Biografia

31 marzo 1926 · Amsterdam, New York, Stati Uniti

24 agosto 2006 · Palos Verdes Estates, California, Stati Uniti (complications from heart disease and diabetes)

Rocco Anthony Petrone

Helped develop the Saturn rocket that played a crucial role in NASA's Apollo program missions to the moon.

He was in charge of planning, development, and activation of launch facilities for the Saturn rockets used in the Apollo missions. In 1966, he became director of launch operations at Kennedy Space Center and supervised the first Apollo launches. In 1969, he was named director of the entire Apollo program. In 1973, he became director of the Marshall Center in Huntsville, Alabama, overseeing the center's work on Skylab.