Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr.(February 28, 1924 - July 22, 2019) was an American aerospaceand NASAengineer who was instrumental in establishing the agency's Mission Control Centerand shaping its organization and culture. HOUSTON, TX Christopher Kraft, the man who served as NASA's first flight director and ran mission control during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, died at the age of 95 on Monday. Kraft, the creator and longtime leader of NASA's Mission Control, died Monday in Houston, just two days after the 50th anniversary of what was his and NASA's crowning achievement: Apollo 11s. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: The defendants exploited their union positions and hard-working union members to feed their own greed. ENDORSEMETN: OK. (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 3/25/2021) (lnl) (Entered: 03/25/2021), MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to James Cahill (1) on 113 LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Sanford Talkin dated 3/19/21 re: Permission to Travel and Attend a Family Event. (jbo) (Entered: 03/15/2021), Appearance Bond Entered as to Andrew McKeon: $150,000 PERSONAL RECOGNIZANCE BOND; TO BE COSIGNED BY TWO FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE PERSONS; Additional Conditions.. [**Advice of Penalties and Sanctions attached.] Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents and investigators within the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York and the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office. must surrender passport by 10/2/2020;Def. FRP shall be Defendant's wife and cousin. (jbo) (Entered: 03/29/2021), NOTICE OF ATTORNEY APPEARANCE: Edward Vincent Sapone appearing for Christopher Kraft. ENDORSEMENT: Denied. [106] In 2018, he was portrayed in the film First Man by J. D. ENDORSEMENT: Case adj. is a reflection of Chris Kraft". The public and press may listen to the proceeding by telephone at: 888-363-4749; the access code to enter when prompted is 9054506. Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team Meet the GLCU Board of Directors Stephen Park, Board Chair Pat Price, Vice Chair Jim Fabrie, Treasurer Jim March, Secretary Cathy Corbi, Director David Goles, Director Kevin Leman, Director Lee Piekarz, Director Krystal Topps, Director Bertine Nixon, Emeritus Director Dawn Bausch, Associate Director AUSAs Danielle Sassoon and Jason Swergold present for the government. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Raymond A. Tierney, District Attorney for Suffolk County, announced today that 11 former union officials JAMES CAHILL, former President of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, CHRISTOPHER KRAFT, PATRICK HILL, MATTHEW NORTON, WILLIAM BRIAN WANGERMAN, KEVIN MCCARRON, JEREMY SHEERAN, a/k/a Max, ANDREW MCKEON, ROBERT EGAN, SCOTT ROCHE, and ARTHUR GIPSON have pled guilty to charges stemming from their acceptance of bribes and illegal cash payments from a construction contractor (Employer-1) from in or about October 2018 to in or about October 2020 while the defendants were serving as union officers. I am not going to make special rules for Mr. Cahill, who seems to get invited to a party every week. At the Langley Research Center, advanced wind tunnels were used to test new aircraft designs, and studies were taking place on new concepts such as the Bell X-1 rocket plane. Redacted Transcript Deadline set for 12/21/2020. (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 10/28/2020) (jbo) (Entered: 10/28/2020), SCHEDULING ORDER as to James Cahill, Christopher Kraft, Patrick Hill, Matthew Norton, William Brian Wangerman, Kevin McCarron, Jeremy Sheeran, Andrew McKeon, Robert Egan, Scott Roche, Arthur Gipson. Colleen McMahon, Date of Last Known Filing: [30] The mission was the first orbital flight by an American, and unfolded normally until Glenn began his second orbit. (jbo) (Entered: 10/02/2020), Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger: Arraignment as to Robert Egan (9) Count 1,2,3 held on 10/1/2020. Kraft was an Episcopalian, serving as a lay reader at his local church. [101][102] The Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center was renamed the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center in his honor in 2011,[103] and Kraft Elementary School in Hampton, Virginia, near his hometown, was named for him. Former union leaders Christopher Kraft and Patrick Hill also pled guilty to honest services fraud conspiracy while Matthew Norton, William Brian Wangerman, Kevin McCarron, Jeremy Sheeran,. Chris Kraft, NASA's first flight director who invented the concept of Mission Control, died on July 22, 2019. [9], On graduation, Kraft accepted a job with the Chance Vought aircraft company in Connecticut. [2], In 2006, NASA gave Kraft the Ambassador of Exploration Award, which carried with it a sample of lunar material brought back by Apollo 11. [74] He denied that his resignation had anything to do with the threatened possibility of Johnson Space Center losing its leading role in Space Shuttle operations or in the development of NASA's Space Station Freedom. AUSAs Danielle Sassoon and Jason Swergold present