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[Music]

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my first memories of Huntsville are

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living on McClung Street and a lot of

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the colleagues of my father and their

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families live there so we were the

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neighborhood gang around McClung Street

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and it was a very undeveloped part of

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Huntsville there was still a lot of

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cotton fields all around us and it was

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just a big playground so our

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neighborhood between McClung and

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Hermitage a lot of my father's

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colleagues lived there so it was kind of

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a little German neighborhood surrounded

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by cotton fields and the Heinberg lived

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right behind us Ruth Heinberg was one of

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my earliest friends from childhood the

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growls lived there that Paula Ora's

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lived there the Zen blurs there were

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just a lot of German families and their

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kids so I only knew the the rocket

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scientists threw their children we knew

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we were among the German groups because

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a lot of us grew up speaking German

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being bilingual but our parents really

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shielded us from a lot of publicity so I

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don't feel like we ever grew up any

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different didn't feel like that from my

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end it felt maybe like that to other

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people about us but we always felt

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welcome and happy everywhere we were in

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Huntsville so it really didn't feel like

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any kind of a separation or a different

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I think I still think of him as just my

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dad I mean I only knew him as my father

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so he was only famous to other people

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but not so much to us he was just our

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father but I think there were a couple

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of times when we lived on McClung The

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Life Magazine came and did an interview

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and I think I was about five years old

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so again that didn't really you know

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it's just a bunch of people coming into

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the house with cameras but I didn't have

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a sense of why that was special or

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unique except our mother probably said

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you know straighten up don't screw up

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this afternoon that kind of thing you

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would say to a five-year-old but I don't

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think I really ever thought of him that

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way and I probably still don't I still

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think of him first and foremost as my

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father

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so at he'll I I think one of the first

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things to realize is he was not

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particularly handy at home you know we

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make jokes about it wouldn't take a

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rocket scientist to you know figure out

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how to run a microwave well he wasn't

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particularly useful around the house my

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mother would definitely attest to that

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she was the person who knew how to fix

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everything I think part of it was he

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probably wasn't interested so he was

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probably sort of dodging home chores

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that way but mostly when he was home he

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was with us so he was very much you know

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when he came in the door he was our dad

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first and foremost and we were the

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center of his world he did bring a lot

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of work home that was usually after

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dinner but between the time he came home

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and through dinner you know he was very

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much there for us and and we were

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primary he probably worked every night

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that he came home he never came home

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without a briefcase

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but the weekends were ours especially

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Sundays that was reserved for family day

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we usually went to Guntersville he was

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he loved water so everything happened to

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do with water got her so what was our

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closest big water so we water skied and

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played and Sundays I don't remember him

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ever bringing work on the boat my ninth

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birthday would have been May 8 1961 and

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that was three days after Alan Shepard

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was going up in space and I remember for

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my ninth birthday my parents saying they

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were gonna celebrate my birthday early

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and I didn't really know why but of

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course I was happy that meant you got

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presents early right and so we had my

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birthday party a few days early

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and I just remember them sort of saying

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you know dad has to be out of town and

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then I realized later like that was Alan

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Shepards lunch into space but I don't

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remember them ever saying that it was

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all about my birthday and I think that

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was that was pretty typical you know

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he's centered that the home life was

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really pretty normal and it didn't bring

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a lot of at home I think all the mercury

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7 astronauts visited us I particularly

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remember one trip when I was probably

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about 11 or 12 so it would have been the

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early sixties mid sixties we were at the

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Cape and it was probably for a test of

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some sort I don't know it wasn't a

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launch because the first launch I saw

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was Apollo 11 and I remember Gordon

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Cooper was there and I remember meeting

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Gus Grissom at that particular little

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Florida hotel with a swimming pool you

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know they were real simple in those days

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and we were all staying at the same

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hotel and we're in the pool together and

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that was kind of cool because I was with

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one of my girlfriends and we were like

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education was absolutely number-one but

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I don't remember ever feeling pressured

