Rocco Petrone
Encyclopedia
Rocco Anthony Petrone was an American engineer who was the third director of the NASA
's Marshall Space Flight Center
, from 1973 to 1974. Petrone previously served as director of launch operations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from July 1966 until September 1969, and then as Apollo program director at NASA Headquarters.
(his parents were from Sasso di Castalda
in Basilicata
) and born in Amsterdam, New York
, Petrone was raised Roman Catholic and attended the United States Military Academy
at West Point
. There he played defensive tackle in the 1945 national football championship winning team. Graduating in 1946, he served in Germany from 1947 to 1950.
He also earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1951 and received an honorary doctorate
from Rollins College
. During two decades with the U.S. Army
, Petrone took part in developing the Redstone rocket
, the first U.S. ballistic missile and the vehicle used to launch America's first astronauts, Alan Shepard
and Gus Grissom
on their suborbital missions. He retired from the Army in 1966 with the rank of lieutenant colonel
.
In 1960, Petrone was transferred to NASA. There, Petrone presided over the development of the Saturn V
launch vehicle and launch operations, what he dubbed the "five-month marathons," leading up to each launch. He oversaw construction of all the launch elements of the Apollo program, including Launch Complex 39
, the Vertical Assembly Building
and the Crawler-Transporter
, all of which were modified for Space Shuttle
operations. He retired from the Army in 1966 but continued at work at NASA sites, being promoted to director of launch operations at KSC that year. Shortly after the Apollo 11 mission, he was appointed director of the entire Apollo program. In 1972, he was assigned additional responsibilities as program director of the NASA portion of the U.S. and the Soviet Union
joint Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
.
Petrone was described as demanding by his NASA colleagues. Humboldt C. Mandell, Jr. said that once:
In a similar vein, Noel Hinners related the following:
Petrone served for one year as the first non-German administrator of the Marshall Space Flight Center
, after Wernher von Braun
and Eberhard Rees
. At the time NASA was undergoing budget cutbacks, and his tenure was marked with many reassignments or firings. In 1974, Petrone left the Marshall Center to accept an appointment as the third-highest ranking NASA official as associate administrator.
, manufacturer of the Space Shuttle Orbiter
. He eventually rose to become head of Rockwell's space transportation division.
On the morning that the Space Shuttle Challenger
was due to launch on STS-51-L
, Petrone and several of his colleagues were alarmed at the massive amount of ice that had built up overnight on the Orbiter due to unseasonably cold temperatures. Petrone feared that the ice could seriously damage the shuttle's thermal protection system
when it struck the tiles during launch. He told his managers at Cape Canaveral that Rockwell could not support launching because it viewed the amount of ice on the Orbiter as a launch constraint. This was not the cause, however, of the launch failure
that killed seven astronauts.
He died on August 24, 2006 from complications related to diabetes
in Palos Verdes Estates, California
, aged 80.
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...
's Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
, from 1973 to 1974. Petrone previously served as director of launch operations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from July 1966 until September 1969, and then as Apollo program director at NASA Headquarters.
Early life
The son of Italian immigrantsItalian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
(his parents were from Sasso di Castalda
Sasso di Castalda
Sasso di Castalda is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....
in Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
) and born in Amsterdam, New York
Amsterdam (city), New York
Amsterdam is a city located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,620. The name is derived from the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands....
, Petrone was raised Roman Catholic and attended the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
. There he played defensive tackle in the 1945 national football championship winning team. Graduating in 1946, he served in Germany from 1947 to 1950.
He also earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1951 and received an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
. During two decades with the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Petrone took part in developing the Redstone rocket
Redstone (rocket)
The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of Western Europe...
, the first U.S. ballistic missile and the vehicle used to launch America's first astronauts, 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...
and Gus Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
on their suborbital missions. He retired from the Army in 1966 with the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
.
NASA career
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
launch vehicle and launch operations, what he dubbed the "five-month marathons," leading up to each launch. He oversaw construction of all the launch elements of the Apollo program, including Launch Complex 39
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
, the Vertical Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was used to assemble and house American manned launch vehicles from 1968-2011. It is the fourth largest building in the world by volume...
and the Crawler-Transporter
Crawler-Transporter
The crawler-transporters are a pair of tracked vehicles used to transport spacecraft from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. They were originally used to transport the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets during the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs....
, all of which were modified for Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
operations. He retired from the Army in 1966 but continued at work at NASA sites, being promoted to director of launch operations at KSC that year. Shortly after the Apollo 11 mission, he was appointed director of the entire Apollo program. In 1972, he was assigned additional responsibilities as program director of the NASA portion of the U.S. and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
joint 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:...
.
Petrone was described as demanding by his NASA colleagues. Humboldt C. Mandell, Jr. said that once:
In a similar vein, Noel Hinners related the following:
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
, after Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
and Eberhard Rees
Eberhard Rees
Dr Eberhard Friedrich Michael Rees was a German-American rocketry pioneer and the second Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center...
. At the time NASA was undergoing budget cutbacks, and his tenure was marked with many reassignments or firings. In 1974, Petrone left the Marshall Center to accept an appointment as the third-highest ranking NASA official as associate administrator.
After NASA
In 1975, Petrone retired from NASA and became the president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Resource Recovery, a joint industry/labor effort to develop and encourage ways to recover materials and energy from solid waste. In the 1980s, Petrone held senior posts at Rockwell InternationalRockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
, manufacturer of the Space Shuttle Orbiter
Space Shuttle Orbiter
The Space Shuttle orbiter was the orbital spacecraft of the Space Shuttle program operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. The orbiter was a reusable winged "space-plane", a mixture of rockets, spacecraft, and aircraft...
. He eventually rose to become head of Rockwell's space transportation division.
On the morning that the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
was due to launch on STS-51-L
STS-51-L
STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time an ordinary civilian, schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, had flown aboard the Space Shuttle. The mission used Space Shuttle Challenger, which lifted off from the Launch Complex 39-B on 28 January...
, Petrone and several of his colleagues were alarmed at the massive amount of ice that had built up overnight on the Orbiter due to unseasonably cold temperatures. Petrone feared that the ice could seriously damage the shuttle's thermal protection system
Space shuttle thermal protection system
The Space Shuttle thermal protection system is the barrier that protects the Space Shuttle Orbiter during the searing heat of atmospheric reentry...
when it struck the tiles during launch. He told his managers at Cape Canaveral that Rockwell could not support launching because it viewed the amount of ice on the Orbiter as a launch constraint. This was not the cause, however, of the launch failure
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
that killed seven astronauts.
He died on August 24, 2006 from complications related to diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
in Palos Verdes Estates, California
Palos Verdes Estates, California
Palos Verdes Estates is a city, incorporated in 1939, in Los Angeles County, California, USA on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The city was masterplanned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. The population was 13,438 at the 2010 census, up from 13,340 in the...
, aged 80.