On April 17, 1970, Gene Kranz brought the Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to earth demonstrating extraordinary courage and heroism. The hit film, Apollo 13, chronicles Kranz’s struggle to devise the plan that wouldbring the ship and its crew of three astronauts home after its oxygen system failed.Kranz retired from NASA in 1994 after 37 years of federal service, and is currently a consultant and speaker. "Failure is not an option", the motto that carried him through the Apollo 13 crisis, is a major theme of his motivational message. After receiving his BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Parks College of St. Louis University in 1954, Kranz was commissioned in the US Air Force and flew high performance jet fighter aircraft, including the F-80, F-86 and F-100. In 1958, he worked as a Flight Test Engineer for McDonnell Aircraft, developing the Quail Decoy Missile for B-52 and B-47. Kranz joined the NASA Space Task Group at Langley, Virginia in 1960, and was assigned the position of Assistant Flight Director for ProjectMercury. He assumed Flight Director duties for all Project Gemini Missions,and was Branch Chief for Flight Control Operations. He was selected asDivision Chief for Flight Control in 1968 and continued his duties as FlightDirector for Apollo II Lunar Landing before taking over the leadership ofthe Apollo 13 "White Team". Kranz renamed his team the "Tiger Team" during the Apollo 13 mission as a crisis management term he borrowed from the military. He was discharged from the Air Force Reserve as a Captain in 1972.Kranz has received numerous awards and honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received from President Nixon for the Apollo 13 mission, and his designation as a Distinguished Member of the Senior Executive Service by President Reagan. The Apollo 13 crisis pushed Kranz and his team to the brink of fear and doubt, but they refused to give to these emotions or succumb to panic. Inst...
