Gene Kranz, Legendary NASA Flight Director, Air Force Fighter Pilot (Full Interview)

Legendary NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz served as Flight Director for Apollo 11’s landing on the moon 50 years ago, then during the monumental effort to save the crew of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His famous blonde flat top and vests have made him one of the most recognized figures in the history of America's space program.
Prior to his famed career with NASA, Kranz served as a pilot in the United States Air Force, stationed in Korea.
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[@btzimmer]

I met Gene in 2000 where he was a speaker at a conference. He dropped what he was doing to greet my kids. He's as genuine and caring as he appears. When Gene gets a cut, he bleeds red, white, and blue. We need more people like him.

[@alexpearson8481]

Agreed. I’m not sure society produces these types of guys anymore. Men across the board are becoming soft .

[@alexanderedwards269]

When Gene gets a cut, it's a flattop.

[@AutomationDnD]

Agree'd

[@OCnStiggs]

Talk about the right guy, in the right place, at the right time... Just like Neil, Bud, and Mike, and all the other heroes in flight, he did for America what few others could have. Kranz is an true American hero. Godspeed Gene Kranz.

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Fair enough though I'd put it a tad differently. NASA was in the right place, at the right time.

[@F-Man]

This man singlehandedly redefined leadership forevermore - “tough and competent.”

[@dcul9127]

Yes, between Gene and Chris Kraft, they built the entire NASA networks. Truly amazing.

[@salhadinashair1011]

Great man and he is one of my idoles

[@silki4821]

@@salhadinashair1011 Your hero worshipping is getting old too...

[@ivanm1018]

Agreed 100%. Leadership is something nowadays so easily bestowed on politicians who couldn't recognize it even if they tripped over it

[@Tramseskumbanan]

He’s one of a very few leaders and pioneers that is still around.

[@Jesse-le9bh]

Gene Kranz…one of my all time HEROES.

[@silki4821]

your hero worshipping is getting old....

[@Jesse-le9bh]

@@silki4821 ?

[@Miguel195211]

Is getting a little old with all this "heroes" worshippers.

[@paulward4268]

@@Miguel195211 is there some kind of problem with that??

[@Moluccan56]

@@Jesse-le9bhA 🧌 🧌 🧌 🤡 🤡 🤡.

[@garygullikson6349]

Had the honor of a brief telephone conversation with Mr, Kranz when I worked for NAA on the Shuttle Orbiter program. One of my Aerospace heroes.

[@spotsterjon74cu]

This interview will go down as a grade 1 historical document in the fullness of time.

[@xaviergarcia8274]

gulp. uh. sounds important.

[@joyleenpoortier7496]

They dont make them like this man anymore. A honorable and respectful man who followed his dream and fulfilled it.

[@europaeuropa3673]

I always admired Gene ever since watching him on TV during the Apollo days.

[@kdub1242]

I'm not big on nostalgia, and not at all a military guy, but those space program guys were freakin' amazing. Hardcore science and engineering meets hard core guts and grit. Steely-eyed missile men they were.

[@cameron1975williams]

Still impressively capable at the age he is here. One of my heroes. Thank you.

[@marcom.1919]

Love him so much! A National treasure! I have a huge respect for this man!

[@thefrase7884]

The man still commands a great deal of respect

[@LBBLuesFan]

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Kranz at a conference in about 2006. He was the keynote speaker at the luncheon, and spoke about the true nature of teamwork, using the work to save Apollo 13 as how it's supposed to be. At the end, he received one of the biggest standing ovations I've ever witnessed. Later in the lobby, attendees could buy a copy of his book, "Failure Is Not An Option", which he would then autograph. Naturally, I bought one.

[@youreale]

A true legend. Hats off, my respect.

[@erac5855]

Had the great pleasure to meet Mr Kranz last month. What an incredible person, very polite, and (for a person so committed to space and flying) very down to Earth.

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

He was closing his eyes, visualizing in his mind, the history he wrote. I bet he remembered all the smells, sounds, how comfy the headphones were, how the coffee tasted. Can you imagine the number of flow charts and schedules he created under deadly pressure.

[@davidwilburn6314]

One of the massive subroutine stories from the saga of Apollo 13 that blows me away was that the Kranz team had the necessary foresight to send John Aaron and his team into the ground command module mockup to begin solving the daunting, and daresay nearly impossible, power up of the module with it's massively fundamental constraints. And to do it within a hugely constrained time crunch to permit Lovell's guys to get the CM successfully reconfigured barely by the skin of their teeth prior to reentry.

