Robert Crippen

Crippen with a MOL spacesuit

The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program was a follow-on to the X-20 Dyna-Soar program. A joint program between the United States Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the MOL program would send humans into space.[6]

Publicly, the MOL program was designed to determine the usefulness of man in space. Crews would be in orbit for about a month and they would be able to freely move about the laboratory.[7] The secret and primary mission was to perform reconnaissance missions on Soviet Union and China. The pilots were not told of this true mission, though they were later informed.[8]

When Crippen was selected for astronaut training in October 1966, he had to choose between the military and NASA, deciding to stay in the military to work on the MOL program. He felt that he would get lost at NASA due to the number of astronauts already in programs at the agency. There was an uncrewed flight on November 3, 1966. There were no crewed flights.[5]

The MOL program was canceled in June 1969,[6] after which Crippen transferred to NASA to continue his career.[5] The cancellation was due to differing priorities within the military and space programs, with the government deciding to de-emphasize military involvement in the space program. However, developments like the space suit, waste management, and the high resolution camera were later used in various space programs going forward.[9]

The Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT) was a 56-day mission (July 26 through September 19, 1972), where astronauts Crippen, Karol J. Bobko and William E. Thornton were housed in a vacuum chamber to conduct medical experiments. The goal was to ensure that crews in space could handle minor medical emergencies, including dentistry.[5] SMEAT also was able to discover and fix the design flaws in the urine handling system for Skylab.[11] Crippen and the team worked to enlarge the original collection system design, which was too small, the collection system of which had burst at one point.[5]

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was a joint effort between the United States and the Soviet Union, designed to test rendezvous and docking capabilities if there were ever an emergency in space. [12] Crippen was the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (as well as Skylab), during which time he developed a close association with Mission Operations and Flight Control.[5] On July 15, 1975, the United States launched a Saturn IB launch vehicle in an Apollo configuration into space. Two days later, it docked with a Soyuz spacecraft. [12]

The Approach and Landing tests for the Space Shuttle were critical to the overall program, in which a crew tested the maneuverability and landing capabilities of the spacecraft. Launched from a 747 aircraft, the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise was first tested on August 12, 1977. Astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr. and C. Gordon Fullerton piloted the Enterprise from about 7,300 m (24,000 ft) to the ground and landed at Edwards Air Force Base. A second crew of astronauts Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly alternated with Haise and Fullerton to test the Enterprise's capabilities.[13] Crippen was first assigned to family support with the testing, then progressed to being a chase pilot in a T-38.[5] The ALT program lasted about a year, testing all aspects of approach and touchdown from aerodynamics to maneuverability, gliding and landing characteristics.[14]

John Young and Crippen suiting up for the STS-1 mission.

Crippen was the pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-1, the first test flight of the Space Shuttle in orbit.[15] His job involved working with the Shuttle computers, electrical systems, and auxiliary power units. He was also responsible for operating the payload bay doors.[5] STS-1 had several firsts: a crewed vehicle to be flown into Earth orbit without any prior non-crewed orbital testing; a crewed, winged vehicle to launch with solid rocket boosters;[15] a reentry vehicle to land on a conventional runway. It launched April 12, 1981, and landed April 14, 1981.[16]

Crippen served as the commander of STS-7, the second launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and headed a crew of five people. During flight, the team deployed the Canadian Anik-C2 satellite, as well as the Palapa-B1 satellite from Indonesia. They also used the Canadian Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm) to deploy and retrieve the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-01). They conducted formation flying with an untethered satellite (SPAS-02), operated a joint U.S.-German materials experiment (OSTA-2) and activated seven Getaway Special (GAS) experiments. Finally, they worked with the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) and the Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR). It launched June 18, 1983, and landed on June 24, 1983.

Crippen was the commander of Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-41-C, a seven-day mission during which the crew deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The crew also retrieved, repaired and redeployed Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite using the Canadarm. The flight also tested the Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU) through two extravehicular activities (EVAs). The team also operated the Cinema 360 and IMAX Camera Systems. Finally, the crew ran a student experiment on honey bees. It launched April 6, 1984, and landed April 13, 1984.

On his final spaceflight, Crippen served as the commander of STS-41-G. During the eight-day flight, the Space Shuttle Challenger crew deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS). They also performed scientific observations of the Earth with a Large Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with the Orbital Refueling System (ORS). Finally, the Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-3 (OSTA-3) also had experiments for the crew to perform. It launched October 5, 1984, and landed October 13, 1984, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.[17]

After STS-41-G, Crippen became deputy director of flight crew operations (1984-1986)[18] and was also named commander of the STS-62-A mission which would have launched from the new SLC-6 facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. That mission was canceled after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, and SLC-6 was mothballed in 1989.[19]

Crippen was personally involved in the recovery efforts of the Challenger disaster.[20] Crippen was also a part of the STS-51-L Interim Mishap Review Board to examine the cause of the Challenger accident. The Board became a sub-team for the Rogers Commission Report, the team put together by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident.

Crippen was stationed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from July 1987 to December 1989 where he was Deputy Director of Shuttle Operations under Arnie Aldrich, Director of Space Shuttle. He was accountable for Shuttle missions and the return of the craft to KSC after landings at Edwards.

From January 1990 to January 1992, Crippen served as Director of the Space Shuttle program at NASA Headquarters. As such, he was responsible for the all aspects of the Shuttle program, including scheduling, budget and overall program management. Afterwards, he moved to KSC to become center director. This lasted from January 1992 through to January 1995.[18]