George Abbey dead at 91: Legendary NASA director & ‘father of modern spaceflight’ mourned after dec...

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George Abbey dead at 91: Legendary NASA director & ‘father of modern spaceflight’ mourned after decades-long career

"Our devoted father, mentor, guidepost, and hero, Geroge W.S. Abbey, passed away last night after an illness," the family said in a statement.

"He has been called the father of modern spaceflight, but we called him Dad, Granpa, and Uncle George."He had hundreds of friends and associates from all over the world who will miss him.He was a technical assistant in the Apollo Spacecraft Program, which prepared and landed the first men on the Moon from 1968 to 1972.

Following the Apollo 1 accident in 1967, which saw the cabin catch fire during prelaunch testing and kill the entire crew onboard, Abbey became a leading developer and implemented critical safety modifications required for future Apollo flights.As Nasa prepared for the space shuttle's launch, Abbey was named director of Flight Operations and responsible for astronaut training, development, and mission operations support.

Abbey was also responsible for selecting shuttle astronauts, which led to the first female and minority space flyers in 1978. As director of the Johnson Space Center, he was critical to the Nasa Shuttle-Mir Program, providing crucial oversight, management, and guidance in the first phase of the International Space Station.

 

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