[@dougchew5193]

Without a real idea there was a answer to be found, he counted on them, that gave Aaron I guess the confidence to come up with the plan,your three friends going round the moon and you got to find a way to get them all the way back, that’s pressure

[@alexpearson8481]

His ability to foster leadership and create motivating anecdotes in the moment is mesmerizing. You feel yourself glow listening to him. Imagine being in a crisis and listening to his calm, guiding direction that resonates right to your core. It’s beyond words.

[@thosemeddlingkids2715]

I met Gene in 2007 and got to visit with him. He is a hero to me and meeting him is one of the highlights of my life.

[@assessor1276]

What a cool guy - truly an impressive person.

[@jackheritage2222]

A great interview. A great man. Very focused individual. We can all take a lesson from his attitude and philosophy. And lastly, he said, " What America will dare, America will do!"

[@KarlKrogmann]

This is what they mean when they say "steely-eyed missile man"

[@robinblankenship9234]

One of the greatest American heroes. A privilege to see this.

[@marky657]

This man and all the people like him just make my eyes fill with tears of pride and joy to be an American. What a great guy and American hero for all time.

[@jphickory522]

Our current times in great need of this type of man

[@alexpearson8481]

Oooohhhhhh ya!

[@spjunkies]

There are plenty around now. There was nothing special about the past, you had garbage and wonderful people around.

[@jphickory522]

50 years ago a larger percentage of the population held a higher standard of ethics. The evidence of this is undeniable and ubiquitous in all facets of current culture. Yes it’s true men of good and poor character existed now and then but that wasn’t the point.

[@Chet_Brinkley]

I am a few days from turning 66 and I want to throw my 2 cents worth of memory of Mr.Krantz during the heyday of NASA. Space shots happened during school hours and all us kids loved it ! Allan Shepard, John Glenn were our heroes, they were considered higher than the president. The teacher would wheel in the TV on the big cart from the AV dept. and we all were very excited and hanging on each minute. It was wonderful !

[@nikbear]

All round hero, incredibly amazing individual and possessor of the most serious haircut in history! 👍😲

[@hscollier]

Basically that was a wonderful interview with a great American. Basically I really enjoyed it.

[@hpygolkyone]

Basically you're telling us that he basically said the word, basically many, many times. Got it.

[@hscollier]

@@hpygolkyone Basically, you are observant. Did you miss the part where I said I really enjoyed it?

[@woodey028]

Listing to Gene talk about the Avro is absolutely amazing!

[@schwags1969]

I thought the same thing.

[@gilzor9376]

Not sure why 'absolutely amazing' is your choice of words. Apparently you're British (or Canadian). Certainly not saying all parties at that time weren't doing amazing things.

[@chevyservmgr]

Mr. Kranz, I salute you sir. You're a great patriot and a inspiration to all. I admire your wisdom and the leadership you exhibited during your tenure with NASA

[@zerodegrekelvin2]

Mr. Kranz is no humble, always praises his teams! Thank you for bringing this interview to us.

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

I strongly salute you Mr. Kranz. I sincerely hope you get this message. Warm regards, Hector Holbrook, UK.

[@petersantoro5323]

What a great insight to history thank you sir.

[@michaelmangano1732]

Wrote me a letter, always teaching self improvement. You know, the fact that he had no idea who I am, and that he barely had any time for me, yet still hand wrote some important words to me means more than he could know. His example of professionalism to me is the same as the man who was a father to him.

[@betterthanyou3145]

That’s awesome. I wrote to nasa when I was younger and got back a huge packet with astronaut bios and autographed portraits of the upcoming shuttle mission. The flight director himself wrote me a two page letter detailing what to focus on in school if you want to fly in space. Always thought the letter was so cool cuz he wrote in on graph paper and it just seemed so technical lol. Very nice of him to do all of that for a young kid.

[@ldv1452]

He was 85 when this was published! Simply amazing!!!!

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Wrote a great book, "Failure is Not an Option." Highly recommended.

[@dcul9127]

Absolutely, that historical book is amazing. Wow, the man is a legend.

[@thomasdonlin5456]

I love that book and was able to get it autographed.

[@shepardbook]

And the funny thing is…he admitted during a documentary about the making of the movie Apollo 13 that he never said that. But thought it was cool he named his book that.

[@timandshannon03]

It's an amazing read. Definitely a great book.

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

@@shepardbook I wonder if he mentioned whether he liked the movie or not, and Ed Harris playing him.

[@richardcarr7702]

THIS is a man! He led the team that took America to its high water mark.

[@SJFrzrbrn]

I loved his portrayal in Apollo 13 by Ed Harris. Such a great character and real life role model / hero.