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into a specific direction our dad was

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interested in a lot of things besides

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space

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he was very musical he was very

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interested in history he read all the

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time and my sister and brother both

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majored in history

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I majored in engineering but it wasn't

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it wasn't by any direction I think he

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felt like whatever we wanted to do was

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fine as long as we worked well at it you

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know worked hard at it and did well in

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school that was that wasn't more

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important than what we did well at I

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think he was pretty happy to learn that

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I was motivated to the scientist

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sciences he was really the first in his

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family to be scientific most of them

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were lawyers and pastors and had

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businesses and stuff but he was sort of

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well one of my great memories and this

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is actually I think another great lesson

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is he

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he took trips with us children

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individually so it wasn't always the

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family trip where the siblings are

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usually bickering he would he'd take he

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took us on our own trips so one of the

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trips I made with him was to Mexico to

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go scuba diving and that was just me and

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him and so you had him all to yourself

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and it was it was treasured and he did

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things like that with my sister and

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brother as well so those were those were

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really you know just treasured treasured

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times he did travel all over the world

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Lee of course did a lot of trips to

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Germany to visit relatives he did go to

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Antarctica we didn't go with him but

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I've seen the pictures I think that was

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you know that was a great adventure he

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left to go to places that were sort of

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unworldly earth or you know like a

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different planet we visited Katmai

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volcanic park because that was another

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moonscape kind of place it looks like

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the lunar surface so he liked visiting

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places like that but he loved to travel

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he was he he got the travel bug in in

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think he and Kennedy were were very

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like-minded I think they were both real

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visionaries super optimistic people so I

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think he liked Kennedy a lot and I think

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my parents were were thrilled to know

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him and of course his death was a huge

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tragedy not not only for the country but

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I think it was a very personal tragedy

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for him and I do remember the day

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Kennedy died was one of the days that

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dad came home and it was a very somber

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day for the family and and our mother

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sort of said you know your dad wants to

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well I think he flew every chance he got

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so every business trip that he was

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allowed to fly the plane he probably did

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because that was relaxing to him as a

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child a lot of times on the weekends he

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would charter a plane I have to say I'm

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the only member in my family that did

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not learn to fly my sister learned to

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soar my brother had a pilot's license my

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mother had a pilot's license I was the

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kid in the back of the plane usually

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throwing up saying when does the plane

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land so that's not one of my favorite of

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his hobbies but he loved to fly and that

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I think I think the two things that were

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his real recreational loves number one

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by far was flying and number two

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anything to do with water swimming scuba

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diving sailing sailing isn't that

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well I think I think he and Disney were

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also very like-minded you know

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incredibly creative I think he needed

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Disney to explain things because after

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all he was you know even though he had

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great charisma and great personality was

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a great speaker and could convince

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people Congress to do things you know he

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was still a scientist and he needed

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somebody like Disney's creativity and

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visuals to help explain things to people

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and and Disney was also you know had an

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incredible visionary imagination so I

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I think he thought about about

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spirituality and faith a lot perhaps

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more than he did about organized

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religions I'm trying to remember Frank

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borman's code I think he said I didn't

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see God but I saw his evidence I think

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it would be more along those lines of

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you know you can't look into space

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without thinking big thoughts about

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creation he wasn't a regular churchgoer

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because we usually went waterskiing on

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Sundays but I think he was definitely a

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person who thought very profoundly about

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I think I realized now how much he must

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have foreseen not only in terms of you

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know our vulnerable planet and how we

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better learn a lot more about it to be

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able to protect it I mean if you look at

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climate change all of the data all of

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the information that we're learning is

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from space and we better find the

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solutions here on earth but I think he

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just saw that this vulnerable planet was

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going to need a lot more understanding

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than we had and that's why later in his

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career you know he was very excited

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about everything we could learn from

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satellites and I think the same is true

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in communication the same is true in

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medicine I mean if you think of all the

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space benefits that we've had I think he

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and his team were the kind of people

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that just saw the opportunities not

