young Memorial

Rick is joined for this special memorial tribute by Milt Heflin, who shares his memories of the remarkable career of John Young.

SHOW NOTES:

*Milt worked four of John Young's then-record six spaceflights -- two in landing and recovery, one as an Electrical Power Systems flight controller in the Staff Support Room and one as an EECOM.

*Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats asks Milt if he'll replace John as Associate Director (Technical). After mulling the offer, Milt accepts ... on one condition.

*Milt first meets John as they develop procedures for uprighting an upside-down Apollo command module following splashdown. A couple of test subjects apparently don't take to being upside down with water rushing into the spacecraft very well ... but John? He's good to go.

*After Milt helps with the recovery of the Apollo 16 command module following splashdown, John ALMOST offers him a souvenir from the flight.

*Milt amassed what he calls a lot of "stuff" over the years while working at NASA, but none of it means as much to him as the memories.

*John held court during high-level program meetings ... but never while seated at the main table.

*Milt remembers John's memos, which documented his concerns on "many, many things."

*Hear how Milt handled a question John once asked at the most inopportune time. 

*It could sometimes be a rather tricky proposition dealing with John's persistent suggestions. He might not always have gotten everything he wanted, but he got enough to where he felt he'd improved the situation. 

*Important to note, Milt adds, is the fact that John didn't sulk or pout when he didn't get his way. He simply regrouped and tried again, always in a professional manner. 

*When John retired as Associate Director (Technical) at JSC, he left behind what Milt calls an "aircraft-carrier-sized desk" that had come from the chief astronaut's office. When someone offered to repair the many dings and dents, Milt refused out of a sense of history. 

*How Milt thinks John Young will be remembered by history ...

NEXT EPISODE:

Our tribute to Bruce McCandless ...

Episode 16 -- Ed Fendell

Jerry Bostick wasn't able to join Rick for this week's episode of the podcast, so we're going into the archives for a look back at Rick's first interview with Ed Fendell for the book, Go, Flight: The Unsung Heroes of Mission Control. It didn't take long for Rick to figure out that Ed is certainly one of a kind.

SHOW NOTES:

*Ed freely admits that he wasn't interested in school and was basically floundering through life until he joined the United States Air Force, where an aptitude test showed his true level of intelligence.

*Mission simulations were tough, but the post-sim debriefs could be even tougher. And then came the post-flight parties!

*Ed tells the story of his "fake" heart attack ... and his undying respect for Chris Kraft.

*Let's just say that Mr. Fendell was not a fan of the Assistant Flight Director's job.

*Ed and Gene Kranz shared, shall we say, a unique relationship.

*Apollo 11 was certain to land, isn't that right, Ed?

*Mission control wasn't exactly the healthiest place to work once upon a time, especially during the Apollo 13 crisis.

*Ed breaks it to a new lady friend that he's got to go to work.

*Ed became Captain Video with a controllable camera that Chris Kraft demanded during a now-infamous meeting.

*What did working in the historic third-floor MOCR mean to Ed Fendell?

NOTE: We'll be taking a break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays, and will return with the next episode Wednesday, January 10.

Episode 15 -- Jerry Bostick

Rick is joined by Jerry Bostick, whose legendary NASA career spanned literally from the Mercury to Space Shuttle eras. Best known as the chief of the Flight Dynamics Branch – otherwise known as The Trench – Jerry played a crucial role in the research and writing phases of the book Go, Flight, and he also stars in the documentary film Mission Control.

 SHOW NOTES:

*Jerry gives an update on the broken hip he suffered recently. He’s progressing very nicely, thank you very much.

*He says he’s being a good patient … but asking the doctors a lot of questions.

*In a great moment, Jerry lets his daughter Kristi know just how much he appreciates the help she’s been during his recovery.

*Given the results of an aptitude test he took in school, Jerry could've joined his father in the funeral home business or become an engineer. The story gets laughs in virtually every single public showing of the Mission Control film.

*A couple once stopped Jerry and asked for directions, and as he watched them drive off, the young man couldn't help but marvel at their beautiful car and wonder where they might be going.

*Jerry's own path was headed for Washington DC, and stints as a page and doorman in the US House of Representatives.

*There's a photo of a young Jerry with Richard Nixon in the Mission Control film. Here's the story behind that amazing shot.

*How about a new contest ... how many times during an episode will Rick begin a question with the word "Now ...?" And that's just the times he doesn't edit out.

