description Gene Kranz Overview
Eugene "Gene" Kranz is an American aerospace engineer who served as a NASA flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs. He is most widely recognized for his leadership during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, where his team successfully guided the damaged spacecraft and its crew back to Earth. Kranz also formulated the "Tough and Competent" philosophy, which became a foundational ethos for NASA's mission control operations. His career is a frequent subject in aerospace history.
insights Ranking position
Gene Kranz ranks #86 of 141 in the Engineer ranking, behind Edith Clarke, ahead of Kaoru Ishikawa.
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What did Gene Kranz do during the Apollo 13 emergency?
Kranz served as one of NASA's flight directors during the 1970 mission and led the White Team in Mission Control. His team helped develop the procedures needed to conserve power, navigate the damaged spacecraft, and bring Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise home safely.
Was Gene Kranz the flight director for the first Moon landing?
Yes. Kranz was the lead flight director during the lunar landing phase of Apollo 11 in July 1969. He and the controllers in Houston evaluated the computer alarms that appeared while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended in Eagle.
Did Gene Kranz really say failure is not an option during Apollo 13?
The phrase is strongly associated with Kranz, but it was popularized by the 1995 film Apollo 13 rather than documented as a quotation spoken by him during the crisis. Kranz later used Failure Is Not an Option as the title of his memoir.
Why did Gene Kranz wear white vests in Mission Control?
Kranz became known for wearing distinctive vests made by his wife, Marta, for missions. The white vest became especially recognizable through Apollo-era photographs and Ed Harris's portrayal of Kranz in Apollo 13.
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