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specifically they just knew if we do

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this to go to the moon we're gonna learn

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all kinds of stuff that we haven't

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thought of because we haven't needed to

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think of them and they are going to be

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he was very committed to equal

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employment opportunities for people of

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all backgrounds and both genders so I

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think you know growing up with he had

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two daughters and a son I think he also

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saw that that the independence of women

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was going to become very important in

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our ability to have independent

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employment was certainly important

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I got quite involved in the civil rights

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movement when I was in high school and I

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think part of that was more of an

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organic that was the way I right was

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raised without really realizing it

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because of course in in Alabama in those

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days there was a lot of political

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navigating to do which he had to do but

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he but I don't remember him explicitly

273
00:11:53,290 --> 00:11:51,190
our mother is very private she did have

274
00:11:55,660 --> 00:11:53,300
to live a public life a lot which she

275
00:11:57,370 --> 00:11:55,670
protected us from fiercely which I'm

276
00:12:00,730 --> 00:11:57,380
very grateful for really I think it was

277
00:12:03,010 --> 00:12:00,740
hard harder to do that I realize she's

278
00:12:06,220 --> 00:12:03,020
very strong very independent she just

279
00:12:08,769 --> 00:12:06,230
turned 90 and I think because our father

280
00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:08,779
traveled so much she was probably gone

281
00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:12,170
almost every weekday during some portion

282
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:14,330
of the work week but he tried to be home

283
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:16,130
on weekends so she had to do all the

284
00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:18,050
heavy lifting I mean she really had to

285
00:12:21,940 --> 00:12:19,670
run the household he wasn't interested

286
00:12:24,070 --> 00:12:21,950
in it he didn't really have time for it

287
00:12:27,070 --> 00:12:24,080
and she just picked up all the slack so

288
00:12:28,389 --> 00:12:27,080
I think that this is really an amazing

289
00:12:30,010 --> 00:12:28,399
testimony I think there were a lot of

290
00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:30,020
women or four generation who did that

291
00:12:35,170 --> 00:12:33,890
with without whom the guys that were on

292
00:12:38,980 --> 00:12:35,180
the rocket team would have never made it

293
00:12:40,990 --> 00:12:38,990
I think she just she just was was always

294
00:12:43,420 --> 00:12:41,000
the glue so when he you know when he

295
00:12:45,190 --> 00:12:43,430
came home he he didn't she didn't dump

296
00:12:47,290 --> 00:12:45,200
problems on him she knew that was not

297
00:12:48,820 --> 00:12:47,300
gonna be part of their marriage and so

298
00:12:54,660 --> 00:12:48,830
she had to handle a lot of things by

299
00:13:00,060 --> 00:12:57,900
yeah my father's parents lived with him

300
00:13:01,860 --> 00:13:00,070
in Texas when my parents were newly

301
00:13:04,230 --> 00:13:01,870
married they came over here with with

302
00:13:06,150 --> 00:13:04,240
his parents and they also lived with him

303
00:13:09,260 --> 00:13:06,160
in Huntsville for a number of years so

304
00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:09,270
after the after the war a lot of the

305
00:13:13,740 --> 00:13:11,890
scientists here in Huntsville were

306
00:13:15,690 --> 00:13:13,750
sending care packages back to Germany

307
00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:15,700
weekly saving their money sending things

308
00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:18,040
back but he actually was able to bring

309
00:13:23,010 --> 00:13:19,930
his parents over here for a while so we

310
00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:23,020
were close to them as young kids and my

311
00:13:35,070 --> 00:13:26,290
mother's parents also visited quite a

312
00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:36,630
I think a lot of that post-war

313
00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:39,130
generation really didn't didn't talk

314
00:13:44,970 --> 00:13:42,330
about the war much fact my my husband's

315
00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:44,980
father was an American soldier and he

316
00:13:48,540 --> 00:13:46,930
said his father and their friends never

317
00:13:50,670 --> 00:13:48,550
talked about the war either so I think I

318
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:50,680
think there was a period of time there

