Paul C. Donnelly
Encyclopedia
Paul Charles Donnelly (b. March 28, 1923) is a retired American guided missile
pioneer who was a senior NASA
manager during the Apollo moon landing program at the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC). Responsible for the checkout of all Apollo launch vehicles and spacecraft, he was also involved in every U.S. manned launch from Alan Shepard
's Mecury suborbital flight
in 1961 through the tenth space shuttle mission
(STS-41B) in 1984.
During World War II
, Donnelly helped develop the U.S. Navy's Bat
, the first "smart bomb
" in the history of warfare, which his Navy squadron dropped on Japanese ships in Borneo
's Balikpapan
Harbor in 1945.
, the son of Irish immigrant David Roy Donnelly and Magdalena (née Schreiber) Donnelly, born in Germany. He graduated from Altoona High School in 1940 (and received its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000). He left to join the Navy in 1942, and completed courses in electronics at Grove City College
. He also attended the Navy's electronics and guided missile technical schools.
Nicknamed "Red" for his hair, Donnelly was stationed at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., working in electronics for classified guided ordnance development, including the Bat, at the Navy's National Hydraulic Laboratory. On April 28, 1945
, his VPB-109 Squadron of PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers, known as the Bat Squadron, dropped several SWOD-9 Bats, the first fully automatic (radar) guided bombs used in warfare, on Japanese shipping in Borneo's Balikpapan Harbor. The attack sank three ships and destroyed a large oil tank. Donnelly advanced to the rate of chief petty officer and was awarded nine Navy medals.
After the war, Donnelly became a Navy civil service employee. He was assigned to aircraft and ordinance testing at the Naval Air Ordnance Test Station at Chincoteague Island, Virginia and the Naval Air Station Patuxent River
, Mayland, where he first met Alan Shepard
, Pete Conrad
, John Young
, Jim Lovell
and other future astronauts. In 1951, he was awarded an electronic engineer-equivalent degree by the U.S. Civil Service Commission
.
at Langley, Virginia, who hired him.
Gilruth sent Donnelly to Cape Canaveral
, Florida
in 1958, where he served as a capsule (spacecraft) test conductor for all Project Mercury
and Gemini
launches. He became chief test conductor for the Manned Spacecraft Center's Florida Operations during the Gemini program, responsible for planning, scheduling and directing all manned spacecraft pre-launch and launch acceptance tests. In 1964, he was named launch operations manager for KSC, with oversight of both spacecraft and launch vehicles; reporting to Rocco Petrone
, KSC director of launch operations.
Donnelly was the launch operations manager on January 27, 1967, when fire swept through the Apollo 1
command module, killing the crew; and served as an observer for the Apollo 204 Review Board's Advisory Group later that year.
As launch operations manager in KSC's Test Operations Office during Apollo, he was responsible for the checkout of all manned space vehicles, including boosters and spacecraft, from Apollo 7
in 1968 through the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
in 1975. By 1973, he became associate director, launch operations.
In 1976, Donnelly was project manager of Third Century America, a science and technology display at KSC commemorating the U.S. Bicentennial. In 1977, he led the NASA team conducting drop tests
of the space shuttle Enterprise
at the Dryden Flight Research Center
, California.
(SRB) assembly, integration, checkout and refurbishment; and for building two SRB recovery ships
. He retired from USBI in 1989 at age 65.
Donnelly is a trustee and former four-term president of the Missile, Space and Range Pioneers, and a founder and two-term chairman of the board of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Space Club
.
. Their daughters are Penny Martin, Pamela Gene McLeod (Vincent), and Paula Bleakley. They have nine grandchildren, Michele Foster who works for NASA, Christopher Martin, Justin, Nick and Blaise Bleakley; Conor, Kevin and Michael McLeod; and three great-grandchildren, Austin Nuvy, Amber Nuvy and Caden Martin. He has a sister, Roberta Dwyer; and 11 deceased brothers and sisters.
