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George E. Mueller | |
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Born | George Edwin Mueller July 16, 1918 |
Died | October 12, 2015 | (aged 97)
Education | Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy Purdue University Ohio State University |
Occupation | Engineer |
Engineering career | |
Discipline | Electrical Engineering |
Institutions | NASA |
Projects | Gemini Apollo Skylab |
Awards | National Medal of Science (1970) |
George Edwin Mueller (/ˈmɪlər/; July 16, 1918 – October 12, 2015), was an American electrical engineer who was an associate administrator at NASA, heading the Office of Manned Space Flight from September 1963 until December 1969. Hailed as one of NASA's "most brilliant and fearless managers",[1] he was instrumental in introducing the all-up testing philosophy for the Saturn V launch vehicle, which ensured the success of the Apollo program in landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth by the end of 1969. Mueller also played a key part in the design of Skylab,[2] and championed the Space Shuttle's development, which earned him the nickname, "the father of the Space Shuttle."
Mueller was chairman and chief vehicle architect of the now defunct Kistler Aerospace Corp.[3]