Explorer / Space Exploration:
Mechanical engineer. He came to the United States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1955. He was noted for his work in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. He was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961 to 1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968 to 1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader. He retired in 1989.
Cause of death: heart failure and stroke.∼Günter Wendt was a German engineer in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center. His title was Pad Leader or "der Fuhrer of der Launch Pad".
Wendt studied mechanical engineering in Berlin and served aboard the Luftwaffe night fighters as a flight engineer during World War II.
Wendt emigrated to the United States in 1949. McDonnell Aircraft was interested in hiring Wendt as an engineer but could not hire a German citizen since the company was working on U.S. Navy contracts. He obtained his U.S. citizenship in 1955 and was immediately hired by McDonnell.
As a McDonnell engineer, Wendt supervised spacecraft launch pad preparations at Cape Canaveral beginning with the flight of Ham the chimpanzee in 1961. He came to be regarded as a welcomed good luck figure to the astronauts; always the last reassuring earth-bound face the crew members saw, kidding with them and wishing them a successful flight as he directed completion of the complex pad close-out procedures just prior to launch.
Wendt's was the final word for the launch tower white room team responsible for loading and securing the crewmen, ensuring that spacecraft instrumentation, switches and controls were correct for launch, and securing the hatch.
In January 1967, Wendt, still with McDonnell (soon to become McDonnell Douglas), was supervising the test range in Titusville, Florida. NASA changed contractors for the Apollo program to North American Aviation (soon to become North American Rockwell), he was not involved with the Apollo 1 spacecraft, in which a cabin fire caused the deaths of Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger Chaffee. After the accident, several people expressed to him the wish that he had been there, as if he might have caught the fatal problem in time to prevent the tragedy.
Grissom's backup and replacement on the Apollo 7 flight, Mercury and Gemini veteran Wally Schirra, insisted on having Wendt back in charge of the pad crew for his flight, and convinced chief astronaut Deke Slayton to get North American to hire him. Schirra personally convinced North American's vice-president and general manager for launch operations.
Crew members of the other Apollo missions shared an equally high regard for Wendt, and he stayed on with the Pad Leader title through the Skylab and ASTP missions.
He continued to work at KSC into the early Space Shuttle flights until retiring in 1989.
Wendt's wife, the former Herma Riggert, died in 1993 after more than 40 years of marriage.
Wendt died on May 3, 2010 at his home in Merritt Island, Florida following congestive heart failure and a stroke.
Bio by: Errete
Mechanical engineer. He came to the United States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1955. He was noted for his work in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. He was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961 to 1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968 to 1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader. He retired in 1989.
Cause of death: heart failure and stroke.∼Günter Wendt was a German engineer in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center. His title was Pad Leader or "der Fuhrer of der Launch Pad".
Wendt studied mechanical engineering in Berlin and served aboard the Luftwaffe night fighters as a flight engineer during World War II.
Wendt emigrated to the United States in 1949. McDonnell Aircraft was interested in hiring Wendt as an engineer but could not hire a German citizen since the company was working on U.S. Navy contracts. He obtained his U.S. citizenship in 1955 and was immediately hired by McDonnell.
As a McDonnell engineer, Wendt supervised spacecraft launch pad preparations at Cape Canaveral beginning with the flight of Ham the chimpanzee in 1961. He came to be regarded as a welcomed good luck figure to the astronauts; always the last reassuring earth-bound face the crew members saw, kidding with them and wishing them a successful flight as he directed completion of the complex pad close-out procedures just prior to launch.
Wendt's was the final word for the launch tower white room team responsible for loading and securing the crewmen, ensuring that spacecraft instrumentation, switches and controls were correct for launch, and securing the hatch.
In January 1967, Wendt, still with McDonnell (soon to become McDonnell Douglas), was supervising the test range in Titusville, Florida. NASA changed contractors for the Apollo program to North American Aviation (soon to become North American Rockwell), he was not involved with the Apollo 1 spacecraft, in which a cabin fire caused the deaths of Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger Chaffee. After the accident, several people expressed to him the wish that he had been there, as if he might have caught the fatal problem in time to prevent the tragedy.
Grissom's backup and replacement on the Apollo 7 flight, Mercury and Gemini veteran Wally Schirra, insisted on having Wendt back in charge of the pad crew for his flight, and convinced chief astronaut Deke Slayton to get North American to hire him. Schirra personally convinced North American's vice-president and general manager for launch operations.
Crew members of the other Apollo missions shared an equally high regard for Wendt, and he stayed on with the Pad Leader title through the Skylab and ASTP missions.
He continued to work at KSC into the early Space Shuttle flights until retiring in 1989.
Wendt's wife, the former Herma Riggert, died in 1993 after more than 40 years of marriage.
Wendt died on May 3, 2010 at his home in Merritt Island, Florida following congestive heart failure and a stroke.