319
00:13:54,210 --> 00:13:52,810
when especially for the German

320
00:13:55,950 --> 00:13:54,220
scientists when they came to America it

321
00:13:58,020 --> 00:13:55,960
was such a dream come true to come here

322
00:13:59,280 --> 00:13:58,030
to surrender to the Americans to get to

323
00:14:02,010 --> 00:13:59,290
live here then to become American

324
00:14:04,590 --> 00:14:02,020
citizens that was like the whole new

325
00:14:06,180 --> 00:14:04,600
life and they they really didn't want to

326
00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:06,190
look back much they were forward-looking

327
00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:09,210
people anyway being space

328
00:14:13,830 --> 00:14:12,130
revolutionaries but he didn't really

329
00:14:16,530 --> 00:14:13,840
talk about it much I and I think that's

330
00:14:18,330 --> 00:14:16,540
true of a lot of the you know my peer

331
00:14:20,070 --> 00:14:18,340
group of children of the other

332
00:14:25,509 --> 00:14:20,080
scientists I think that was that was

333
00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:28,210
I think his management skill no not only

334
00:14:32,259 --> 00:14:30,649
in selecting the right people keeping

335
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:32,269
the right people keeping them motivated

336
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:34,970
and and really listening to people you

337
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:37,730
know a lot of times managers talk and

338
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:39,170
they're not really listening and it's

339
00:14:43,090 --> 00:14:40,970
usually the people that are that are

340
00:14:44,679 --> 00:14:43,100
doing the actual work that have a lot to

341
00:14:46,119 --> 00:14:44,689
tell you about what's working and what

342
00:14:49,299 --> 00:14:46,129
doesn't work and I think he very much

343
00:14:51,429 --> 00:14:49,309
created an atmosphere in his management

344
00:14:52,869 --> 00:14:51,439
team of you know if their problems we

345
00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:52,879
need to hear him he didn't surround

346
00:14:56,739 --> 00:14:54,410
himself with people who told him what he

347
00:14:58,540 --> 00:14:56,749
wanted to hear he would have been

348
00:15:00,189 --> 00:14:58,550
disdainful of that because he needed

349
00:15:01,749 --> 00:15:00,199
they needed to know if there were

350
00:15:03,790 --> 00:15:01,759
problems so that they could solve them

351
00:15:07,299 --> 00:15:03,800
but you got to create an atmosphere for

352
00:15:08,829 --> 00:15:07,309
people to come forward with issues so

353
00:15:10,090 --> 00:15:08,839
that they feel like their jobs aren't

354
00:15:12,100 --> 00:15:10,100
gonna be threatened if they tell you

355
00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:12,110
about some problem and it was completely

356
00:15:16,419 --> 00:15:13,970
the opposite like he would he would

357
00:15:18,129 --> 00:15:16,429
welcome and value it if if something

358
00:15:20,710 --> 00:15:18,139
came up that they needed to know that

359
00:15:22,210 --> 00:15:20,720
was a problem no matter how small and I

360
00:15:24,519 --> 00:15:22,220
think that's you know that's a huge

361
00:15:27,009 --> 00:15:24,529
important lesson in management and and

362
00:15:28,329 --> 00:15:27,019
the people that I've met Chris maybe

363
00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:28,339
this is only what they're gonna say to

364
00:15:32,470 --> 00:15:30,170
me but they they all seem to very

365
00:15:39,180 --> 00:15:32,480
sincerely Express how how much they

366
00:15:43,530 --> 00:15:41,040
well I think he was the kind of person

367
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:43,540
that when he was talking to you you were

368
00:15:47,670 --> 00:15:45,850
the focus and that that makes people

369
00:15:49,230 --> 00:15:47,680
remember where they were when they met

370
00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:49,240
him and things like that but he just had

