About
Engineer who worked for the US manned spaceflight program and was in charge of the launch pads. He supervised spacecraft launch pad preparations at Cape Canaveral during the Mercury and Gemini manned space programs, which began with the flight of Ham the chimpanzee in 1961.
Before Fame
He studied mechanical engineering in Germany before fighting for Nazi Germany during World War II, serving as a flight engineer aboard Luftwaffe night fighters.
Trivia
He received a NASA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and he was played by Endre Hules in the 1995 film Apollo 13.
Family Life
He married Herma Riggert who died in 1993 after more than 40 years of marriage.
Associated With
He was given the nickname "Der Führer of Der Launch Pad" by John Glenn.
