Ed Smylie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Born
December 25, 1929
Robert Edwin Smylie
December 25, 1929
DiedApril 21, 2025 (aged 95)
Crossville, Tennessee, U.S.
AlmamaterMississippi State University
Ed Smylie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Robert Edwin Smylie December 25, 1929 |
| Died | April 21, 2025 (aged 95) Crossville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Mississippi State University |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
Robert Edwin Smylie (December 25, 1929 – April 21, 2025) was an American engineer and NASA official. In 1970, he oversaw NASA's Crew Systems Division and led the team of engineers that saved the crew of Apollo 13.[1] In 2014, Time magazine called Smylie "an improvisational genius".[2]
Ed Smylie was born on his grandfather’s farm in Lincoln County, Mississippi. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, served in the Navy, and then returned to the university for a master’s degree in the same field. He worked for Douglas Aircraft on the DC-8 before joining NASA in 1962.