371
00:15:53,100 --> 00:15:50,800
that ability you were just the only

372
00:15:55,559 --> 00:15:53,110
person in the room and and some people

373
00:15:57,509 --> 00:15:55,569
just have that that magic he was also

374
00:16:00,269 --> 00:15:57,519
very absent-minded I think my mother

375
00:16:02,249 --> 00:16:00,279
tells the story they went to the White

376
00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:02,259
House one time when the Eisenhower when

377
00:16:07,259 --> 00:16:05,110
Eisenhower was president and my father

378
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:07,269
left his tie in the hotel room I mean

379
00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:08,410
literally just showing up at the White

380
00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:10,930
House without a tie and of course they

381
00:16:14,850 --> 00:16:12,310
were running late so they couldn't go

382
00:16:16,499 --> 00:16:14,860
back so they asked you know I think they

383
00:16:19,170 --> 00:16:16,509
got into the garage or something and

384
00:16:22,650 --> 00:16:19,180
they asked one of Eisenhower's many

385
00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:22,660
aides if they could borrow a tie and he

386
00:16:28,470 --> 00:16:24,370
ended up wearing one of Eisenhower's

387
00:16:30,210 --> 00:16:28,480
ties and and my mother said you know she

388
00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:30,220
felt like all through dinner Eisenhower

389
00:16:32,870 --> 00:16:32,110
was kind of looking at him like dude I

390
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:32,880
just like that

391
00:16:43,860 --> 00:16:41,400
I went to the Apollo 11 launch it was

392
00:16:45,660 --> 00:16:43,870
the first launch I went to which

393
00:16:47,310 --> 00:16:45,670
gosh-darn why didn't we get to go to any

394
00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:47,320
other earlier ones because we were in

395
00:16:50,730 --> 00:16:48,250
school right

396
00:16:53,490 --> 00:16:50,740
but God we all we all went to the Apollo

397
00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:53,500
11 launch and in those days you could

398
00:16:57,450 --> 00:16:55,450
sit a lot closer to the launch path and

399
00:17:00,570 --> 00:16:57,460
in subsequent years so it was of course

400
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:00,580
completely overwhelming breathtaking it

401
00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:03,370
was a gorgeous day in Florida and then

402
00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:05,770
we flew home and watched the landing on

403
00:17:10,380 --> 00:17:08,050
TV like everybody else in the basement

404
00:17:12,270 --> 00:17:10,390
on black-and-white television and I

405
00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:12,280
think I think our father went from the

406
00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:14,530
Cape to Houston to watch the landing so

407
00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:17,500
he wasn't with us at that point but yeah

408
00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:19,510
that was a pretty exciting day but you

409
00:17:26,430 --> 00:17:24,430
know I realized that at least as as kids

410
00:17:28,470 --> 00:17:26,440
as young people in those days we never

411
00:17:30,930 --> 00:17:28,480
expected that it wouldn't happen I don't

412
00:17:32,580 --> 00:17:30,940
really remember thinking you know what

413
00:17:33,930 --> 00:17:32,590
if something goes wrong or we got off

414
00:17:35,670 --> 00:17:33,940
they don't make it to the moon I just

415
00:17:37,380 --> 00:17:35,680
remember thinking oh they're going to

416
00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:37,390
the moon now and oh now they've landed

417
00:17:42,660 --> 00:17:39,730
on the mountain it was it was just

418
00:17:45,870 --> 00:17:42,670
inevitable and I think that was a lot of

419
00:17:47,310 --> 00:17:45,880
the way that the the rocket team and it

420
00:17:50,130 --> 00:17:47,320
was definitely a team you know it wasn't

421
00:17:51,990 --> 00:17:50,140
just him by any means that was just the

422
00:17:53,550 --> 00:17:52,000
way they thought of course they were

423
00:17:55,380 --> 00:17:53,560
extremely careful and they had

424
00:17:57,660 --> 00:17:55,390
redundancy and they had quality control

425
00:18:00,350 --> 00:17:57,670
and they had you know what if scenarios

426
00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:00,360
and all of that but I think they just

