Apollo 11 Launch Team

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Apollo 11 LCC Area A Personnel List

We only have a good list of names for Area A, shown below. We are starting to include names for the rest of the LCC and support areas.  If you have lists or names for personnel in other areas of the firing room or in other support areas for any launch, please contact us.

Here is a layout of the Launch Control Center from Apollo 12 documentation. Apollo 11 was similar – Click to clarify and enlarge

LCC layout Apollo 12

Prior to launch, KSC issued a press release listing the names of those on the area A consoles. Click on it below to download and view a PDF copy.

PressReleaseApollo11FiringRoomPersonnel

Here is a  typed version of the list from the press release to enable search engines such as Google to find individuals and to make it easier to read.

Area A Row A:

1. Isom “Ike” A. Rigell, Chief Engineer, KSC Launch Vehicle Operations (LVO)

2. Lee B. James, MSFC Saturn V Program Manager

3. Andrew J. Pickett, Test Operations Manager, KSC LVO

4. Dr. Hans F. Gruene, Director, KSC LVO

5. Rocco A. Petrone, Director of KSC Launch Operations

6. Dr. Kurt H. Debus, Director of KSC

7. Walter J. Kapryan, Deputy Dir. Of KSC Launch Operations

8. John J. Williams, Director of KSC Spacecraft Operations

9. George M. Low, MSC Apollo Program Manager

10. John W. King, KSC Public Affairs

Area A Row B:

1. Randy E. Youmans, Chief Test Conductor, KSC LVO

2. Norm M. Carlson, Test Conductor, KSC LVO

3. E. Ron Bentti, Test Conductor, KSC LVO

4. Bill Schick, Space Vehicle Test Supervisor

5. B. L. Grenville, Space Vehicle Test Supervisor

6. Paul C. Donnelly, Launch Operations Manager

7. Bob E. Moser, Test Planning, KSC Launch Operations

8. W. A. Fuller, TIE Space Vehicle Engineer, Boeing

9. J. F. Heard, Spacecraft Operations Manager, KSC Spacecraft Operations

10. M. L. Martin, Spacecraft Test Manager, North American Rockwell

11. O. S. Gonzales, Assistant Spacecraft Manager, Grumman

12. J. D. Beeson, Spacecraft Operations Test Conductor, KSC Spacecraft Operations

 

Area A Row C:

1. J. H. Lundy, Senior Test Conductor, Boeing

2. J. Rogers, Test Conductor Engineer, Boeing

3. R. P. Verdier, Test Conductor, Boeing

4. W. R. Brown, Test Conductor Engineer, Boeing

5. T. E. Martin, S-II Test Conductor, North American Rockwell

6. Ed L. Carpenter, Assistant Test Conductor, North American Rockwell

7. Ron C. Shane, S-IVB Test Conductor, McDonnell Douglas

8. G. V. Barnum, Assistant Test Conductor, McDonnell Douglas

9. R. C. Buckley, Operations Engineer, IBM

10. Tom R. Kitchens, Instrument Unit Test Conductor, IBM

11. Ed C. Witt, Complex Manager, IBM

12. R. D. Brooks, Electrical Engineer, North American Rockwell

13. J. A. Gulsby Sr., GSE Engineer, KSC Spacecraft Operations

14. D. C. Dunn, ACE Engineer, North American Rockwell

15. D. R. Moore, GSC ACE Engineer, KSC Spacecraft Operations

16. W. R. Pogue, MSC Astronaut Communicator

17. D. K. Slayton, MSC Astronaut Communicator

18. J. F. Battaglia, Launch Complex 39 Operations, KSC Spacecraft Operations

19. T. H. Lindsay Jr., Command/Service Module-Launch Vehicle, KSC Integration Engineer

20. Dr. A. C. Harter, MSC Biomedical

21. Dr. H. S. Brownstein, NASA Headquarters Biomedical

Area A Row D:

1. Nels E. Roseland, Systems Engineer, LVO

(Note by Frank Bryan; Position 1 was staffed by senior engineers in my staff on a shift/operations basis, and included Nels Roseland, Dave Moja, Bill Haynes, Art Sawyer, and Don Kelly)