*A chance meeting with Chris Kraft changes the course of Jerry's career ... and life.

*Jerry begins work in the brand-new world of mission control, and relies on a strong work ethic and sense of honesty in order to survive early in his career.

*The people who made mistakes during simulations and then tried to talk their way out of it were the ones who didn't last very long. Chris Kraft saw to that.

*Chris Kraft's motto? To err is human ... but it's against my policy.

*Along with Kraft, Jerry also considers Glynn Lunney an early mentor.

*When Mercury Retro controller Carl Huss had a non-life-threatening heart attack, Jerry stepped into the void. It was another moment that changed his career.

*Alan Shepard might've been the Icy Commander to some ... and maybe even Jerry, if the truth be known ... but he didn't let it show during an infamous incident leading up to the flight of Gemini 3. it leads to what Jerry calls a "rocky relationship" between the two NASA legends, until they patched things up during training for the flight of Apollo 14.

*During Gemini, Jerry becomes a FIDO ... essentially the quarterback of the Flight Dynamics Branch. The move required him to switched divisions, from Mission Planning to Flight Control, not to mention an on-the-spot decision by Kraft.

*The Trench ... they were a proud bunch.

*Jerry was one of the three people first called to Chris Kraft's office to be informed of the momentous plans for Apollo 8. Over a single weekend, he shook off his initial incredulity to figure out that it could be done from a flight dynamics standpoint.

*Jerry calls the Christmas Eve Genesis reading one of the most emotional experiences of his life, and from the tone of his voice, it's clear that he's not exaggerating.

NOTE: Jerry will return in the next episode to discuss Apollo 11 ... Apollo 13 ... the other Apollo 13 ... and more! 

Episode 14 -- Bill Moon

From the Jim Crow-era Mississippi Delta to the EECOM console in the MOCR, Bill Moon brings his amazing story to this episode of the podcast.

SHOW NOTES:

*Bill's dad immigrated from China to California, where he picked fruit and worked as a cook in the mines before settling in Mississippi.

*At just 10 years old, Bill was working long hours in his family's store. He also helped out at a neighboring shop, where he was paid the princely sum of $5 a day. At such a young age, he was entrusted to take deposits of thousands of dollars to the bank.

*Bill did learn to work the system, and traded box tops from his family's store for bicycles, BB guns and roller skates!

*Although he grew up in the darkest days of the late 1950s Jim Crow era in Mississippi, Bill says he never experienced any overt racism.

*Bill's acceptance continues at Mississippi State, where he is a charter member of the school's Acacia social fraternity.

*After going to work for McDonnell Aircraft out of college, Bill goes to Houston to visit his brother and submits another application to NASA. This time, he accepts the offer he receives.

*The tracking ship Bill is on stays out at sea so long following the Gemini 8 crisis that it runs out of food, and the crew is forced to throw fishing lines over the side. The ship then overshoots its port by a couple of hours.

*The evolution of Bill's career takes him back to Houston, where he first works in the Staff Support Room before training "side saddle" to EECOM Sy Liebergot during the flight of Apollo 14.

*Bill gets his chance to shine as lead EECOM during the final two lunar landings, Apollos 16 and 17. Yet while Bill might have been the lead EECOM, it was John Aaron who worked the launches. Wonder why?!?

*Where Bill learned from John Aaron and Sy Liebergot, he was able to return the favor and serve as a mentor to others later on in his career, including none other than Go, Flight co-author Milt Heflin.

*As Bill transitioned into management, he did miss operations in the front room.

*Although Bill was the first minority to work in the MOCR, it's not something upon which he dwelt or took advantage of.

*Bill says he's not a very humble guy, when in fact, he is.

*Bill discusses his work as president of the Apollo Flight Operations Association.

Episode 13 -- Mark Craig

Mark Craig, director of the extraordinary documentary film The Last Man on the Moon, joins us for a great conversation about his career and the legendary Gene Cernan.

*This is our first truly international episode, as Mark joins us from his home in England!

*A British kid who loved James Bond films? Who would've ever guessed?

*He drew all the time as a child, and once he graduated from art college, he eventually specialized in motion graphics for BBC 4. That turned into directing small live-action pieces, and he was on his way.

*Born in 1959, he got caught up in the space program like so many other children of the time.