427
00:18:06,750 --> 00:18:04,110
they just were extremely optimistic and

428
00:18:08,250 --> 00:18:06,760
just knew it was gonna happen and they

429
00:18:11,460 --> 00:18:08,260
just programmed everything to be

430
00:18:13,290 --> 00:18:11,470
successful and I think that's a that's a

431
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:13,300
management tool we often overlook we get

432
00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:15,490
hung up and well we better not try that

433
00:18:18,780 --> 00:18:17,170
because it might not work instead of

434
00:18:25,490 --> 00:18:18,790
saying let's figure out how to make it

435
00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:27,620
one of his one of his quotes which I

436
00:18:32,540 --> 00:18:30,330
love is research is what I'm doing when

437
00:18:34,460 --> 00:18:32,550
I don't know what I'm doing and since I

438
00:18:36,950 --> 00:18:34,470
spent a lot of my career in academia I

439
00:18:38,540 --> 00:18:36,960
used to love that quote because research

440
00:18:40,820 --> 00:18:38,550
has all kinds of accommodations in

441
00:18:43,250 --> 00:18:40,830
academia but I think I think getting to

442
00:18:44,990 --> 00:18:43,260
the moon and the space benefits of

443
00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:45,000
getting to the moon they were unknowns

444
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:47,310
we didn't they didn't know what it was

445
00:18:50,570 --> 00:18:48,570
going to take to get there until they

446
00:18:52,550 --> 00:18:50,580
started working on it and so we didn't

447
00:18:54,950 --> 00:18:52,560
really understand all the benefits that

448
00:18:57,500 --> 00:18:54,960
we would get from going to the moon

449
00:19:00,200 --> 00:18:57,510
until that had happened and they're

450
00:19:02,740 --> 00:19:00,210
probably still understated and probably

451
00:19:05,390 --> 00:19:02,750
everything around us has some piece of

452
00:19:07,370 --> 00:19:05,400
technology that was uncovered in

453
00:19:10,460 --> 00:19:07,380
material science or in medicine or in

454
00:19:12,590 --> 00:19:10,470
communications you know you name it I

455
00:19:15,710 --> 00:19:12,600
think later in his life you know he was

456
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:15,720
still only because he died seven years

457
00:19:19,850 --> 00:19:17,490
after the moon landing eight years after

458
00:19:21,980 --> 00:19:19,860
the moon landing we only were still only

459
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:21,990
beginning to understand all the benefits

460
00:19:25,580 --> 00:19:24,330
of that technology and we're still we're

461
00:19:27,470 --> 00:19:25,590
still getting them and that and that's

462
00:19:29,930 --> 00:19:27,480
another reason to always keep exploring

463
00:19:31,820 --> 00:19:29,940
and and keep learning not only about

464
00:19:33,710 --> 00:19:31,830
this planet but about other planets and

465
00:19:35,290 --> 00:19:33,720
other things in the universe because

466
00:19:38,690 --> 00:19:35,300
we're always going to learn more about

467
00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:38,700
ourselves and our our own world from

468
00:19:48,470 --> 00:19:46,880
I think my parents you know they love

469
00:19:49,970 --> 00:19:48,480
tons full Huntsville was always good to

470
00:19:52,010 --> 00:19:49,980
them Huntsville was where they raise

471
00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:52,020
their kids most mostly I mean my brother

472
00:19:57,020 --> 00:19:53,370
was still pretty young when they moved

473
00:19:58,970 --> 00:19:57,030
to Washington but I think they had a you

474
00:20:01,480 --> 00:19:58,980
know they were leaving behind a really

475
00:20:04,970 --> 00:20:01,490
good time at a good place in their life

476
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:04,980
but they had also they always identified

477
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:08,850
themselves as as big city people growing

478
00:20:14,270 --> 00:20:11,610
up so I think Washington was more like

479
00:20:16,220 --> 00:20:14,280
living in Berlin had been and and being

480
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:16,230
a capital city so I think they also

