Pete Frank

Pete Frank, also known as M. P. Frank III (August 20, 1930 – June 22, 2005) was a NASA engineer who served as the lead flight director for the Apollo 14 and Apollo 16 crewed lunar landing missions, as well as the American lead flight director for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

Pete Frank
M. P. Frank (foreground), in the Mission Operations Control Room during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Born	(1930-08-20)August 20, 1930 Bryan, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 22, 2005(2005-06-22) (aged 74)
Resting place	Roselawn Memorial Park, Denton, Texas
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Texas
Occupation	NASA manager and flight director

Education

M. P. (Pete) Frank III was born in Bryan, Texas.[1] His initials did not stand for anything and he was always known as "Pete". He graduated from Denton High School in 1948, and attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering by 1952.[2]

Career

After college graduation, Frank joined the United States Marine Corps for four years as a pilot, then served in the Reserve, becoming a lieutenant colonel.[1]

While working for the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, Frank earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia.[2]

Frank has inspired flight controllers for decades with these words.[3]

Frank joined NASA in 1962. [2]

Frank was one of 44 men selected to report to Brooks Air Force Base for two months for extensive medical testing in January and February 1966 during the recruitment of what would become NASA Astronaut Group 5. He was not chosen among those 19, but was a finalist.[2]

In his January 1999 oral history, flight director Gene Kranz said, "Pete Frank translated the values 'discipline, morale, tough and competent now' into a statement … each controller has an opportunity to reflect as he approaches his role and responsibility in each mission."[3]

Frank took the role of flight director in 1968. He became the eighth director to lead a mission and adopted the team color orange, which was retired when he retired from NASA. Frank, among others, directed Apollo 9, 10, and 12 and 17 Frank was lead director for Apollo 14 and 16.[2][4] There were typically three to six flight directors per mission, with one serving as a lead director.[5]

Frank served on the internal review board to study the causes of the Apollo 13 onboard explosion, under Dr. Edgar Cortright, Director of the Langley Research Center.[6]

Frank, with other flight controllers and directors on Apollo 14, guided mission commander Alan Shepard, Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell and Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa to the Moon on a redesigned Apollo command and service module, completing the mission planned for 13's crew to the Fra Mauro highlands.[3][7] In 1975, Frank served as the American lead flight director for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.[1] Frank would later become chief of the Flight Control Division before his retirement in 1983.[2]

Post-career and death

Frank and his wife supported the Habitat for Humanity organization in fundraising and homebuilding.[1]

Frank died after an auto accident, on June 22, 2005.[1]

See also

• Apollo program

Notes

1. Abram, Lynwood (June 28, 2005). "Obituaries: M P "Pete" Frank III, worked on moon landings, U.S.-Soviet project". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
2. Shayler, David (2017). The last of NASA's original pilot astronauts : expanding the space frontier in the late sixties. Chichester: Springer-Praxis Books. pp. 76–78. ISBN 978-3-319-51014-9. OCLC 990337270.
3. Grass, Justin (August 19, 2019). "Denton High grad played role in Apollo program". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
4. "NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, Edited Oral History Transcript, M. P. "Pete" Frank III". NASA. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
5. "Flight Directors". NASA History. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
6. Hansen, James R. (2005). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 603–604. ISBN 0-7432-5631-X. OCLC 60743246.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
7. "Astronauts, families visit on launch eve". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Associated Press. January 30, 1971. p. 1A.