Gerry Griffin

Gerry Griffin earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Texas A&M University and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. He served four years on active duty, first in flight training, then flying as a weapon systems officer in jet fighter-interceptors. Gerry left active duty and joined the space program as a systems engineer/flight controller at the USAF Satellite Test Center.
Gerry joined NASA in 1964 as a Gemini flight controller, specializing in guidance and navigation systems. In 1968 he became an Apollo flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo manned missions. He was lead flight director for three lunar landing missions: Apollo’s 12, 15 and 17\. After Apollo Gerry served as the deputy director of the Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center and the Kennedy Space Center before returning to Johnson Space Center as director.
During the flight of Apollo 13 Gerry was scheduled to lead the lunar landing team in Mission Control. When the landing was canceled as a result of the oxygen tank explosion, he led one of the teams of flight controllers who were responsible for the safe return of the astronauts. This real life experience led to Gerry being a technical advisor for the movie Apollo 13. Later he was a technical advisor for the movies Contact, Deep Impact, and Apollo 18.
After retiring from NASA Gerry was a senior executive in the private sector with several companies and organizations. Today Gerry is a technical and management consultant for a broad range of clients. He is an active general aviation pilot/aircraft owner with a commercial license and instrument rating for single engine aircraft, multi-engine aircraft and helicopters.
Gerry is the recipient of the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Distinguished Alumnus Award, the TAMU Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor Award, the TAMU College of Engineering Alumni Honor Award, the TAMU Aerospace Engineering Department Distinguished Alumnus Award, the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Houston Clear Lake, and the Tau Beta Pi Eminent Engineer Award. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society.



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