481
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:24,759
well I think right after the moon

482
00:20:30,310 --> 00:20:28,610
landing you know all intentions were to

483
00:20:32,499 --> 00:20:30,320
now work on the Mars project getting to

484
00:20:35,169 --> 00:20:32,509
Mars and so I think the team was very

485
00:20:37,060 --> 00:20:35,179
much I think even in his notes and in

486
00:20:38,139 --> 00:20:37,070
his calendars and in his speeches right

487
00:20:39,850 --> 00:20:38,149
after the moon landing they were already

488
00:20:42,039 --> 00:20:39,860
talking about okay now we've done that

489
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:42,049
now we're going to Mars so when the

490
00:20:45,820 --> 00:20:43,210
bottom fell out from under that

491
00:20:47,740 --> 00:20:45,830
politically and economically in the

492
00:20:50,379 --> 00:20:47,750
country I think that was a that was a

493
00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:50,389
point of a pretty big disappointment he

494
00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:51,470
went from Huntsville to NASA

495
00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:54,110
headquarters and wanted to work on Mars

496
00:20:57,789 --> 00:20:55,730
and that just wasn't happening

497
00:20:59,619 --> 00:20:57,799
so then he left NASA and went to work

498
00:21:01,509 --> 00:20:59,629
for Fairchild industries and started

499
00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:01,519
really looking more at Earth observation

500
00:21:07,029 --> 00:21:04,190
satellites and satellite telemetry and

501
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:07,039
satellite communications and that was

502
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:08,450
what he was doing at the end of his life

503
00:21:13,180 --> 00:21:10,850
and I think you know one of his early

504
00:21:15,940 --> 00:21:13,190
books that's dedicated to my sister and

505
00:21:17,740 --> 00:21:15,950
myself said in your lifetime spaceflight

506
00:21:19,509 --> 00:21:17,750
will be commonplace I mean that's what

507
00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:19,519
we just assumed it would be commonplace

508
00:21:24,639 --> 00:21:21,590
so it's kind of surprising that it isn't

509
00:21:26,740 --> 00:21:24,649
but I think it was more the the mission

510
00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:26,750
that changed you know in his work that

511
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:35,299
I like to think of one of his legacies

512
00:21:40,789 --> 00:21:38,610
'as is you know to pursue impossible

513
00:21:43,190 --> 00:21:40,799
dreams I can't imagine how many people

514
00:21:44,509 --> 00:21:43,200
told him in his life that what he was

515
00:21:47,090 --> 00:21:44,519
trying to do was ridiculous and

516
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:47,100
impossible and and why bother kind of

517
00:21:50,539 --> 00:21:48,450
things that he had to answer those

518
00:21:52,399 --> 00:21:50,549
questions all the time and I think there

519
00:21:54,470 --> 00:21:52,409
are a lot of times that we just don't

520
00:21:57,590 --> 00:21:54,480
take enough you know we think of

521
00:21:59,509 --> 00:21:57,600
risk-taking as a bad thing you take

522
00:22:00,649 --> 00:21:59,519
risks because it's an adventure and

523
00:22:04,279 --> 00:22:00,659
because our things we need to learn

524
00:22:06,289 --> 00:22:04,289
things we need to explore but but not

525
00:22:08,210 --> 00:22:06,299
focusing on inherent dangers all the

526
00:22:11,509 --> 00:22:08,220
times I think he was just an incredible

527
00:22:13,850 --> 00:22:11,519
optimist and a visionary and and just

528
00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:13,860
programmed things to be successful I

529
00:22:21,649 --> 00:22:19,369
think he he surrounded himself with an

530
00:22:23,659 --> 00:22:21,659
incredible team of people they worked

531
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:23,669
very closely together they all believed

532
00:22:29,029 --> 00:22:26,730
in a shared vision and I think that's

533
00:22:30,859 --> 00:22:29,039
that was just part of who he was it's

534
00:22:34,639 --> 00:22:30,869
it's kind of how he worked with people