*One night, his father took him into the garden, pointed at the moon and told him that two men were walking on its surface. Little did Mark know that he would meet several moonwalkers, and get to know one particularly well.

*Mark discusses his interest in Formula 1 racing, and how documentaries on drivers Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Jim Clark helped pave the way for Last Man on the Moon with Mark Stewart Productions.

*Mark isn't quite up to speed on NASCAR ... yet.

*The first contact between Mark Craig and Mark Stewart was a literally a cold call, Craig contacting Stewart and introducing himself, basically looking for a job. What's the worst that Stewart could've said? No?

*Before Mark had finished Gene Cernan's book, he'd emailed the publisher to get in touch with the former astronaut in an attempt to get the ball rolling on a documentary. They met for the first time in London just a couple of months later, in the summer of 2007.

*It was that December, when Mark met some of Gene's friends and family in Washington DC, that he began to understand who the former astronaut was later in life.

*Gene's ex-wife Barbara, daughter Tracy and longtime friend Fred Baldwin add amazing life and perspective to the film, and that's just the way Mark wanted it.

*Suggestion Number One for working with Gene Cernan? Be on time!

*Mark had NEVER met a moonwalker as the elevator doors slid open at the appointed meeting time with Gene ... and there stood Gene AND Alan Bean!

*Gene Cernan and sound engineer Crispin Larratt, a match made in Heaven ... or not!

*The amount of time Mark spent with Gene ... and the memories Gene shared ... allowed the director to get to know his subject quite well, and better than many of his other projects.

*David Fairhead edits Last Man on the Moon before going on to direct Mission Control, and he and Mark experience some tough give-and-take moments in determining the film's final cut.

*Mark's toughest cut from the film ...

*Mark's reactions to the first public viewings of Last Man on the Moon were more of a professional sort, rather than emotional.

NOTE: Thanksgiving is next week in the United States, so there will be no new episode of Go, Flight: The Podcast, but we shall return the week after!

Episode 12 -- John Aaron

Legend is a word that gets tossed around pretty freely sometimes, but even that doesn't seem to do justice to this week's guest. John Aaron is widely considered to be one of mission control's most capable flight controllers ever, and for good reason. You probably know about SCE to Aux and the power-up procedures on Apollo 13, but there's so much more to this wonderful person. In this week's very special program, Patreon supporters took care of submitting each and every question for John!

SHOW NOTES:

*John Aaron ALWAYS felt the need to learn, even after he was a NASA veteran. Simulations, after all, kept him and many others humble. He considered it his job to come up with answers when trouble struck.

*The SCE to Aux story, in John's own words.

*It takes a question from fellow NASA legend Chris Kraft at John's retirement party for the momentous events of the Apollo 12 launch to really sink in.

*Do we go to the moon or Mars next?

*What would John consider to be his proudest moments at NASA? Here's a hint ... strangely enough, NONE of them involve being the star of Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo!

*How did John figure out what took priority when coming up with Apollo 13's power-up procedures?

*Jack Swigert gets it right, even in the worst of conditions.

*John Aaron's favorite job at NASA? EECOM. Any surprise there?

*If Apollo 9 had experienced an explosion on one of its oxygen tanks, would it have been in more trouble than Apollo 13 due to its sometimes spotty communications? Maybe ... maybe not.

*If Gerry Griffin was "this close" to calling an abort during the launch of Apollo 12, did such a thing ever enter into John's thinking? Noooooooooooooooooo.

*After Rick gets thrown under the bus by HIS fitness coach, John talks about some of the mentors he's had over the years at NASA.

*As hard as it is to believe, John was in awe of his surroundings when he first joined NASA and nearly left the agency. His parents ... and his wife ... convinced him to stay put. He credits them with changing the course of his life.

*John calls wife Cheryl his career and moral compass.

*John discusses teamwork and collaboration with his good friend Jim Kelly, and others within the control team.

*The pros and cons of pinto beans versus Boston baked beans, John Aaron and Arnie Aldrich style.

*Here's an idea. How about Patreon supporters start paying by the number of times I start a question or comment with the word "Now"? Trust me, for every one that makes it into the podcast, five get edited out. I'd be RICH!

*John Aaron goes through his problem-solving methodology in general, and has some comments on the first few moments of the Apollo 13 crisis in particular that you DO NOT want to miss.

*We said goodbye to Dick Gordon ...

*Be sure and stick around until the very end for a special treat.