Pete Frank on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Pete Frank, also known as M. P. Frank III (August 20, 1930June 22, 2005) was a
Frank joined NASA in 1962.
Frank was one of 44 men selected to report to Brooks Air Force Base for two months for extensive medical testing in January and February 1966 during the recruitment of what would become NASA Astronaut Group 5. He was not chosen among those 19, but was a finalist.
In his January 1999 oral history, flight director Gene Kranz said, "Pete Frank translated the values 'discipline, morale, tough and competent now' into a statement … each controller has an opportunity to reflect as he approaches his role and responsibility in each mission."
Frank took the role of flight director in 1968. He became the eighth director to lead a mission and adopted the team color orange, which was retired when he retired from NASA. Frank, among others, directed Apollo 9, Apollo 10, 10, and Apollo 12, 12 and Apollo 17, 17 Frank was lead director for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
who served as the lead flight director
Flight controllers are personnel who aid space flight by working in such Mission Control Centers as NASA's Mission Control Center or ESA's European Space Operations Centre. Flight controllers work at computer consoles and use telemetry to mon ...
for the Apollo 14
Apollo 14 (January 31, 1971February 9, 1971) was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land in the lunar highlands. It was the last of the " H missions", landings at s ...
and Apollo 16
Apollo 16 (April 1627, 1972) was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program, administered by NASA, and the fifth and penultimate to land on the Moon. It was the second of Apollo's " J missions", with an extended sta ...
crewed lunar landing missions, as well as the American lead flight director for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
Education
M. P. (Pete) Frank III was born inBryan, Texas
Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of College ...
. His initials did not stand for anything and he was always known as "Pete". He graduated from Denton High School
Denton High School is a public high school located in the city of Denton, Texas and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Denton Independent School District located in central Denton County and was the original high schoo ...
in 1948, and attended the University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, receiving a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering by 1952.
Career
After college graduation, Frank joined the United States Marine Corps for four years as a pilot, then served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Reserve, becoming a Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel. While working for the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, Frank earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Frank joined NASA in 1962.
Frank was one of 44 men selected to report to Brooks Air Force Base for two months for extensive medical testing in January and February 1966 during the recruitment of what would become NASA Astronaut Group 5. He was not chosen among those 19, but was a finalist.
In his January 1999 oral history, flight director Gene Kranz said, "Pete Frank translated the values 'discipline, morale, tough and competent now' into a statement … each controller has an opportunity to reflect as he approaches his role and responsibility in each mission."
Frank took the role of flight director in 1968. He became the eighth director to lead a mission and adopted the team color orange, which was retired when he retired from NASA. Frank, among others, directed Apollo 9, Apollo 10, 10, and Apollo 12, 12 and Apollo 17, 17 Frank was lead director for Apollo 14
Apollo 14 (January 31, 1971February 9, 1971) was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land in the lunar highlands. It was the last of the " H missions", landings at s ...
and Apollo 16, 16. There were typically three to six flight directors per mission, with one serving as a lead director.
Frank served on the internal review board to study the causes of the Apollo 13 onboard explosion, under Dr. Edgar Cortright, Director of the Langley Research Center.
Frank, with other flight controllers and directors on Apollo 14, guided mission commander Alan Shepard, Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell and Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa to the Moon on a redesigned Apollo command and service module, completing the mission planned for 13's crew to the Fra Mauro (crater), Fra Mauro highlands. In 1975, Frank served as the American lead flight director for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Frank would later become chief of the Flight Control Division before his retirement in 1983.
Post-career and death
Frank and his wife supported the Habitat for Humanity organization in fundraising and homebuilding. Frank died after an auto accident, on June 22, 2005.See also
*Apollo programNotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Pete 1930 births 2005 deaths NASA flight controllers People from Bryan, Texas Military personnel from Texas University of Texas at Austin alumni