for the government. This was a complete betrayal of these unions and their membership. (jbo) (Entered: 10/02/2020), Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger: Arraignment as to Christopher Kraft (2) Count 1,2,3 held on 10/1/2020. Only ten years earlier, Kraft had joined Gilruth's newly founded Space Task Group. "I saw a team of highly skilled engineers, each one an expert on a different piece of the Mercury capsule. This attracted even more critical comment after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Assistant U.S. must surrender passport by 10/2/2020; Def. His superiors, including Mercury capsule designer Max Faget, overruled Kraft, telling him to instruct Glenn to leave the capsule's retrorocket package on during re-entry. (McGuirk, Kelly) (Entered: 05/03/2021), NOTICE OF FILING OF OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT as to James Cahill. John Pike, space policy director for the Federation of American Scientists, commented that "the Kraft report is a recipe for disaster. It also recommended that NASA cut back on the organizational changes intended to improve safety that were made after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Speedy trial time excluded until 10/22/2020. Defendants request a 90-day adjournment to review discovery. In 1994, he was appointed chairman of a panel to make NASA's Space Shuttle program more cost effective. Was named after his father, Christopher Columbus Kraft. CJA Camille Abate appointed counsel. Kraft commented in his autobiography that, with the choice of his name, "some of my life's direction was settled from the start". may not engage in business related to Local 638; Def. (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 12/3/2020) (ap) (Entered: 12/03/2020), LETTER by Robert Egan addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Roland G Riopelle dated December 7, 2020 re: Return of Discovery Materials (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Riopelle, Roland) (Entered: 12/07/2020), LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Sanford Talkin dated 12/18/20 re: Bail Modification . BAIL DISPOSITION: Agreed conditions of release; To be cosigned by two financially responsible persons; Travel restricted to SDNY/EDNY/DNJ; Surrender travel documents and no new applications; Pretrial supervision as directed by PTS; Deft not to possess firearm, destructive device, other weapon; Deft to be released on own signature; Remaining conditions to be met by 10/8/2020; Def. (McGuirk, Kelly) (Entered: 07/27/2021), NOTICE OF FILING OF OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT as to James Cahill. (Talkin, Sanford) (Entered: 06/14/2021), MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to James Cahill (1) granting 129 CONSENT LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Sanford Talkin dated 6/14/21 re: Modification of Bail Condition. may not have contact with co-defendants unless in presence of counsel. (jbo) (Entered: 10/02/2020), CJA 23 Financial Affidavit by Andrew McKeon. Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. . (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 11/10/2020) (ap) (Entered: 11/10/2020), TRANSCRIPT of Proceedings as to James Cahill re: Conference held on 10/29/20 before Judge Colleen McMahon. [12] He investigated wingtip vortices, and discovered that they, and not prop-wash, are responsible for most of the wake turbulence in the air that trails flying aircraft. "[33], His assistant on the mission, Gene Kranz, considered Glenn's flight "the turning point in Kraft's evolution as a flight director. One of Kraft's most important contributions to crewed spaceflight would be his origination of the concept of a mission control center. (Pretrial Conference set for 10/22/2020 at 12:00 PM before Judge Colleen McMahon) (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 10/20/2020) (lnl) (Entered: 10/21/2020), LETTER by USA as to James Cahill, Christopher Kraft, Patrick Hill, Matthew Norton, William Brian Wangerman, Kevin McCarron, Jeremy Sheeran, Andrew McKeon, Robert Egan, Scott Roche, Arthur Gipson addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from AUSA Jason Swergold dated October 21, 2020 re: Request for Protective Order Document filed by USA. Henceforth his involvement in the Apollo program would be at a higher level.[54]. [10] His work with NACA included the development of an early example of gust alleviation systems for aircraft flying in turbulent air. Kraft was NASA's first flight director and ran Mission Control during the Apollo program, which landed a man. Attorney for the United States Ilan Graff said: As alleged, the defendants exploited their labor organization positions to line their own pockets. "America has truly lost a national treasure with the passing of one of NASA's e BAIL DISPOSITION: Agreed conditions of release; $150,000 Personal recognizance bond; To be cosigned by two financially responsible persons; Travel restricted to SDNY/EDNY; Surrender travel documents and no new applications; Pretrial supervision as directed by PTS; Deft not to possess firearm, destructive device, other weapon; Deft to be released on own signature; Remaining conditions to be met by 