Richard Jurek - The Ultimate Engineer: The Remarkable Life of NASA’s Visionary Leader George M. Low

It took four hundred thousand people for NASA to reach the moon, but one was absolutely essential: a soft-spoken, brilliant engineer named George Low. As this detailed, well-written account reveals, from Apollos very conception to its recovery from tragedy to its historic triumphs, Low was Apollos essential man.

Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon

George Low is one of the unsung heroes of spaceflight, but theres never been a thorough examination of his life and the important contributions he made to Apollo and other NASA programs. The Ultimate Engineer finally fills this huge gap in human spaceflight history!

Peter King, correspondent for CBS News Radio

The real book about NASA and human spaceflight should be about George Low.

George W. S. Abbey, former director of the Johnson Space Center

This Austrian immigrant, a specialist in aerodynamics, proved to be the perfect leader of the Apollo spacecraft engineering teamas well as a key political operator in Americas human space programs from Mercury to the space shuttle. In The Ultimate Engineer Richard Jurek tells Lows unique and inspiring story, filling a huge hole in the history.

Michael Cassutt, novelist, screenwriter, and coauthor of Deke! and We Have Capture

George Low was a central figure in one of historys greatest engineering projectsthe first human voyages to the moon. Even though Apollo was a team effort, it never would have happened without leaders of great dedication and talent. In this valuable new book, Rich Jurek gives us the first full-length portrait of one of the least-known but most important of these Apollo-era giants.

Tony Reichhardt, senior editor of Air & Space magazine

Outward Odyssey

A Peoples History of Spaceflight

Series editor

Colin Burgess

Richard Jurek

Foreword by Gerald D. Griffin

University of Nebraska Press | Lincoln

2019 by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska

Cover designed by University of Nebraska Press; cover image courtesy of NASA .

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jurek, Richard, author.

Title: The ultimate engineer: the remarkable life of NASA s visionary leader George M. Low / Richard Jurek; foreword by Gerald D. Griffin.

Description: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, [2019] | Series: Outward odyssey. A peoples history of spaceflight | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019005751

ISBN 9780803299559 (cloth: alk. paper)

ISBN 9781496218476 (epub)

ISBN 9781496218483 (mobi)

ISBN 9781496218490 (pdf)

Subjects: LCSH : Low, George M., 19261984. | Aeronautical engineersUnited StatesBiography. | United States. National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationOfficials and employeesBiography. | Outer spaceExplorationUnited States.

Classification: LCC TL 789.85. L 69 J 87 2019 | DDC 629.4092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019005751

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

To the Low family, with gratitude and admiration

Dr. George Low, the guiding light behind the Apollo program... began his career as a research scientist and progressed to key leadership positions in the manned spaceflight program.... He continued his lifelong efforts to build a better tomorrow while serving as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Were grateful for what George Low has done and the ideas he stood for, and well miss him very much.

President Ronald Reagan, 20 July 1984

The fundamental operating unit in George Lows NASA experience has always been the team, whether he was a member, contributor, or leader. But without him, those extraordinary teams would have lacked the final sparks of ingenuity, those extra quanta of strength that finally meant success.

James C. Fletcher, NASA administrator

George Low knew as much about technology and about humanity as any man I ever met. But what made him special was that he knew how they fit togetherwhether in business or education or in leading people in building a spaceship to the moon.

Jack Welch, GE chairman and CEO

He was my favorite engineer.

Neil A. Armstrong, NASA astronaut

George M. Low was the deputy director of NASA s Johnson Space Center ( JSC ) when I joined the agency as a flight controller in 1964. He was many pay grades above me. In my eyes, he was a bigger-than-life leader in NASA management. I was familiar with the history of the creation of NASA and knew that George was a key player from the beginning. After the Apollo 1 fire in 1967, I was selected to be a flight director in mission control, and I really got to work closely with George. More importantly, I got to know him on a personal level. George and I would become even closer later in our careers, but I could tell from those early interactions at JSC that he was a special talent and a special person. He was one of my all-time favoritesan inspirational leader, a terrific boss, and an overall great guy.

In many ways, Georges style reminded me of another NASA legendNeil Armstrong. Both were not big talkers, but whenever they spoke, everyone in the room got quiet and listened. George had a unique ability to get everyones input, instantly synthesize and summarize all he heard, and then quickly make a decision. We trusted his decisions. George was a stabilizing force in almost everything we did, especially during the chaotic time right after the Apollo 1 fire. His confident, calm leadership brought all elements of the Apollo Program together, and he helped us carry on. I can tell you for sure that everyone in the program wanted to do their best for George, because no one wanted to let him down. In my opinion, that is the hallmark of a truly great leader.

George was one of the hardest-working people I have ever known. I had the feeling that he probably didnt sleep very much. His days were very long, but he kept on goingalways confident and inspiring. George was NASA s deputy administrator by the time the last Apollo mission was flown. He called me up to Washington to run NASA s Office of Legislative Affairs and to work with him on Capitol Hill. We were trying to keep the space shuttle on track and funded. George really was the go-to guy in Washington on the shuttle. We spent a lot of time on the Hill, explaining the shuttle, but we also covered topics that addressed NASA s programs in aeronautics, space science and technology, and research. George was on top of everything! When Apollo ended, we came pretty close to losing the shuttle and perhaps losing the entire manned spaceflight program. George played a huge role in saving the shuttle and getting us going again on all fronts. He didnt do it alone, but without George, NASA s future would have been bleak, at best.

George left NASA in 1976 to be the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and it was about the same time I left NASA Headquarters. The next time I saw him, unfortunately, would be the last. I had returned to JSC as the center director, following Chris Kraft when he retired. George was then under treatment for a reoccurrence of melanoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. My wife and I went there to visit him. I remember how very thin he was. But his spirts were high, and he greeted us warmly. He was determined not to let the cancer beat him, and his focus was firmly set on the future. Ill never forget what he said during our visit: Gerry, Ill be flying on the shuttle one of these days. Unfortunately, he died shortly thereafter, leaving us at far too young an age. But in many ways, his spirit would go on to fly the shuttleit was a program, like Apollo, that George helped bring about by his sheer force of will and dedicated hard work. And of course, his son G. David Lowwho looked and talked much like his fatherwould go on to fly three successful shuttle flights. I am sure George flew in spirit on every one of those missions.