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Moon Mission Triumph Took IBEW Skills

July 17, 2009

On Monday, July 20, the world marks the 40th anniversary of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. Capping a frantic race to space with the Soviet Union, the Apollo 11 lunar mission was viewed by half a billion people. But, for every succeeding generation, the feat will stand as one of the pivotal moments of human history. That includes—in no small way—the history of the IBEW.

More than 1,800 IBEW members working at the Kennedy Space Center provided the instrumentation, data acquisition, processing and communications support that contributed to the triumph of the Apollo 11 mission.

The September 1969 issue of The IBEW Journal carried a photo montage showing members of Cocoa Beach, Fla., Local 2088 at their work stations at the space center. “Not enough praise can be heaped upon our IBEW members who, no matter how minute or large the requirement and demand of the particular job were, produced with flying colors,” the Journal reported.

Al Richardson is still working as an electronics lead at the space center. “I have been blessed to have been here for the entire Apollo program,” says Richardson; “Team spirit got us to the moon.” With 44 years of seniority, Richardson recalls working 13 straight weeks during the mission, 10 to 12 hours a day without a day off. “You gave it your all in Apollo 11,” he says.

One year after the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the first step on the moon, addressed the 29th IBEW International Convention in Seattle. Armstrong personally thanked union members for “dedicating themselves to safeguarding the reputation of their country and the lives of my fellow crewmen, and demonstrating in the process that American skill and craftsmanship are the very finest in the world.”

In 1974, IBEW International President Charles H. Pillard accepted a NASA award in recognition of the union’s contribution to the U.S. space program. A plaque received by Pillard bears the signatures of Apollo astronauts and a small U.S. flag that was aboard the command module of the Apollo 17 moon expedition. The award is prominently displayed in the IBEW museum in Washington.

“As we reflect on the anniversary of the moon mission, few Americans remember that moments after astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin returned to their module after their historic walk, an unmanned Soviet spaceship crashed into the moon on a failed research mission,” says IBEW President Edwin D. Hill.

“The dedication and talent of IBEW members and thousands of other members of organized labor who worked on Apollo 11 continues to show the world the power—not just of our nation’s technology—but of our nation’s highest ideals,” says Hill.

Dan Raymond, Local 2088 business manager, says that the 40th anniversary celebration coincides with the end of a proud era of accomplishment. Only eight launches remain in the space shuttle program. Then, a five-to seven-year gap will occur before the U.S. program returns to manned, rocket-style missions. Ironically, the Russian Soyuz capsules will be employed during the interim to transport astronauts to the international space station.

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Pat Corkery.