Ed Smylie
Ed Smylie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Robert Edwin Smylie 25 December 1929 |
| Died | 21 April 2025 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Mississippi State University |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
Robert Edwin "Ed" Smylie (December 25, 1929 – April 21, 2025) was an American engineer and NASA official. In 1970, he oversaw NASA's crew systems division and led the team of engineers that saved the crew of Apollo 13.[1] In 2014, Time magazine called Smylie "an improvisational genius".[2]
Early Life
[edit]Ed Smylie was born on his grandfather’s farm in Lincoln County, Mississippi. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, served in the Navy, and then returned to the university for a master’s degree in the same field. He worked for Douglas Aircraft on the DC-8 before joining NASA in 1962.
NASA and Apollo 13
[edit]In April 1970, during the infamous Apollo 13 mission, when an oxygen tank exploded and disabled the main module, he and a team of engineers used duct tape as the solution to the lunar module’s scrubbing system, which was starting to lose capacity to provide breathable air for the astronauts.[3]
The mission operations team was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon, who named Smylie and his deputy, James Correale, in his remarks.[4]
Smylie later worked at NASA headquarters in Washington and served as the deputy director of the Goddard Space Centre in Maryland.
Post-NASA
[edit]After retiring from the agency in 1983, he held executive positions at RCA, the Mitre Corporation, and the Grumman Corporation. [5]
References
[edit]- ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (May 16, 2025). "Ed Smylie, Who Saved the Apollo 13 Crew With Duct Tape, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ Kluger, Jeffrey (March 15, 2014). "Farewell to a Cosmic Mr. Fix-It". TIME. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "MSU remembers legacy of Apollo 13 legend, alumnus Ed Smylie". msstate.edu. April 25, 2025.
- ^ Nixon, Richard (April 18, 1970). "Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team in Houston". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ Obituary from ‘’Washington Post’’, reprinted in ‘’The Post’’ of Wellington, New Zealand of 27 May 2025