
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,” President John F. Kennedy said in 1962, “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” No wonder, then, that a Miner played a major role in doing the hard work of ensuring a moon landing before the end of the ’60s. As an administrator in NASA’s Office of Manned Space Flight from 1963-1969, George Mueller, a 1939 electrical engineering graduate, was responsible for overseeing the completion of Project Apollo. That task involved what the space agency calls “a remarkable series of management challenges … during a time when strong leadership and direction were critical to achieving success on a set of extraordinary goals.” Mueller established what came to be called the “all up” philosophy of rocket and spacecraft testing – an approach that dramatically reduced the number of tests it would take for a manned moon landing. Mueller’s philosophy made the Apollo 11 moon landing mission possible.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
The fine art of tuning a Corvette
Charlie Rusher, a 2011 graduate in mechanical engineering, “makes Corvettes sound like Corvettes.” Rusher was interviewed by The New York…
From S&T soccer to the state capitol
You might think that with the thousands of graduates Missouri S&T has produced over its 150-year history, at least a…
Robert and Mary (Shultz) Hoffmann
Robert Hoffmann knew right away when Mary (Shultz) walked into a fraternity house party with a group of four friends…
John Park: a commitment to quality
John T. Park, who served as interim chancellor in 1985-1986 and in 1991-1992, notes the major...
All aboard! Ozzy comes to S&T
Rocker and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne visited S&T’s Experimental Mine in 2018 for an episode of Ozzy and Jack’s…
Laying a foundation
The Hasselmann Alumni House wouldn’t exist without the involvement of Matt Coco, a 1966 civil engineering graduate – even the…