Former Apollo mission director talks to ROTC cadets

As the space crews of NASA's famous Apollo missions donned astronaut suits and set out to make history, a man wearing a white vest stood in mission control with his team to ensure everyone came home safely.

Gene Kranz, now a retired NASA flight director, was honored at Maxwell Tuesday with the 2014 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp Distinguished Alumni Award for his role in the American space program.

The award is annually given to a distinguished ROTC graduate who has attained a high level of honorable recognition for their accomplishments in the Air Force, nationally or internationally and for historically notable service or combat achievements.

Kranz was one of the pioneering leaders in the early days of America's space program. Like many leaders, Kranz began his career in training. He was an ROTC cadet at St. Louis University in 1954 and received his commission there.

That was just the beginning of his journey.

"Sixty years ago I was commissioned, and my single goal was to fly, but in no way did I grasp the events and challenges, opportunities and the people who would change my life." Kranz said.

In the Air Force, Kranz flew high performance jets and was a flight test engineer on the B-52 flight defense systems. In 1960, he joined NASA and directed 33 missions including Gemini and Apollo.

Speaking to an auditorium full of ROTC cadets and faculty members at Maxwell Air Force Base's Air War College, Kranz told numerous stories leading up to putting the first man on the moon.

"We went down to launch rockets. Well basically we had not done this before. We had to write the book on how to launch rockets ... and really we were not too successful at it. A lot of our missions ended up in flames out in the Atlantic Ocean," Kranz said "The miracle moment came with a speech by John F. Kennedy and he said, 'We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.'"

One challenge Kranz faced was the troubled 1970 Apollo 13 mission. An explosion in the shuttle's oxygen tank compromised the fuel and oxygen supply to those on board. But Kranz and the mission control team working in Houston brought the crew home safely.

"Failure was not an option," Kranz said.

Kranz faced many other challenges. During the Gemini mission, he had to adapt to computer technology, fuel cells and cryogenics. In the first Apollo mission, fire exploded in the spacecraft killing the crew. Apollo 12 was hit twice by lighting during lift off.

Despite the challenges, Kranz rallied his young team to finally land on the moon with Apollo 11.

"After we hit the moon ... it was total silence for a second then in the viewing room in the section behind us started erupting and cheering. It was time to get under control, because we had work to do," Kranz said. "Then two hours later, we had a chance to do what everyone else in the nation was doing, 'My God we just landed on the moon!"

Col. Eric Wydra, commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp. encouraged the audience of airmen to learn from Kranz as an example of leadership and fortitude despite defeat.

"This is a really special day for Air Force ROTC," Wydra said. "The reason I say that is when I look at the ROTC cadets out in the audience, I see unfulfilled potential and today we are honoring Mr. Kranz who not too long ago was sitting as a cadet just like you. He is now the epitome of fulfilled potential."