Elliot See | |
|---|---|
 See in 1964 | |
| Born | Elliot McKay See Jr. (1927-07-23)July 23, 1927 |
| Died | February 28, 1966(1966-02-28) (aged 38) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (attended) United States Merchant Marine Academy (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Commander,USNR |
| Selection | 1962 NASA Group 2 |
Elliot McKay See Jr. (July 23, 1927 – February 28, 1966) was an Americanengineer,naval aviator,test pilot andNASA astronaut.
See received an appointment to theUnited States Merchant Marine Academy in 1945. He graduated in 1949 with aBachelor of Science degree inmarine engineering and aUnited States Naval Reserve commission, and joined the Aircraft Gas Turbine Division ofGeneral Electric as an engineer. He was called to active duty as anaval aviator during theKorean War, and flewGrumman F9F Panther fighters withFighter Squadron 144 (VF-144) from theaircraft carrierUSS Randolph in theMediterranean, andUSS Boxer in theWestern Pacific. He married Marilyn Denahy in 1954, and they had three children.
See rejoined General Electric (GE) in 1956 as aflight test engineer after his tour of duty, and became a group leader and experimental test pilot atEdwards Air Force Base, where he flew the latest jet aircraft with GE engines. He also obtained aMaster of Science degree inaeronautical engineering fromUCLA.
Selected in NASA'ssecond group of astronauts in 1962, See was the prime command pilot for what would have been his first space flight,Gemini 9. He was killed along withCharles Bassett, his Gemini 9 crewmate, in aNASA jet crash at theSt. LouisMcDonnell Aircraft plant, where they were to undergo two weeks ofspace rendezvous simulator training.
Elliot McKay See Jr. was born on July 23, 1927, inDallas, Texas, to Elliot McKay See Sr. (1888–1968) and Mamie Norton See (née Drummond; 1900–1988).[1] He was the first of two children; his sister Sally Drummond See rounded out the family in 1930.[2] His father was anelectrical engineer who worked forGeneral Electric, and his mother worked in jobs ranging from advertising to real estate.[2] See was active in theBoy Scouts of America for five years, and earned the rank ofEagle Scout.[3] He attendedHighland Park High School and was on the varsity team in several sports, including boxing. He was also on theReserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Rifle Team. He graduated from high school in 1945.[2]
The United States enteredWorld War II in December 1941. See had to choose between going to war or going to college, as he would otherwise be drafted at age 18. He decided to apply for aviation cadet training. He failed a physical, and, according to See, "going to college became the most important thing". He enrolled at theUniversity of Texas, and after a few months pledged toPhi Kappa Psi. While at the University of Texas, he signed up for flying lessons and received hisprivate pilot's license.[4]
See applied for military officer training and received an appointment to theUnited States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in 1945. As the end of the war drew near, the USMMA changed its curriculum to a four-year college-level program, which was the minimum requirement to be a merchant marine in peacetime. He spent hisplebe year atPass Christian, Mississippi, where the USMMA had asatellite campus, and then transferred to the maincampus atKings Point, New York. He commanded the Third Company as a cadet officer. He was a member of the Propeller Club and headcheerleader. He was on themile relay running team, played intramuralsoftball, and was a varsity boxer. As co-captain of the rifle team, he won the Captain Tomb Trophy for individual rifle and pistol marksmanship in December 1948.[4] In 1949,Congress authorized the USMMA to awardBachelor of Science degrees to its graduates,[5] so on graduation that year Elliot received his B.S. degree, his marine engineer's licenses, and a commission as an officer in theUnited States Naval Reserve.[4]
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After graduation, See took a summer job withLykes Brothers Steamship Company. On September 1, 1949, he joined the Aircraft Gas Turbine Division of General Electric, the firm his father had worked for, inBoston. He moved toCincinnati, Ohio, when the division was relocated.[6] There he met Marilyn Jane Denahy fromGeorgetown, Ohio, who worked at General Electric as a secretary.[7] He and his friend Tay Haney pooled their funds to buy aLuscombe Silvaire Sprayer aircraft, which they flew on cross-country trips. In November 1952, while taking Marilyn on a joyride, the Luscombe's engine began to fail. See attempted to land the aircraft on a short, unimproved field, but the tail wheel snagged a power line and forced the aircraft into the ground. See suffered deep cuts to his face which requiredplastic surgery. Marilyn escaped the crash with only minor injuries.[6]
