Apollo 11 Key Players
Thirty years ago, three brave men strapped themselves into a rocket ship and headed out on an amazing journey to the moon. It was history in the making, a daring adventure that captured the world's attention, a moving event for participants and observers alike.
The following is a list of some of Apollo 11's key players, in alphabetical order:
Buzz Aldrin: Lunar module pilot and second man to walk on the moon. Now 69, he is president of Starcraft Enterprises and two other companies in Los Angeles, and is promoting space tourism.
Neil Armstrong: Mission commander and first man to walk on the moon. Now 68, he's a businessman in Lebanon, Ohio.
Michael Collins: Command module pilot who circled the moon. Now 68, he lives in Marco Island, Fla., and spends much of his time fishing.
Kurt Debus: Director of Kennedy Space Center who started out as a member of Wernher von Braun's German rocket team. Died in 1983 at age 74.
Robert Gilruth: Director of Manned Spacecraft Center, now Johnson Space Center, in Houston. Now 85, he suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is in a nursing home in Charlottesville, Va.
Christopher Kraft: Director of flight operations for
Manned Spacecraft Center. Now 75, he lives in Houston and is writing a book.
Gene Kranz: Flight director who later led Mission Control team that brought Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. Now 65, he lives in Houston and is writing a book.
George Low: Manager of Apollo spacecraft program for
Manned Spacecraft Center. Died in 1984 at age 58.
Richard Nixon: President who addressed Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon and later canceled the Apollo program. Died in 1994 at age 81.
Thomas Paine: NASA administrator. Died in 1992 at age 70.
Rocco Petrone: Launch director. Now 73, he lives in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., and is retired.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel Phillips: Director of Apollo lunar landing program. Died in 1990 at age 68.
Deke Slayton: Director of flight crew operations
and one of seven Mercury astronauts. Died in 1993 at age 69.
Wernher von Braun: Director of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., who led team of World War II rocket scientists from Hitler's Germany to America and led design of Saturn V moon rocket. Died in 1977 at age 65.
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