Announcer: Fred Wallace Haise, Jr. has spent over five decades
in the service of his country, both publicly and privately, as
one of the most revered and respected figures
in aviation and aerospace history.
An integral part of the Apollo Space Program, Fred Haise was a
backup crewmember on the celebrated Apollo 8, 11, and 16 missions.
Haise would became a household name however, as a crew member of the famed
Apollo 13 lunar mission - a mission initially marred by trouble,
but which ultimately stands as one of the greatest examples of
human ingenuity, teamwork, and courage of all time.
The Apollo 13 mission was an incredible journey, but it would be only
one among many incredible journeys for Fred Haise.
Haise received his Naval Aviator Wings in 1954.
While serving as a pilot in the Marine Corps, this Biloxi, Mississippi native also
earned his engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Soon after, he began flying missions for NASA while
continuing to serve as a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
Haise relocated to Dryden Flight Research Center in 1963 where he
piloted many high performance and experimental aircraft
including the M2-F1 lifting body aircraft… flight research that contributed significantly
to the development and design of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
Haise's career, would take an historic turn in 1966, however,
when he would be selected by NASA to
become one of the first 19 Apollo astronauts.
Voice of Jim Lovell on radio to Houston ground control:
“Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Ground control chatter.
Voice of Jim Lovell on radio to Houston ground control :
“Houston, we’ve had a problem.”
Announcer: Apollo 13 will be forever etched in the collective
consciousness of the world. For three days in 1970, Haise and
fellow crewmembers Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert, fought for
survival inside their crew module and on the world stage.
Due to an oxygen tank explosion, the lives of Apollo astronauts
hung in the balance from the near beginning
until the very end of the mission.
Working closely with Houston ground controllers,
Haise and his fellow crewmembers ingeniously
converted their lunar module into a "lifeboat" - saving
precious energy and oxygen… and ultimately their lives.
The world breathed a sigh of relief with the safe return and
dramatic end to the Apollo 13 mission, but Haise would be far
from ending his involvement in groundbreaking, high-risk missions...
missions that would help usher in a new generation of space exploration.
After attending Harvard Business School in 1972,
Haise returned to Dryden Flight Research Center
to work on a new, reusable space aircraft being tested
by NASA… the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
In 1977, Haise and fellow NASA astronaut Gordon Fullerton,
would take part in another series of risky,
proof-of-concept flying missions known as Approach and Landing Tests.
After years of research and development, the Shuttle Orbiter was finally
ready for a real-life flight and landing test.
In an effort to test its flight control systems and
flying characteristics, the pilots would separate from the 747,
and fly the engine-less orbiter to a runway landing.
The success of the Approach and Landing Tests were critical
for the advancement of the Space Shuttle Program.
In 1981, the Space Shuttle Columbia
was successfully launched & returned safely to earth,
the 1st mission in an unprecedented
30-year history of the Space Shuttle program.
In his twenty-year career with NASA,
Haise logged over 9,000 hours in flight, in more than eighty types
of air and spacecraft, spent over 142 hours in space, and
took part in history-making missions that shaped space
exploration as we know it today.
With an extraordinary record of public service to his country,
Fred Haise retired from NASA in 1979.
With his extensive technical, practical, and academic background,
Haise was recruited by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation
as their Vice-President of Space Programs.
He would eventually become President of Grumman
Technical Services, until his retirement in 1996.
Although officially retired, Haise continues to make an impact
on communities and people around him… …as a public
speaker… …as a counselor for child burn victims … as
a board member of Infinity Science Center, a non-profit NASA partner
formed to raise money for a learning center at
Stennis Space Center, in his home state of Mississippi.
His achievements have been recognized from the White House
to the Air Force, from NASA to New York City,
from Hollywood to Harvard, and everywhere in between.
Fred Haise….
pilot,
astronaut,
scholar,
businessman,
role model, …
American Hero.