(1973, for his role in the Apollo program; and 1981, for STS-1
), three Exceptional Achievement Medals
(1969, for Apollo 8; 1969, for Apollo 11; and 1978, for shuttle Approach and Landing Tests), and an Outstanding Leadership Medal
(1976, for Third Century America).
Missile guidance
Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness...
pioneer who was a senior NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
manager during the Apollo moon landing program at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
(KSC). Responsible for the checkout of all Apollo launch vehicles and spacecraft, he was also involved in every U.S. manned launch from Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
's Mecury suborbital flight
Mercury-Redstone 3
Mercury-Redstone 3 was the first manned space mission of the United States. Astronaut Alan Shepard piloted a 15-minute Project Mercury suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961 to become the first American in space, three weeks after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had carried...
in 1961 through the tenth space shuttle mission
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
(STS-41B) in 1984.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Donnelly helped develop the U.S. Navy's Bat
Bat (guided bomb)
-External links:*...
, the first "smart bomb
Precision-guided munition
A precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
" in the history of warfare, which his Navy squadron dropped on Japanese ships in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
's Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
Harbor in 1945.
Biography
Donnelly was born March 28, 1923 in Altoona, PennsylvaniaAltoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, the son of Irish immigrant David Roy Donnelly and Magdalena (née Schreiber) Donnelly, born in Germany. He graduated from Altoona High School in 1940 (and received its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000). He left to join the Navy in 1942, and completed courses in electronics at Grove City College
Grove City College
Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
. He also attended the Navy's electronics and guided missile technical schools.
Nicknamed "Red" for his hair, Donnelly was stationed at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., working in electronics for classified guided ordnance development, including the Bat, at the Navy's National Hydraulic Laboratory. On April 28, 1945
Battle of Tarakan (1945)
The Battle of Tarakan was the first stage in the Borneo campaign of 1945. It began with an amphibious landing by Australian forces on 1 May, code-named Operation Oboe One...
, his VPB-109 Squadron of PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers, known as the Bat Squadron, dropped several SWOD-9 Bats, the first fully automatic (radar) guided bombs used in warfare, on Japanese shipping in Borneo's Balikpapan Harbor. The attack sank three ships and destroyed a large oil tank. Donnelly advanced to the rate of chief petty officer and was awarded nine Navy medals.
After the war, Donnelly became a Navy civil service employee. He was assigned to aircraft and ordinance testing at the Naval Air Ordnance Test Station at Chincoteague Island, Virginia and the Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
, Mayland, where he first met Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
, Pete Conrad
Pete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was an American naval officer, astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with command pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission...
, John Young
John Young
-Sports:* John Young , American baseball first baseman* John Young , English cricketer* John Young , English cricketer* John Young , soccer player...
, Jim Lovell
Jim Lovell
James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission...
and other future astronauts. In 1951, he was awarded an electronic engineer-equivalent degree by the U.S. Civil Service Commission
United States Civil Service Commission
The United States Civil Service Commission a three man commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed into law on January 16, 1883...
.
NASA career
Donnelly had worked at the National Hydraulic Laboratory for Hugh L. Dryden, who became NASA deputy administrator in 1958. Dryden recommended Donnelly to Robert R. Gilruth, head of NASA's Space Task GroupSpace Task Group
The Space Task Group was a working group of NASA engineers created in 1958, tasked with superintending America's manned spaceflight programs. It was headed by Robert Gilruth andbased at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. After President John F...
at Langley, Virginia, who hired him.
Gilruth sent Donnelly to Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1958, where he served as a capsule (spacecraft) test conductor for all Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
and Gemini
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
launches. He became chief test conductor for the Manned Spacecraft Center's Florida Operations during the Gemini program, responsible for planning, scheduling and directing all manned spacecraft pre-launch and launch acceptance tests. In 1964, he was named launch operations manager for KSC, with oversight of both spacecraft and launch vehicles; reporting to Rocco Petrone
Rocco Petrone
Rocco Anthony Petrone was an American engineer who was the third director of the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, from 1973 to 1974...
