Engineer. NASA aerospace engineer responsible for establishing Mission Control Operation. He graduated in two years with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia in 1942. He was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a government agency located at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NACA was replaced on July 29, 1958 when the National Aeronautics and Space Act was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower. He became one of thirty-five engineers assigned to Project Mercury whose goal was to put a man in Earth orbit. He was tasked with creating the Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida which would oversee all space missions. He served as flight director for all six of the crewed Mercury missions. He became the head of mission operations during the Gemini programs which included the first flight with two astronauts, the first rendezvous in space, and the first spacewalk. He was promoted to head of the flight operations division during the Apollo missions, was promoted to deputy director of the Manned Spacecraft Center in 1969, and assumed the role of director in 1972. He retired in April 1982 after serving a decade in this capacity. During this time, he oversaw the final Apollo missions, the first crewed space station Skylab, the first international space docking, the Apollo-Soyez test project, and the first space shuttle flights. He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal from President John F. Kennedy and in 2011 NASA named the mission control center in his honor.
Engineer. NASA aerospace engineer responsible for establishing Mission Control Operation. He graduated in two years with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia in 1942. He was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a government agency located at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NACA was replaced on July 29, 1958 when the National Aeronautics and Space Act was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower. He became one of thirty-five engineers assigned to Project Mercury whose goal was to put a man in Earth orbit. He was tasked with creating the Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida which would oversee all space missions. He served as flight director for all six of the crewed Mercury missions. He became the head of mission operations during the Gemini programs which included the first flight with two astronauts, the first rendezvous in space, and the first spacewalk. He was promoted to head of the flight operations division during the Apollo missions, was promoted to deputy director of the Manned Spacecraft Center in 1969, and assumed the role of director in 1972. He retired in April 1982 after serving a decade in this capacity. During this time, he oversaw the final Apollo missions, the first crewed space station Skylab, the first international space docking, the Apollo-Soyez test project, and the first space shuttle flights. He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal from President John F. Kennedy and in 2011 NASA named the mission control center in his honor.
Bio by: Apollymi
Gravesite Details
Inside the church, adjacent to the sanctuary.
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Kraft memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
