We continue to lose the giants of that generation.
[Update Tuesday morning]
Heh. “Perhaps the New York Times’ obit for Kraft was already written, as it curiously fails to explore the seething hotbed of sexism and white supremacy that was the early NASA, according to the latest reporting by the New York Times.“
[Update a few minutes later]
Eric Berger remembers an inspirational friend.
Per a commenter there, I’ve also been wondering if he had been hanging on to see the 50th anniversary, and then let go.
Losing him with all this celebration is a heck of a blow.
Yep.
Or, you could look at it as a nice time to go, with a lot of people taking a public interest in, and praising, the work you were a part of.
I think it is a bit poetic. But the people who worked with him were on an emotional high before hearing this news. It was a bit of a gut punch for them. Personally, I always held the Flight Directors in equal regards to the Astronauts. They are the minds that make an imperfect system work. Chris Kraft was the first.
I read a book about him. Before he was Flight he was a young engineer who was responsible for the fin extension on the P51H which was later applied to some P51D models to fix an on going yaw stability problem. He was quite proud of that fix.
I think this is the right approach. It is fair that those who knew him can share fond reminisces. But it’s probably far more important that rather than just missing him, the young turks study his accomplishments and his life’s work as an inspiration and guide on what it takes to push ahead. That’s a lasting legacy.