2. Frank G. Bryan, Engineering, KSC LVO

3. Roy E. Lealman, Electrical G&C Systems, LVO

4. Ed L. Fannin, Mechanical & Propulsion Systems, LVO

5. Marion D. Edwards, Instrumentation, LVO

6. Don R, Oswald, Quality Assurance, LVO

7. Bill C. Holmes, Launch Operations Site Manager, Boeing

8. John J. Cully, Saturn V Program Manager, Boeing

9. Al C. Martin, SII Operations Manager, North American Rockwell

10. Hal Eaton, Jr., Saturn/Apollo Programs Director, McDonnell Douglas

11. George M. Smith, Test Operations Manager, IBM

12. Bob G. Young, Display Coordinator, KSC Technical Support

13. Al M. Koller, Jr., Technical Assistant, KSC LVO

14. The EIDOPHOR Controller, KSC Technical Support

15. Jo Ann Morgan, Chief Instrumentation Controller, KSC Technical Support

16. Joe R. Smith, Alternate Instrumentation Controller, KSC Technical Support

17. J. R. Davenport, Communications Controller, KSC Technical Support

18. Joe N. Barfus, Test Support Controller, KSC Technical Support

19. Gordon E. Artley, Chief Test Support Manager

20. Raymond L. Clark, Director of KSC Technical Support

21. S. L. Evans, KSC Security

22. A. A. Carroll, KSC Security

23. R. E. Woods, KSC Safety

24. R. L. DeBendictis, System Safety

25. F. M. Falkenberry, System Safety, Bendix

26. L. S. Eads, Air Force Eastern Test Range Superintendent of Range Operations, Pan American

Apollo 11 LCC Top Row During The Countdown

KSC-69P-637 P21126

Left to right, George Low, Walter Kapyran, Dr. Kurt Debus, Rocco Petrone

 Firing room other than area A:

Area B partial list:

NASA SIVB  Electrical Systems; Michael Kraus

IBM Mechanical Systems;   Chet Janes

Boeing; Luke Mumford, Jim Nelson, Charles Rehtinen, L. Cash, Jerri Webb Chris Toriz

NASA Hazardous Gas Detection System below.

The fellow to the right of the console operator is Bill Helms, the NASA Hazardous Gas Detection System Engineer. The Boeing Ground Measuring group supervisor Chuck Raney is sitting with his back to the next row of consoles, others pending, click on photo to enlarge.

 

 Apollo 11 Launch Team

Click on photo to expand

Apollo 11 Launch

Apollo 11 Launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Names

1 Norm Carlson

2 Ed Abdullah

3 Rod Olsen

8 Ron Shane

9 Jim Schofield

10 Duke Ducharme

14 Edd Witt

20 Alan Shepard

21 Bill Pogue

22 Deke Slayton

28 George Smith

 

29 Bob Young

30 Al Koller

32 Jo Ann Morgan

35 Wes Branning

37 Joe Barfus

38 Ray Clark

41 Roy Tharpe

69 Bob Blocker

74 Sherm Evans

80 Robert Ehrhardt

 

20 Comments

  1. I have been studying the photograph of the Apollo 11 Firing room for some time. I was at the S-1C Intertank Swing Arm console for the Apollo 11 launch. I believe that the person next to number 86 is Al Brush, one of the Swing Arm supervisors. The person sitting next to him also looks familiar. This is the row that would contain all of the Saturn V Swing Arm consoles. I do not recognize the person next to the number 88. What is most puzzling is: where are all of the Swing Arm guys that would be manning the consoles during the launch? I don’t know how long after liftoff the photo was taken because all of the people shown would not be away from their assigned station.

  2. Anyone remember Dennis Ford, engineer with Bendix. Is my much older brother who died in 1984. Trying to find out what his role was with the Apollo missions. Thanks.

  5. My father, Luke Mumford, worked for Boeing between 1966 and 1970 I believe. I have his Permanent Firing Room Access badge from Apollo 11 and a launch room photo with his launch team. Some of the signatures on the photo that I
    can read are Jim Nelson, Charles Rehtinen, L. Cash, Jerri Webb, and others I can’t read. I would be happy to forward pictures if wanted.

  6. I was the NASA system engineer on the Hazardous Gas Detection System console in the very back row of consoles, just to the left (facing the back of the firing room) of the center aisle. To my left was Dan Warrensford of Boeing, and Chuck Raney, also of Boeing, was sitting behind us.

  7. Is there a list of the names of the people manning the strip charts for Apollo 9-12? I manned 1st stage instrumentation for Apollo 11 & 12. I worked for Boeing. I went by Chris Toriz.

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