Mueller, George

American Engineer and Corporate Leader 1918-

George E. Mueller is an American engineer and corporate leader whose work and career span the development of the U.S. space program. Born July 16, 1918, Mueller holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State University, and worked at Bell Laboratories before subsequently earning his doctorate degree in physics from Purdue University. His career has focused on the development and success of the U.S. space program.

As head of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminsitration's (NASA) Apollo Manned Space Flight Program from 1963 to 1969, Mueller led the program that put Americans on the Moon. He was in charge of the Gemini , Apollo , and Saturn programs. In addition, he coordinated the activities of 20,000 industrial firms, 200 universities and colleges, and hundreds of thousands of individuals into one concerted effort. His leadership made it possible to meet the challenge set in 1961 of not only landing men on the Moon before the end of the decade, but also their safe return to Earth.

After the successful completion of the second landing on the Moon by Apollo 12, Mueller returned to industry where he was senior vice president of General Dynamics Corporation and chairman and president of System Development Corporation. At press time, he is the chief executive officer of Kistler Aerospace Corporation, and has been leading the development and operations of the Kistler K-1, the world's first fully reusable aerospace vehicle. Mueller is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement, which was awarded to him in 2002.

see also Apollo (volume 3); Apollo Lunar Landing Sites (volume 3); Gemini (volume 3); Nasa (volume 3).

Debra Facktor Lepore

Internet Resources

Kistler Aerospace Corporation. <http://www.kistleraerospace.com>.