Guest Speaker: Walter Gordon
Project Gemini: Unsung Hero of Neil Armstrong’s One Small Step
Abstract: Think of Project Mercury and what comes to mind? Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first to orbit the Earth. Probably The Right Stuff. How about the Apollo program? Apollo 11, of course. Neil Armstrong. “One small step for a man...” Apollo 13. “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” But how about Project Gemini, the U.S. space program between Mercury and Apollo? When did it take place? Who flew on Gemini and what did it accomplish? In fact, 10 of the 12 men that eventually walked on the moon during Apollo flew Gemini first, and the other two were Gemini backup crew. Even though its first launch was only three years after John Glenn's five-hour orbital flight in Friendship 7, Project Gemini demonstrated technologies and techniques critical to the Apollo program and was key to fulfilling President Kennedy's pledge, “...before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” This talk will discuss the ten Gemini missions from March 1965 to November 1966 and how they paved the way for Apollo.
Background: Walter Gordon worked as an engineer in Western New York from 1979 to 2020 at four different aerospace firms, retiring recently as a business development manager in the Moog Space and Defense Group. He is also retired from a parallel 30-year career in the Air Force Reserve, serving as commander of the 328th Airlift Squadron and 914th Airlift Wing in Niagara Falls, New York. Colonel Gordon is a veteran of Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and has over 2,000 hours flying time in the C-130. Colonel Gordon has a long time interest in aerospace and aerospace history, joining AIAA at age 17 and currently serving as chairman of the Niagara Frontier Section and deputy chair of the History Committee. He is also the chairman of the Niagara Frontier Aviation and Space Hall of Fame nominating committee and a past president of the Niagara Aerospace Museum and Aero Club of Buffalo. Colonel Gordon has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University at Buffalo and an M.S. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Air Force Air War College.
Cost
$25.00 Professionals
$10.00 Students
Non-Members that join AIAA that evening will be admitted for only $5.00
Time
6:00 PM Social (Cash Bar)
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Presentation
Location
University of Dayton
Kennedy Union (KU)
Torch Lounge
Dayton, OH 45324
Reservations
RSVP by April 4th to Scott Chriss chrisss1@udayton.edu
Dinner Menu
Buffet Style
House salad, Caesar salad, Oven- Baked Chicken, Lemon Pepper Tilapia, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Linguini, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Carrot Cake, Apple Pie
Dinner_Gordon_12_April_2022.pdf