[@robkeogh4593]

G'day All This bloke embodies everything about his generation. My fathers generation. National pride, hard work, respect and leadership. All of us could learn a thing or two from these guys. Might even sort a few issues out.....

[@terencewinters2154]

Great man who knew how to merge the human with the technical knowing which came first and how to overcome our flaws in design and implementation by problem solving.

[@richardcomerford1828]

The best part is at 41:24 when he speaks about duty, honor, sacrifice and commitment to an ideal. This is the America that is beyond the understanding of someone who looks out at a military cemetery and calls them "losers' and "suckers" and wonders "what was in it for them?"

[@paulprigge1209]

Both parties. I’m guessing you’re referring to One of the people in the conservative party which I don’t consider necessarily conservative.

[@tigertiger1699]

This is absolute gold…, the human story of mankind’s first greatest pinnacle… Absolute privilege 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@johnedwards1685]

Giant of a man. And that mission, giants standing on the shoulders of giants.

[@zoidberg444]

Interesting character - very much enjoyed his book. NASA was a very dynamic organisation in those days which was really driven by some very competent personalities. Also Krantz is one of the most razor sharp 87 year olds I have ever seen.

[@sammyvh11]

Another of the great unsung US heros. We need more men like Kranz.

[@silki4821]

What did he do that was heroic ?

[@europaeuropa3673]

@@silki4821 Helped manage the Apollo missions. The greatest achievement in human history.

[@silki4821]

@@europaeuropa3673 That makes him your hero ? You're pathetic....

[@europaeuropa3673]

@@silki4821 why is that? You believe otherwise out of jealousy? Or are you just being a brain dead troll?

[@silki4821]

@@europaeuropa3673 The man did his job....There was NOTHING he did that could be considered heroic.....

[@almosh3271]

Gene, you are an amazing man. Many blessing to you and your team !!!!!

[@Chrisamos412]

WOW so great to hear his story! I was a young kid, but I really remember seeing him on TV during the Space Program. Very cool!

[@crownlands7246]

impressive, the amount of knowledge, these ppl had to take in and operationalise and continue to grow in other parts of life too, admirable, no wonder, they lit cigars when the lander stood on firm grounds

[@gilzor9376]

Good to see Gene is still here with us. A true American who has contributed immensely to our history. I envy his role and place in time, truly an epoch period.

[@michaeloedy1568]

Gene never appeared to "dwell" on anything. He just moved on and expected you to do the same. Nothing should be taken personal if a group is working towards the same goal.

[@sntpint]

Absolutely fascinating recollection and memory with details. These guys were THE right guys at the right time for this mission.

[@Mi62Ni]

Gene Kranz - a hero of my childhood. He is a really Gentleman. A man i wish I had the opportunity met him personally ! Regards from germany.

[@bmused55]

This film is criminally under-viewed and underrated!

[@chirantha]

What a legend!

[@woodey028]

Agreed!!!

[@DavidSmith-ze2wi]

As a Brit I've always admired Mr Kranz from those heady days of the NASA moon missions. Absolutely professional a great American.

[@samcowell2768]

the man is amazing

[@samsungs815]

One of my heroes of the moon landing missions. An inspirational man. I salute you Mr Kranz.

[@sting1111]

If they could chisel out an ideal American male...they broke the mold when God made him.

[@villagegirl68]

This man is truly amazing

[@raytristani]

That’s a real man right there

[@Ruckweiler73]

He was a 1954 graduate of then Parks Air College. I graduated from Parks College of Saint Louis University (same school) in 1992. We all knew who he was as a graduate.

[@ralphholiman7401]

The Movie "Apollo 13" sure made him look like a boss! Ed Harris had the best scenes and lines in that movie. The astronauts were just along for the ride. Kranz definitely seems to be the guy who saved the day.

[@getredytagetredy]

The movie...the movie...the movie... The Masonic movie... Tards are obsessed with movies like they are real... Come on fellas you have been asleep for too long

[@ralphholiman7401]

@@getredytagetredy , have you ever wondered why you never get invited to parties?

[@DouglasLippi]

Everyone had important roles and they worked together to great achievement. The astronauts were absolutely not merely along for the ride. The monkeys and dogs were along for the ride. The astronauts not only took on personal risk that those on Earth couldn't fathom, but they had to do some real-time decision-making and piloting.

[@ZilchBlackBeer]

What an amazing American. Mr. Kranz is the best of us, and a true hero. Thank you for your service sir!

[@freedomprivilege6344]

You get the feeling that Mr. Kranz was destined to be in the roles that he performed at NASA. Very humble and honest man. Amazing ability to recall all of the details of his life and experiences. Thank you Lord for this man and thank you Gene Kranz for fulfilling your destiny.

