Thomas Baron
Safety inspector and whistle blower
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Thomas Ronald "Tom" Baron (c. 1938 – April 27, 1967)[1] was a quality control and safety inspector for North American Aviation (NAA), when NAA was the primary contractor to build the Apollo command module.[2]
c.1938
Thomas Baron | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Ronald Baron c.1938 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | April 27, 1967 (aged 28–29) Mims, Florida, United States |
| Occupations | quality control and safety inspector |
| Known for | 169-page report critical of safety standards at North American Aviation |
| Notable work | 275-page report on NASA safety protocol violations after Apollo 1 fire |
Early life and education
Baron was born in or around 1938, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[3] He attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[3]
Career
Baron initially enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Florida.[3] He was later hired as a quality control inspector with North American Aviation, the prime NASA contractor for construction of the Apollo spaceship.[3]
Whistleblower report
Baron compiled a 169-page report critical of safety standards at North American Aviation, and leaked his report to the media.[4] After NAA learned of this, they fired him.
After the Apollo 1 fire, Baron wrote a 275-page report on NASA safety protocol violations, which he gave to Rep. Olin E. Teague's investigation at Cape Kennedy in Florida, on April 21, 1967.[5]
The chairman of the NASA Oversight Committee claimed that Baron had made a valuable contribution to the Apollo fire probe, but that he had been "overzealous".[6]
Death
Six days after his testimony, Baron died instantly, along with his wife and stepdaughter, when a train crashed into their car near their home in Mims, Florida.[1][7][8]