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  • Gene Kranz
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  • Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is a retired NASA Flight Director and manager. Kranz served as a Flight Director, the successor to NASA founding Flight Director Chris Kraft, during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and is best known for his role in directing the successful Mission Control team efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13, which later became the subject story of a major motion picture of the same name, in which he was portrayed by actor Ed Harris. He is also noted for his trademark close-cut flattop hairstyle, and the wearing of dapper white "mission" vests (waistcoats), of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, during missions for which he acted as Flight Director.
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Birth Date
  • 1933-08-17
Spouse
  • Marta Cadena
Caption
  • Gene Kranz c. 2005
Years Active
  • 1960
Other Names
  • Gene Kranz
Alma mater
  • Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, B.S. 1954
Employer
Birth Place
  • Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Awards
Image size
  • 200
Religion
  • Roman Catholic
Children
  • 6
Occupation
  • Flight director during Gemini and Apollo programs; Director of NASA Mission Operations
Known For
  • Lead flight director during Apollo 13
Birth name
  • Eugene Francis Kranz
Parents
  • Leo Peter Kranz
Nationality
  • American
Predecessor
abstract
  • Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is a retired NASA Flight Director and manager. Kranz served as a Flight Director, the successor to NASA founding Flight Director Chris Kraft, during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and is best known for his role in directing the successful Mission Control team efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13, which later became the subject story of a major motion picture of the same name, in which he was portrayed by actor Ed Harris. He is also noted for his trademark close-cut flattop hairstyle, and the wearing of dapper white "mission" vests (waistcoats), of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, during missions for which he acted as Flight Director. A personal friend of the American astronauts of his time, Kranz remains a prominent and colorful figure in the history of U.S. manned space exploration, the embodiment of "NASA tough-and-competent" of the Kranz Dictum. Kranz has been the subject of movies, documentary films, and books and periodical articles. Kranz is a recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Kranz was ranked as the #2 most popular space hero.