By 1953, See was working as aflight test engineer at General Electric's plant inEvendale, Ohio. Like many naval reservists, he was called toactive duty due to theKorean War. He was initially stationed atMiramar Naval Air Station nearSan Diego, California.[6][8] He married Marilyn on September 30, 1954, before shipping out for a sixteen-month operational tour as anaval aviator, flying theGrumman F9F Panther withFighter Squadron 144 (VF-144), part ofCarrier Air Group 14. He was deployed to theMediterranean on theaircraft carrierUSS Randolph, which returned to the United States in June 1955.[9][10]
In October, after further training atEl Centro Naval Air Station,California, he embarked with VF-144 on an operational cruise on the aircraft carrierUSS Boxer, which formed part ofTask Force 77. The task force traveled toHawaii,Japan, thePhilippine Islands, andHong Kong.[11] See primarily focused on line maintenance, but also became proficient at carrier landings.[9][12] By the end of the tour, he had reached the rank oflieutenant commander.[13] He returned home in February 1956, in time for the birth of his first child, Sally.[9] The couple later had two more children: Carolyn in 1957, and David in 1962.[14]
See rejoined General Electric in 1956 as a flight test engineer after his tour of duty. He became a group leader and experimental test pilot atEdwards Air Force Base, California, where theUnited States Air Force conducted flight tests.[9] He served as a project pilot for the development of theGeneral Electric J79-8 engine used in theF4H aircraft. He also conductedpowerplant flight tests on theJ-47,J-73,J-79,CJ805 and CJ805aft-fan engines, which involved flying inF-86,XF4D,F-104,F11F-1F,RB-66, F4H, andT-38 aircraft.[15] He worked towards hismaster's degree one night a week, starting in 1960,[16] eventually obtaining aMaster of Science degree inaeronautical engineering fromUCLA in 1962,[8] and continued flying with the Naval Reserve. He was eventually promoted tocommander.[17]
In 1962, See applied to become aNASAastronaut. After undergoing preliminary evaluations, medical tests, and interviews during the selection process,[18] See was selected to be in NASA's second group of astronauts, known asThe New Nine.[19] He was 35 at the time of his selection; the oldest in the group.[18] On his selection, he said "Overwhelmed isn't the right word. I was amazed and certainly pleased. It's a very great honor."[18] At the time of his selection, See had logged more than 3,900 hours of flying time, including more than 3,300 injet aircraft.[15][18] He drove from Edwards with fellow civilian pilotNeil Armstrong to start his new career inHouston, Texas, where the newManned Spacecraft Center (MSC) was under construction.[20]
Every astronaut was assigned a core competency, a special area in which they had to develop expertise, by the NASA Astronaut Office. The knowledge they gathered could then be shared with the others, and the astronaut-expert was expected to provide astronaut input to the spacecraft designers and engineers. See's special area of expertise was the spacecraft electrical and sequential systems, and the coordination of mission planning.[21][22] See was tasked with determining if the crewed lunar landing should occur in direct sunlight or using light reflected from theEarth. To help make the decision, he flew helicopters and airplanes wearing special welding goggles to simulate different lighting conditions.[23][24][25] See also landed helicopters withJim Lovell on lava flows that simulated the terrain on the Moon.[26]
See was announced as the backup pilot forGemini 5 on February 8, 1965, with Armstrong serving as the backup command pilot.[20] They were the first civilians selected for a spaceflight.[27] Gemini 5 was launched on August 21, 1965. Early in the flight, a problem was discovered with thefuel cells, and theflight controllers considered ending the mission early. See, who had worked with General Electric in developing the fuel cells, was confident that they could find a solution. Flight DirectorChris Kraft gave them 24 hours to fix the problem. After working through the night, they diagnosed the problem and developed procedures that allowed the astronauts to fix the fuel cells, which allowed the mission to continue.[28]
See was acapsule communicator (CAPCOM) at MSC in Houston during theGemini 7/Gemini 6Arendezvous mission in December 1965. Under the crew rotation system devised by chief astronautDeke Slayton, as the backup for Gemini 5, Armstrong and See were in line for prime crew ofGemini 8.[15][29][30] From the spring to the fall of 1965, Armstrong and See trained for the Gemini 5 mission. They spent a significant amount of time training in the spacecraft simulators. They flew back and forth toKennedy Space Center, from which their spacecraft would be launched; toNorth Carolina to develop experiments to be conducted during the flight; and toMcDonnell Aircraft inSt. Louis, where theGemini spacecraft was made.[20]
