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.
Wonderful episode with a true living legend. Thank you for having Mr. Aaron on the podcast--and thank you for the opportunity to submit questions for him. I was impressed with all of his answers; he didn't just give Yes or No replies but went into detail. Very educational and a pleasure to listen to.
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