, KSC director of launch operations.
Donnelly was the launch operations manager on January 27, 1967, when fire swept through the Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
command module, killing the crew; and served as an observer for the Apollo 204 Review Board's Advisory Group later that year.
As launch operations manager in KSC's Test Operations Office during Apollo, he was responsible for the checkout of all manned space vehicles, including boosters and spacecraft, from Apollo 7
Apollo 7
Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the American Apollo space program, and the first manned US space flight after a cabin fire killed the crew of what was to have been the first manned mission, AS-204 , during a launch pad test in 1967...
in 1968 through the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
-Backup crew:-Crew notes:Jack Swigert had originally been assigned as the command module pilot for the ASTP prime crew, but prior to the official announcement he was removed as punishment for his involvement in the Apollo 15 postage stamp scandal.-Soyuz crew:...
in 1975. By 1973, he became associate director, launch operations.
In 1976, Donnelly was project manager of Third Century America, a science and technology display at KSC commemorating the U.S. Bicentennial. In 1977, he led the NASA team conducting drop tests
Approach and Landing Tests
-Crew 2:This crew later flew on STS-2.-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft:In addition to the two assigned shuttle crews, who would alternate crewing the orbiter, a single flight crew was attached to the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for the entire program:...
of the space shuttle Enterprise
Space Shuttle Enterprise
The Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight...
at the Dryden Flight Research Center
Dryden Flight Research Center
The Dryden Flight Research Center , located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, a prominent aeronautical engineer who at the time of his death in 1965 was NASA's deputy administrator...
, California.
Later years
In 1978, Donnelly retired from NASA as director, Space Transportation Systems Processing at KSC, and joined United Space Boosters, Inc. as vice president, Field Operations-Florida. The firm was prime contractor for space shuttle solid rocket boosterSpace Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters were the pair of large solid rockets used by the United States' NASA Space Shuttle during the first two minutes of powered flight. Together they provided about 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. They were located on either side of the rusty or...
(SRB) assembly, integration, checkout and refurbishment; and for building two SRB recovery ships
NASA recovery ship
-References:...
. He retired from USBI in 1989 at age 65.
Donnelly is a trustee and former four-term president of the Missile, Space and Range Pioneers, and a founder and two-term chairman of the board of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Space Club
National Space Club
The National Space Club is a non-profit organization whose mission is devoted to promoting space activity. It is based in Washington D.C.. It has four main objectives:* Promote US Space Leadership* Continue to push for the advancement of space technology...
.
Family
Donnelly married Margaret Mary Boyle in 1944, a nurse who once treated Arthur GodfreyArthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
. Their daughters are Penny Martin, Pamela Gene McLeod (Vincent), and Paula Bleakley. They have nine grandchildren, Michele Foster who works for NASA, Christopher Martin, Justin, Nick and Blaise Bleakley; Conor, Kevin and Michael McLeod; and three great-grandchildren, Austin Nuvy, Amber Nuvy and Caden Martin. He has a sister, Roberta Dwyer; and 11 deceased brothers and sisters.
NASA medals
Donnelly received six NASA medals, including two Distinguished Service MedalsNASA Distinguished Service Medal
The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States...
(1973, for his role in the Apollo program; and 1981, for STS-1
STS-1
STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on 12 April 1981, and returned to Earth on 14 April, having orbited the Earth 37 times during the 54.5-hour mission. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project...
), three Exceptional Achievement Medals
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal is an award of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that was established in 1991. The medal is awarded to both civilian members of NASA and military astronauts....
(1969, for Apollo 8; 1969, for Apollo 11; and 1978, for shuttle Approach and Landing Tests), and an Outstanding Leadership Medal
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal is awarded to government employees only for notably outstanding leadership which affects technical or administrative programs of NASA...
(1976, for Third Century America).
| NASA Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters | NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal | |||||||||