[@beaconterraoneonline]

What a fantastic interview and video. Gene Kranz is the best of the best.

[@tasteslikeawesome]

This man is a marvel of Humanity.

[@oogityboogity6644]

Love how recent this is

[@tindoortailgator]

Truly a Great Man - Who Believed in America, My Father was Part of This Mission, The Saturn 5 Rocket, Lunar Module, NASA and Chrysler Corp - God Bless...Godspeed Gene Kranz...

[@firefightergoggie]

Someone the American people need to be proud of. A truly impressive human being and a natural born leader.

[@emmgeevideo]

Thank you sir…

[@thomasgoad3695]

Wow ,a great presentation. Thank you

[@davidvogel8987]

Thank you Gene you where a invaluable piece of America's early space flight puzzle

[@guycarr360]

Read his book, and a 100% hero of mine, whenever we visit KSC, i think of him, not that is possible living in the Uk!!!

[@redwatch1100]

Thanks for doing what you did in life Gene, and giving us a great story.

[@aaronzeiger216]

Absolutely love that man

[@DaveJonescruise]

I have always wanted to meet Gene he is an Amazingly clever man, I've read his books and I think all students coming into management should study and take a lot of notes.

[@rl64rl]

Awesome! Thank you, Gene!

[@neilcrowesongs9768]

Living legend and still got it.

[@monticlassictv]

One of planet Earths greatest citizens the legendary Gene Krans god bless you and America and I’m from Scotland but god speed my friend

[@johnmonaghan4651]

I thought he was Superman when I was young He put Apollo 11 on the Moon then brought Apollo 13 home when you remember him with his waistcoat standing there making sure everything is on point it was fascinating and he just looked as if he could kick anybodys butt lol A true American 👍

[@xaviergarcia8274]

Whaaa? So he owes us 2 Apollos?? Or we owe him 2? But huh?

[@ronniewilson6597]

Only one word to describe gene, wow 😀👍🏻

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

Always interesting to listen to the people who took responsibility for these defining moments in history. Now people complain about stress if their coffee isn't right.

[@4stringplayer4u]

One of the real men of this great nation

[@LokiNorse2011]

The last 15 minutes of this interview is WHAT we need today ! Leadership and a goal as a Nation . I grew up in those days. But they’re long gone. Everybody is so “sissyfied “ and “PC”. Those Men were Hero’s. I was an airforce brat living in Germany when we landed, I was proud 🇺🇸

[@reto-louisrivellini8075]

Bravo to Gene Kranz you have done so much with your colleagues. I’m pursuing you since I am 12 years old. All the best to you.

[@equelizarlee4173]

Gene Kranz should be given medal for his work in NASA.

[@scottarivett496]

NASA would not be NASA without Gene Kranz

[@NialPowerCork]

Just wow. “and the elements mixed so well in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, “This was a man.” “

[@1290Hooligan]

What a fantastic leader!

[@firemedic5100]

NASA was never the same when Gene left.

[@alexpearson8481]

Yup. Boeing is going down the same path.

[@julianneale6128]

An incredible man!

[@MRxMADHATTER]

I met him at an open house/fly day at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX. He was wiping the oil off the engine cowlings of a B-17. I recognized him from a film of the Apollo program. I said "aren't you Gene Kranz?" He smiled at me. I asked him "what have they got you doing?" I don't even remember what he said but it was pretty funny.

[@scottqualls7690]

A true legend!

[@adventuressurvivalinthailand]

I feel sorry for great people like this when they see America crumbling. You can sense his thoughts at the end, but he couldn't say what he really thought

[@watchfuleye5193]

A TRUE LEADER!!!... THIS MAN IS EPIC!!!!!! "FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!" Gene Kranz

[@brucehehl5688]

These were truly amazing men. From an Era long gone!

[@ray.shoesmith]

He's as sharp as ever at 87 years of age

[@davidnoseworthy4540]

Incredibly inspirational to watch, and such a powerful message in regards to Leadership, and what it is to be a Leader. Thank you Mr. Kranz! I also appreciate your mention of Mr. Lodge, Avro Canada and the Arrow & Orenda Iroquois program.

[@Balafoutre]

I am in awe!!!

[@nodevit9950]

Amazing. Thank you for posting this. Kranz and Kraft are my leadership idols.

[@getredytagetredy]

You are so low self esteem that you need 2 leaders Sarcasm is so political Uncorrect When tards take themselves too seriously Thats when sarcasm becomes relevant...