10/8/2020; Def. The matter is adjourned to May 3, 2022, at 2:15 p.m., for a status conference and, if necessary, a hearing on defense motions. "[20], These concepts shaped the Mercury Control Center, which was at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Due to the greater length of Gemini missions, Mission Control was now manned on a three-shift basis. His protg Glynn Lunneysaid in 1998: "the Control Center today . (Xiang, Jun) (Entered: 12/03/2020), LETTER RESPONSE in Support of Motion by Robert Egan addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Roland G Riopelle dated December 3, 2020 re: 63 MOTION for Protective Order .. (Riopelle, Roland) (Entered: 12/03/2020), MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to Robert Egan on re: 66 LETTER RESPONSE in Support of Motion by Robert Egan addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Roland G Riopelle dated December 3, 2020 re: 63 MOTION for Protective Order. "We know a lot more about what we have to do than he did" Kraft said. BAIL DISPOSITION: Agreed conditions of release; To be cosigned by two financially responsible persons; Travel restricted to SDNY/EDNY/DNJ; Surrender travel documents and no new applications; Pretrial supervision as directed by PTS; Drug testing and treatment; Deft not to possess firearm, destructive device, other weapon; Deft to be released on own signature; Remaining conditions to be met by 10/8/2020; Def. The Court previously granted defendant James Cahill's ("Cahill") request to continue living at his home in Long Beach, New York until October 15, 2021. [25] Coverage of these early missions that carried non-human passengers could often be tongue-in-cheek; a Time magazine article on the flight, for example, was titled "Meditative Chimponaut". "[32] Yet he agreed to follow the plan advocated by Faget and by Walt Williams, his superior in the flight operations division. Quoted in Report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, volume 1, p. 108. October 20, 2020. The cause was not announced. may not have contact with co-defendants unless in presence of counsel. I thank the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office for their partnership in this case., Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said: These convictions highlight a shocking level of corruption among powerful labor officials in New York State. "[24] In this informal way, the position of flight director was created. may not have contact with co-defendants unless in presence of counsel. (Maulsby, Tyler) (Entered: 10/21/2021), MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to William Brian Wangerman (5) on 158 LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Tyler Maulsby dated October 21, 2021 re: Request to Travel to Ithaca, New York. They accepted bribes to corruptly favor non-union employers and influence the construction trade in New York. Christopher Kraft is 36 years old today because Christopher's birthday is on 07/23/1986. Christopher also answers to Christopher Lewis Kraft, and perhaps a couple of other names. You know, the bottom-line stuff on how we fly a man from a launch pad into space and back again. "None of us have many days in our lives like that one," Kraft remembered. Jan. 18, 2023, 5:16 a.m. EST, Assigned To: (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 1/14/2021) (ap) (Entered: 01/19/2021), LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Colleen McMahon from Sanford Talkin dated 1/15/21 re: Permission to Travel to Two Additional Stores . A chart containing the names, offenses of conviction, maximum penalties for the defendants, and sentencing dates for each is set forth below. Mr. Wangerman was presented and arraigned on October 1, 2020 before the Honorable Robert W. Lehrburger, released on his signature and given a deadline of today to secure two financially responsible people to co-sign his bond. (jbo) (Entered: 10/02/2020), Case Designated ECF as to James Cahill, Christopher Kraft, Patrick Hill, Matthew Norton, William Brian Wangerman, Kevin McCarron, Jeremy Sheeran, Andrew McKeon, Robert Egan, Scott Roche, Arthur Gipson. AUSAs Danielle Sassoon and Jason Swergold present for the government. [54] Mission commander Wally Schirra, annoyed by last-minute changes in the crew's schedule and suffering from a bad cold, repeatedly refused to accept orders from the ground. Release of Transcript Restriction set for 8/2/2021. [6] He went to school in Phoebus, where the only school went to the ninth grade[7] and attended Hampton High School. (Talkin, Sanford) (Entered: 11/23/2020), MOTION for Protective Order . As Mathews later recalled, Kraft came to him one day saying, "There needs to be someone in charge of the flights while they're actually going on, and I want to be that person. NASA Remembers. In the past, Christopher has also been known as Chris Kraft, Chris S Kraft, Christophe S Kraft and Christopher S Kraft. ADDITIONAL PROCEEDINGS: Defendant arraigned; pleads Not Guilty. "[20], When Kraft began to plan NASA's flight operations, no human being had yet flown in space. [64] He played a more active role in events during the unfolding of the Apollo 13 crisis. 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