Robert R. Gilruth | |
|---|---|
 Gilruth at NASA, 1965 | |
| Born | Robert Rowe Gilruth October 8, 1913 Nashwauk, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 2000 (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota, B.S. 1935, M.S. 1936 |
| Occupation(s) | Director of NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, now Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center |
| Awards |  President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1962)ASME Medal (1970) |
Robert Rowe Gilruth (October 8, 1913 – August 17, 2000) was an American aerospace engineer and an aviation/space pioneer who was the first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.[1]
He worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) from 1937 to 1958 and its successor NASA, until his retirement in 1973. He was involved with early research into supersonic flight and rocket-powered aircraft, and then with the United States human spaceflight program, including the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
- ^ "Former Manned Spacecraft Center Director Dies". NASA. Archived from the original on October 29, 2000. Retrieved January 17, 2017.