Gerald D. Griffin

For the Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, see Gerald Griffin.

Gerald D. Griffin
Born	(1934-12-25) December 25, 1934 Athens, Texas, U.S.
Citizenship	American
Education	Aeronautical engineering
Alma mater	Texas A&M University
Occupation(s)	Flight director during Apollo era; 1982-86 director of Johnson Space Center
Employer	NASA (Retired)

Gerald D. "Gerry" Griffin (born December 25, 1934) is a former NASA flight director and director of Johnson Space Center.

Griffin (l) and other flight directors celebrate the Apollo 13 splashdown April 17, 1970

Born in Athens, Texas, Griffin attended Texas A&M University, where he studied aeronautical engineering. He joined NASA in 1960 and became a flight controller, specializing in guidance and navigation systems. In 1967, he became a flight director. He was lead flight director for Apollo 12, Apollo 15, and Apollo 17, and played an important role in the resolution of the Apollo 13 crisis. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, along with the astronauts and the rest of the technical support team for this service.

From August 1982 until January 1986, Griffin served as director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Griffin was a technical adviser for the films Apollo 13, Contact (also in front of the camera portraying a mission controller), Deep Impact and Apollo 18. In the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, he was played by actor David Clyde Carr.

References

• Gerald D. Griffin NASA profile
• Johnson Space Center Directors
• Interview for Apollo 18 film.