T. J. O'Malley
Irish-American aerospace engineer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about T. J. O'Malley?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Thomas Joseph O'Malley (October 15, 1915 ā November 6, 2009) was an Irish-American aerospace engineer who, as chief test conductor for the Convair division of General Dynamics, was responsible for pushing the button on February 20, 1962, launching the Mercury-Atlas 6 space flight carrying astronaut John Glenn, the first American in orbit.[1][2] Five years later, NASA asked North American Aviation to hire him as director of launch operations to help get the Apollo program back on track after the Apollo 1 command module fire on the launch pad killed three astronauts.[2] O'Malley continued to play a leadership role in the United States' space program through the first Space Shuttle launch in 1981.[3]
T. J. O'Malley | |
---|---|
Born | Thomas Joseph O'Malley October 15, 1915[1] Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | November 6, 2009(2009-11-06) (aged 94) Cape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. |
Alma mater | Newark College of Engineering, B.S. 1936 |
Occupation | aerospace engineer |
Spouse | Anne O'Malley |