John F. Yardley (February 1, 1925June 26, 2001) was an American engineer who worked for the
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...
and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He joined McDonnell in 1946, and contributed to the design and development of aircraft such as the
McDonnell FH Phantom
The McDonnell FH Phantom is a twinjet fighter aircraft designed and first flown during World War II for the United States Navy. The Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier and the first jet de ...
,
F2H Banshee
The McDonnell F2H Banshee (company designation McDonnell Model 24) is an American single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft deployed by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1961. A development of the FH Phanto ...
and
F-101 Voodoo
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a long-range bomber escort (known as a ...
.
He was the McDonnell project engineer for the
Project Mercury
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
spacecraft from 1958 to 1960, and was its the launch operations manager at
Cape Canaveral from 1960 to 1964, and its technical director for
Project Gemini from 1964 to 1968. In 1968, he became vice president and deputy general manager of the Eastern Division of McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics, and worked on
Project Apollo and
Skylab
Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...
.
In 1974, he became NASA's associate administrator for manned space flight. After the inaugural flight of the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
in 1981, he returned to McDonnell-Douglas as president of its McDonnell Douglas Astronautics subsidiary, a position he held until he retired in 1989. He was known for "Yardley's Law": "Pretty is what works", his response to someone who said that the Mercury spacecraft looked like a waste paper bin.
Early life
John F. Yardley was born in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, on February 1, 1925,
the son of F. A. Yardley, a baseball player,
and his wife Johnnie Patterson.
He graduated from high school in 1942 when he was sixteen years old, and was awarded a scholarship to
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
, where he studied
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...
. Due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, his course was an accelerated one, with four semesters per year instead of the usual two. He joined the
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...
, and enrolled in the
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...
. In 1943, the Navy sent him to
Iowa State College
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
to study
aeronautical engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...
, which was not offered by Washington University.
He graduated with his
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree in 1944,
and entered active service with the Navy. He was trained in aircraft maintenance in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, and
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
, and worked on maintenance of the Navy's
Consolidated PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wi ...
flying boats.
Aircraft and spacecraft
Discharged from the Navy in 1946, Yardley returned to St. Louis. He married Phyllis Steele, with whom he had five children, four daughters and a son, and took a job with the
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...
, a local aircraft manufacturer, where he worked as a stress tester. In 1950 he earned a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
degree in applied mechanics from Washington University. He worked his way up to becoming chief strength engineer from 1955 to 1958. Along the way, he contributed to the design and development of aircraft such as the
McDonnell FH Phantom
The McDonnell FH Phantom is a twinjet fighter aircraft designed and first flown during World War II for the United States Navy. The Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier and the first jet de ...
,
McDonnell F2H Banshee
The McDonnell F2H Banshee (company designation McDonnell Model 24) is an American single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft deployed by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1961. A development of the FH Phanto ...
and
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo.
In the late 1950s, McDonnell began working on the design of spacecraft, starting with an unsuccessful bid for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
's
Dyna Soar.
McDonnell was successful with its bid to build the
Project Mercury
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
spacecraft, which would carry the first Americans into space.
Yardley was project engineer at McDonnell for the Mercury spacecraft design from 1958 to 1960. He then worked at
Cape Canaveral as the launch operations manager for Project Mercury.
From 1964 to 1968, Yardley was the technical director of
Project Gemini, the successor to Project Mercury. In 1968, he became vice president and deputy general manager of the Eastern Division of McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics,
a subsidiary of the new company created by McDonnell's merger with the
Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967.
In this role, he worked on
Project Apollo and
Skylab
Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...
.
In 1974, Yardley joined the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as its associate administrator for manned space flight. This was a difficult time for manned space flight, with the transition from expendable launch vehicles to the reusable
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
. Yardley left NASA after the first successful flight of the Space Shuttle in 1981, and returned to St. Louis and McDonnell-Douglas as president of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics, a position he held until he retired in 1989.
He became known for "Yardley's Law": "Pretty is what works",
his response to someone who said that the Mercury spacecraft looked like a waste paper bin.
Speaking about his anxiety before the inaugural launch of the Space Shuttle, he said: "The things that you have to be careful about are the unknowns, things that have never happened before. A new engineering gremlin could crawl out of the woodwork, one nobody could have predicted."
Yardley was elected a fellow of the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
in 1977, and was also a fellow of the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...
and the
American Astronautical Society
Formed in 1954, the American Astronautical Society (AAS) is an independent scientific and technical group in the United States dedicated to the advancement of space science and space exploration. AAS supports NASA
The National Aerona ...
. He received a NASA Public Service award for his contribution to Project Mercury in 1963, and to Project Gemini programs in 1966. He was awarded the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Spirit of St. Louis Medal in 1973, the
NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1981, and the
National Space Club
The National Space Club is a non-profit corporation in the US which contains representatives of industry, government, educational institutions and private individuals in order to enhance the exchange of information on astronautics, and to relay th ...
's Goddard Trophy in 1983.
On June 26, 2001, Yardley died at his home in St. Louis from complications from cancer.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yardley, John F.
1925 births
2001 deaths
Engineers from Missouri
NASA people
Iowa State University alumni
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Military personnel from St. Louis
Deaths from cancer in Missouri
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Navy reservists