Bio by: Errete
Explorer / Space Exploration:
Mechanical engineer. He came to the United States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1955. He was noted for his work in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. He was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961 to 1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968 to 1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader. He retired in 1989.
Cause of death: heart failure and stroke.∼Günter Wendt was a German engineer in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center. His title was Pad Leader or "der Fuhrer of der Launch Pad".
Wendt studied mechanical engineering in Berlin and served aboard the Luftwaffe night fighters as a flight engineer during World War II.
Wendt emigrated to the United States in 1949. McDonnell Aircraft was interested in hiring Wendt as an engineer but could not hire a German citizen since the company was working on U.S. Navy contracts. He obtained his U.S. citizenship in 1955 and was immediately hired by McDonnell.
As a McDonnell engineer, Wendt supervised spacecraft launch pad preparations at Cape Canaveral beginning with the flight of Ham the chimpanzee in 1961. He came to be regarded as a welcomed good luck figure to the astronauts; always the last reassuring earth-bound face the crew members saw, kidding with them and wishing them a successful flight as he directed completion of the complex pad close-out procedures just prior to launch.
Wendt's was the final word for the launch tower white room team responsible for loading and securing the crewmen, ensuring that spacecraft instrumentation, switches and controls were correct for launch, and securing the hatch.
In January 1967, Wendt, still with McDonnell (soon to become McDonnell Douglas), was supervising the test range in Titusville, Florida. NASA changed contractors for the Apollo program to North American Aviation (soon to become North American Rockwell), he was not involved with the Apollo 1 spacecraft, in which a cabin fire caused the deaths of Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger Chaffee. After the accident, several people expressed to him the wish that he had been there, as if he might have caught the fatal problem in time to prevent the tragedy.
Grissom's backup and replacement on the Apollo 7 flight, Mercury and Gemini veteran Wally Schirra, insisted on having Wendt back in charge of the pad crew for his flight, and convinced chief astronaut Deke Slayton to get North American to hire him. Schirra personally convinced North American's vice-president and general manager for launch operations.
Crew members of the other Apollo missions shared an equally high regard for Wendt, and he stayed on with the Pad Leader title through the Skylab and ASTP missions.
He continued to work at KSC into the early Space Shuttle flights until retiring in 1989.
Wendt's wife, the former Herma Riggert, died in 1993 after more than 40 years of marriage.
Wendt died on May 3, 2010 at his home in Merritt Island, Florida following congestive heart failure and a stroke.
Bio by: Errete
Mechanical engineer. He came to the United States in 1949 and became an American citizen in 1955. He was noted for his work in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. He was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961 to 1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968 to 1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader. He retired in 1989.
Cause of death: heart failure and stroke.∼Günter Wendt was a German engineer in the U.S. manned spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966), and the manned phase of the Apollo program (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center. His title was Pad Leader or "der Fuhrer of der Launch Pad".
Wendt studied mechanical engineering in Berlin and served aboard the Luftwaffe night fighters as a flight engineer during World War II.
Wendt emigrated to the United States in 1949. McDonnell Aircraft was interested in hiring Wendt as an engineer but could not hire a German citizen since the company was working on U.S. Navy contracts. He obtained his U.S. citizenship in 1955 and was immediately hired by McDonnell.
As a McDonnell engineer, Wendt supervised spacecraft launch pad preparations at Cape Canaveral beginning with the flight of Ham the chimpanzee in 1961. He came to be regarded as a welcomed good luck figure to the astronauts; always the last reassuring earth-bound face the crew members saw, kidding with them and wishing them a successful flight as he directed completion of the complex pad close-out procedures just prior to launch.
Wendt's was the final word for the launch tower white room team responsible for loading and securing the crewmen, ensuring that spacecraft instrumentation, switches and controls were correct for launch, and securing the hatch.
In January 1967, Wendt, still with McDonnell (soon to become McDonnell Douglas), was supervising the test range in Titusville, Florida. NASA changed contractors for the Apollo program to North American Aviation (soon to become North American Rockwell), he was not involved with the Apollo 1 spacecraft, in which a cabin fire caused the deaths of Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger Chaffee. After the accident, several people expressed to him the wish that he had been there, as if he might have caught the fatal problem in time to prevent the tragedy.
Grissom's backup and replacement on the Apollo 7 flight, Mercury and Gemini veteran Wally Schirra, insisted on having Wendt back in charge of the pad crew for his flight, and convinced chief astronaut Deke Slayton to get North American to hire him. Schirra personally convinced North American's vice-president and general manager for launch operations.
Crew members of the other Apollo missions shared an equally high regard for Wendt, and he stayed on with the Pad Leader title through the Skylab and ASTP missions.
He continued to work at KSC into the early Space Shuttle flights until retiring in 1989.
Wendt's wife, the former Herma Riggert, died in 1993 after more than 40 years of marriage.
Wendt died on May 3, 2010 at his home in Merritt Island, Florida following congestive heart failure and a stroke.
Bio by: Errete
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