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Author
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Topic: Deke Slayton's assignment to Apollo-Soyuz
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perineau
Member Posts: 321
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 06-19-2020 02:14 AM
   
Always wondered how Deke Slayton managed to get on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) crew (I'm glad he did). Did he give himself a crew assignment? And also wondered about "docking module pilot." Maybe I'm being a bit dumb here, but how does one pilot a docking adapter? |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1705
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 06-19-2020 05:53 AM
All astronauts were pilots back then, even though they never piloted anything. Skylab Science Pilot? The Lunar Module Pilot didn't pilot the LM, the commander did. The LMP was actually a system engineer, just as the Docking Module Pilot is a system engineer. |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 294
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 06-19-2020 05:54 AM
The short version is, in his capacity as chief of the Flight Crew Directorate, he named himself as commander but it was knocked back because the higher-ups wanted an experienced astronaut with rendezvous and docking experience because of the high-stakes nature of the mission and its international profile. Stafford was available, had R&D experience on each of his previous three flights and was well known to the Soviets, having represented NASA and the USA at the Soyuz 11 funerals (if I am recalling correctly). So Stafford was preferred as commander over Slayton. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3409
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 06-19-2020 08:14 AM
To quote Deke Slayton himself ("Deke" p.278): I was still flight crew operations director, of course, but I asked Chris Kraft, who succeeded Bob Gilruth as director of MSC in early 1972, to handle the crew selection for ASTP, since I now considered myself a candidate.Sometime after the official [ASTP] agreement in May, 1972, Kraft asked me for my recommended assignments. With the understanding that it was up to him, I made them: Prime crew: Slayton - Swigert - Brand Backups: Bean - Evans - Lousma There are at least two slightly different versions of events leading to the final selection of: - Prime: Stafford - Brand - Slayton
- Backups: Bean - Evans - Lousma
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Delta7
Member Posts: 1678
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 06-19-2020 08:29 AM
Speculating on who would've been the DMP if Slayton hadn't regained flying status. I'm guessing either Bruce McCandless or Don Lind. |
dom
Member Posts: 970
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 06-19-2020 03:46 PM
Weren't higher-ups constantly trying to curb Slayton's influence. Is there a chance he was also "promoted sideways" onto the mission to get him out of the way? |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1705
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 06-21-2020 07:49 AM
No. He wanted to fly. |
dom
Member Posts: 970
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 06-21-2020 08:08 AM
Yes, I know he most definitely wanted to fly!I just think it was good timing for NASA management that he was able to get on the ASTP crew. I know the ins and outs of him regaining his flight status but NASA management probably couldn't believe their luck that a troublesome person they were trying to get rid of was suddenly out of the way training for a spaceflight... |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1739
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 06-21-2020 03:40 PM
I wouldn't call Slayton "troublesome." Perhaps the political appointees at NASA saw him as a relic but most others were glad for him and deserved a chance to fly. |
ManInSpace
Member Posts: 270
From: Brooklin, Ontario Canada
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted 06-21-2020 05:13 PM
While the NASA HQ attitude towards the Astronaut Corps took a hit after the stamp scandal; they never modified or curtailed Slayton's role.If anything his return to active flight status after being the only "Original 7" member to be grounded; provided the D.C. Public Affairs Office with a great "feel-good" story that the program needed as it was about to enter a multi-year period of no manned flights. |
Skylon
Member Posts: 311
From:
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 06-22-2020 06:27 AM
Chris Kraft is who you mean when you talk about “NASA management.” I doubt HQ cared. Kraft had stated frustration with Slayton’s lack of willingness to cooperate with Life Sciences at JSC and considered him “secretive” in his decision process. While he believed Slayton earned his ride into space, he did reorganize the power structure at JSC when Slayton began training for ASTP.That said - Slayton still ended up in some high profile positions after ASTP as Shuttle ALT and later OFT manager - he stayed a power player at NASA. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1705
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 06-22-2020 09:40 AM
quote:
Originally posted by dom:
...but NASA management probably couldn't believe their luck that a troublesome person they were trying to get rid
Both parts of the statement are not true.
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Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1739
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 06-22-2020 12:03 PM
Slayton and Kraft didn’t always agree on things but Kraft, in his book, says he was “overjoyed “ to sign off on Deke’s assignment. He said NASA owes him that. |
dom
Member Posts: 970
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 06-22-2020 04:32 PM
Thanks for the insights — and I can now see the story isn't as dramatic as I thought. At least I was right to think there was some "history" between Kraft and Slayton and ASTP probably came along at the right time for both of them! |
Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 752
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-26-2022 02:25 PM
Did Slayton remain Director of Flight Crew Operations while training for and flying ASTP? And if not who was? Did he revert back to that role after ASTP or not? |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 370
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 02-27-2022 02:57 PM
I never got the exact date — certainly don't have it in memory — but Deke gave up the FCOD position to train for ASTP sometime after the formal crew announcement in January 1973.The latest and most likely date is in January/February 1974, when FCOD was re-organized and Ken Kleinknecht got the job. He served in that position, unhappily for all, until fired by Kraft in January 1976, at which time George W. S. Abbey became director. |
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