Contrary to Slayton's typical crew rotation,David Scott took See's place as the pilot of Gemini 8.[15][29][30] According to his autobiography, Slayton did not assign See to Gemini 8 because he considered him as too out-of-shape to perform anextravehicular activity.Life photographer Ralph Morse asked Armstrong why See was no longer assigned with him on the Gemini 8 mission, and Armstrong replied, "Elliot's too good a pilot not to have a command of his own."[31] In October 1965 See was promoted to command pilot (first seat) ofGemini 9, withCharles Bassett as his pilot.[32] The Gemini 9 mission was similar to the previous mission. An extravehicular activity (EVA) that used theAstronaut Maneuvering Unit (AMU) was scheduled, and they would rendezvous with anAgena target vehicle.[30] Bassett was scheduled for the EVA and See would stay in the capsule.[31]
On February 28, 1966, See and Charles Bassett were flying with their backup crew,Gene Cernan andThomas Stafford, fromEllington Air Force Base toLambert Field inSt. Louis, Missouri, for two weeks of space rendezvous simulator training.[33] The prime crew flew in one jet and the backup crew in another. See was the pilot of theirT-38 trainer jet, with Bassett in the rear seat.[34]
The weather at Lambert Field that Monday morning was poor and required aninstrument approach. Both jets overshot the initial landing attempt; See continued with avisual circling approach and Stafford elected to follow the standard procedure for amissed approach. On his second attempt, See undershot the runway, hit the afterburners and turned to the right.[35]
The jet crashed into McDonnell Aircraft Building 101, where the Gemini spacecraft was built. See was found in a parking lot still strapped to his ejection seat. Both astronauts died instantly from trauma sustained in the accident, within five hundred feet (150 m) of their spacecraft. See and Bassett were buried near each other inArlington National Cemetery; their graves are about one hundred yards (90 m) fromTheodore Freeman, another astronaut who had died in a T-38 crash sixteen months earlier.[33][36][37]
After a reporter had disclosed to Freeman's wife that he had died, NASA enacted new policies to avoid a similar embarrassing situation in the future. In compliance with these policies, astronautJohn Young asked Marilyn Lovell and Jane Conrad to go to Marilyn See's house and ensure that she did not find out about her husband's death from a non-NASA source. They rushed over and made excuses for their early surprise visit. After Young arrived to break the news, the three hugged her for comfort. Marilyn Lovell then went to the school to pick up Marilyn See's children, to make sure they did not find out from the press.[38]
A NASA investigative panel later concluded thatpilot error, caused by bad weather, was the principal cause of the accident. The panel concluded that See was flying too low on his second approach, probably due to poor visibility.[39] At the time, See was known as one of the better pilots in the astronaut corps.[40] Slayton later expressed doubts about See's flying abilities, claiming that he flew too slowly: "[He] wasn't aggressive enough ... he flew too slow—a fatal problem in a plane like the T-38, which will stall easily if you get below 270 knots (500 km/h; 310 mph)."[41]
Jim Lovell andBuzz Aldrin were promoted to the backup crew as a result of the accident. Stafford and Cernan, the original backup crew, were launched three months later on June 3, 1966, asGemini 9A.[42] The shuffling of the Gemini crews caused by the deaths of See and Bassett affected crew assignments for subsequent Gemini andProject Apollo missions. In particular, Aldrin flew as the pilot ofGemini 12, and laterApollo 11.[43]
On Friday, March 4, 1966, both men were buried inArlington National Cemetery.[37][44][45] During funeral services in Texas two days before, Aldrin,Bill Anders, andWalter Cunningham flew themissing man formation in See's honor,[46] while Lovell,Jim McDivitt, and civilian pilot Jere Cobb did the same to honor Bassett.[47][48]
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See was survived by his wife Marilyn and three children.[49] After his death she continued to live in Houston, where she worked as a court reporter.[50] See's name is inscribed on theFallen Astronaut plaque placed on theMoon byApollo 15 in 1971.[51] He is also listed on theSpace Mirror Memorial at theJohn F. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, dedicated in 1991.[52][53] He was honored by Highland Park High School in 2010 as one of the recipients of its Distinguished Alumni Award.[54] A conference room in Wiley Hall at the USMMA is also dedicated to his memory.[55]
See was a member of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) and an associatefellow of theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).[15]
See was played bySteve Zahn in the 1998HBOminiseriesFrom the Earth to the Moon, and byPatrick Fugit in the 2018 filmFirst Man.
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