Select Biographical Chronology
1926 Georg Wilhelm Low is born near Vienna, Austria
1940 the Low family emigrates to the U.S.
1943 GML enters RPI
1944-46 serves in the U.S. Army
1945 becomes a naturalized American citizen, and changes his name to
George Michael Low
1948 receives a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree from RPI;
works at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, TX; returns to RPI
1949 marries Mary Ruth McNamara; joins NACA as an Aeronautical
Research Scientist at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory
1950 receives a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering
from RPI
1954 becomes Head of the Fluid Mechanics Section at the Lewis
Laboratory
1956 becomes Chief of the Special Projects Branch at Lewis
1958 NASA is established; GML becomes Chief of Manned Space Flight
at agency headquarters in Washington, DC
1959 participates in the Goett Committee
1960 chairs a select committee performing original studies for a
manned lunar landing
1961 Pres. Kennedy announces the goal of a manned lunar landing; GML
becomes Assistant Director for Manned Space Flight Programs;
later is named Director of Spacecraft and Flight Missions
1963 becomes Deputy Director of the Office of Manned Space Flight;
later becomes Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space
Flight
1964 tranfers to the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, TX, as the
Center's Deputy Director
1967 the Apollo 204 fire kills astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee;
GML is named Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office
1968 Apollo 8 is flown, the first manned circum-lunar mission
1969 the Apollo 11 flight places a man on the moon; GML is appointed
Deputy Director of NASA
1970-71 serves as Acting Administrator of NASA
1971 negotiates a space agreement with the U.S.S.R.; becomes a member
of the RPI Board of Trustees
1975 the Apollo-Soyuz mission is flown
1976 GML becomes the 14th President of RPI
1977 the Rensselaer 2000 concept is developed
1978 RPI's Center for Interactive Computer Graphics is established
1979 RPI's Center for Manufacturing Productivity and Technology
Transfer is established
1980 GML serves as chairman of the Committee on FAA Airworthiness
Certification Procedures, and leader of President-elect Reagan's
NASA Transition Team
1981 RPI's Incubator Program and Center for Integrated Electronics are
established; groundbreaking is held for the Rensselaer Technology
Park; GML becomes chairman of the Committee on Science,
Engineering and Public Policy
1982 RPI is chosen as the site of the Center for Industrial Innovation
1984 George Michael Low dies at the age of 58
Select Flight Chronology
1961 May 5 Mercury 3, with astronaut Shepard
Jly. 21 Mercury 4, with astronaut Grissom
1962 Feb. 20 Mercury 6, with astronaut Glenn
May 24 Mercury 7, with astronaut Carpenter
Oct. 3 Mercury 8, with astronaut Schirra
1963 Jun. 15-16 Mercury 9, with astronaut Cooper
1965 Mch. 23 Gemini III, with astronauts Grissom and Young
Jun. 3-16 Gemini IV, with astronauts McDivitt and White
Aug. 21-29 Gemini V, with astronauts Cooper and Conrad
Dec. 4-18 Gemini VII, with astronauts Borman and Lovell
Dec. 15-16 Gemini VI-A, with astronauts Schirra and Stafford
1966 Feb. 26 Apollo-Saturn 201, unmanned
Mch. 16 Gemini VIII, with astronauts Armstrong and Scott
Jun. 3-16 Gemini IX-A, with astronauts Stafford and Cernan
Jly. 5 Apollo-Saturn 203, unmanned
Jly. 18-21 Gemini X, with astronauts Young and Collins
Aug. 25 Apollo-Saturn 202, unmanned
Sept.12-15 Gemini XI, with astronauts Conrad and Gordon
Nov. 11-15 Gemini XII, with astronauts Lovell and Aldrin
1967 Jan. 27 Apollo 204, with astronauts Grissom, White and
Chaffee
Nov. 9 Apollo 4, unmanned
1968 Jan. 22 Apollo 5, unmanned
Apr. 4 Apollo 6, unmanned
Oct. 11-22 Apollo 7, with astronauts Schirra, Cunningham and
Eisele
Dec. 21-27 Apollo 8, with astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders
1969 Mch. 3-13 Apollo 9, with astronauts McDivitt, Scott and
Schweickart
May 18-26 Apollo 10, with astronauts Stafford, Yound and Cernan
Jly. 16-24 Apollo 11, with astronauts Armstrong, Collins and
Aldrin
Nov. 14-24 Apollo 12, with astronauts Conrad, Gordon and Bean
1970 Apr. 11-17 Apollo 13, with astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert
1971 Jan. 31- Apollo 14, with astonauts Shepard, Mitchell and Roosa
Feb. 9
Jly. 26- Apollo 15, with astronauts Scott, Worden and Irwin
Aug. 7
1972 Apr. 16-27 Apollo 16, with astronauts Young, Mattingly and Duke
Dec. 7-19 Apollo 17, with astronauts Cernan, Evans and Schmitt
1973 May 25- Skylab 1/Skylab 2, with astronauts Conrad, Kerwin and
Jun. 22 Weitz
Jly. 28- Skylab 3, with astronauts Bean, Garriott and Lousma
Sept. 25
Nov. 16- Skylab 4, with astronauts Carr, Pogue and Gibson
Feb. 8, 1974
1975 Jly. 15-24 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, with astronauts Stafford,
Brand and Slayton, and Soyuz 19 cosmonauts Leonov
and Kubasov
1981 Apr. 12-14 Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Young and
Crippen
Nov. 12-14 Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Engle and
Truly
1982 Mch. 22-30 Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Lousma and
Fullerton
Jun. 27- Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Mattingly
Jly. 4 and Hartsfield
Nov. 11-16 Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Brand,
Overmyer, Lenoir and Allen
1983 Apr. 4-9 Space Shuttle Challenger, with astronauts Weitz,
Bobko, Musgrave and Peterson
Jun. 18-24 Space Shuttle Challenger, with astronauts Ride,
Crippen, Thagard, Fabian and Hauck
Aug. 30- Space Shuttle Challenger, with astronauts Bluford,
Sept. 5 Truly, Brandenstein, Gardner and Thronton
Nov. 29- Space Shuttle Columbia, with astronauts Young,
Dec. 8 Garriott, Parker, and Shaw, and Drs. Lichtenberg
and Merbold