George Low
George M. Low | |
---|---|
Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
In office December 3, 1969 – June 5, 1976 | |
President | |
Administrator |
|
Preceded by | Thomas O. Paine |
Succeeded by | Alan M. Lovelace |
14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | |
In office Spring 1976 – July 17, 1984 | |
Preceded by | Richard J. Grosh |
Succeeded by | Daniel Berg |
Personal details | |
Born | Vienna, Austria | June 10, 1926
Died | July 17, 1984 | (aged 58)
Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BS, MS) |
George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw, June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made decisions as manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office in the Apollo program of crewed missions to the Moon.
Early life and education
Low was born near
After military service, Low returned to RPI and received his
NACA and NASA career
At Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory
After completing his M.S. degree, Low joined the
NASA Goett Committee
During the summer and autumn of 1958, preceding the formation of the
Houston and the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office
In February 1964, Low transferred to NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in
NASA Deputy Administrator
George Low became NASA deputy administrator in December 1969, serving with Administrators
Rocket engineer Wernher von Braun blamed Low for what he felt was shabby treatment in the early 1970s while he was at NASA Headquarters. According to Bob Ward's 2005 biography, von Braun believed Low was jealous of his fame and that Low helped force von Braun's unhappy departure from the space agency.[7] However, another biography by space historian Michael J. Neufeld disputed Low's involvement in von Braun's resignation.[8] Low's biography by Richard Jurek also disputes this account, indicating Low's efforts to try to retain and engage von Braun in strategic planning in the early 1970s and being pleased with von Braun's work. [9]
President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Retiring from NASA in 1976, Low became president of RPI. He held that position until his death in 1984. He initiated the Rensselaer Technology Park. The New York State Center for Industrial Innovation was renamed the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation by RPI shortly after his death.
Personal life
In 1949, Low married Mary Ruth McNamara of Troy, New York. Between 1952 and 1963, they had five children: Mark S., Diane E., George David, John M., and Nancy A. His son David became an astronaut for NASA in 1985, flew three times on the Space Shuttle, and died in 2008.
On April 8, 1985, the White House announced that Low had been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the fields of education and science.[10]
In popular culture
In the 1996 TV movie, Apollo 11 Low was played by Dennis Lipscomb. In the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon he was played by Holmes Osborne.
References
- ^ McQuaid (2007), p. 429.
- ^ a b Murray & Cox (1989), p. 228.
- ^ McQuaid (2007), pp. 429–431.
- ^ Jurek (2019a), pp. 39–40.
- ^ Jurek (2019a), pp. 73–79.
- ^ Jurek (2018).
- ^ Ward (2005), p. 203.
- ^ Neufeld (2007), pp. 456–457.
- ^ Jurek (2019a), pp. 165–166.
- ^ "Announcement of the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom". reaganlibrary.gov. April 8, 1985. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
Bibliography
- Barnes, Julie (January 31, 2017). "2017 A Day of Remembrance, Apollo 1 Lessons and Legacies Panel Discussion". NASA Johnson. History. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
video moderated by Astronaut Nicole Mann
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Air & Space Magazine. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- Jurek, Richard (2019a). The Ultimate Engineer: The Remarkable Life of NASA's Visionary Leader George M. Low. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-803-29955-9.
- McQuaid, Kim (2007). "CH. 22 "Racism, Sexism, and SpaceVentures": Civil Rights at NASA in the Nixon Era and Beyond" (PDF). In ISBN 978-0-16-080190-7. Archived(PDF) from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- Murray, Charles A.; Cox, Catherine Bly (1989). Apollo: The Race to the Moon. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-61101-9.
- NASA History Staff (June 30, 2008). "GEORGE M. LOW: NASA Deputy Administrator, December 3, 1969-June 5, 1976". NASA Headquarters, Public Affairs Office. History. Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-307-26292-9.
- Rensselaer Staff (2013). "Rensselaer President George M. Low". Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Archives and Special Collections. Troy, NY: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- Ward, Bob (2005). Dr. Space: The Life of Wernher Von Braun. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-926-2.
External links