Robert (Ed) Smylie

After earning an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1954 he joined the Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica CA. In 1962 he joined NASA Houston where he was responsible for the development of life support systems, spacesuits and other crew equipment items for Projects Mercury, Apollo, Gemini, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle. He is credited with devising the solution to the problem of carbon dioxide removal during the Apollo 13 mission. In 1973 he moved to NASA HQ as Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology. In 1976 he became the Deputy Director of the Goddard Spaceflight Center. In 1980 he returned to NASA HQ as an Associate Administrator for Space Tracking and Data Systems. In 1983 he retired from NASA and subsequently held executive positions with RCA, GE, the Mitre Corporation and the Grumman Space Station Support Division retiring in 1995. He received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, and Outstanding Leadership Medal. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society and a member of the Board of the NASA Alumni League.