William H. Ruffner Medal

Kraft selected 2002 Ruffner Medal recipient

By Lynn Nystrom

When Christopher C. Kraft Jr. won the 1999 National Space Trophy from Rotary International, the group described him as "a driving force in the U.S. human space flight program from its beginnings to the Space Shuttle era, a man whose accomplishments have become legendary."

In honor of his distinguished service to science and the nation, the Board of Visitors has awarded him the 2002 William H. Ruffner Medal, the university's highest honor.

"Virginia Tech is truly honored to count among its esteemed alumni Dr. Christopher C. Kraft," President Charles Steger said. "He has provided vision and leadership in his service to the university on the Board of Visitors in addition to his support for Alumni Center Campaign, the Class of '45 Campaign and the College of Engineering Committee of 100."

Kraft was instrumental in the decision to land an astronaut on the moon. He led the planning and operational control of programs from the two sub-orbital Mercury missions through Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the Apollo Soyuz/test project. He was deeply involved in the development of the Space Shuttle. During its definition and design studies, he played a vital role in the decision-making process that created the Space Shuttle program, and he determined the initial configuration of the Space Shuttle system, a new concept in space transportation. Kraft was the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, from January 1972 to August 1982.

Kraft was born in 1924, two years before American physicist Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. Graduating in 1944 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering, he immediately joined the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor of NASA.

In 1958, Kraft was selected as one of the original members of the Space Task Group, the organization established to manage the Project Mercury. The group developed the basic concepts of the Mercury Project that launched the human space flight program for the United States. He personally served as the flight director for all of the Mercury missions and many of the Gemini missions.

Kraft retired from NASA in 1982. In a tribute to his career at the time, the Roanoke Times editorialized that he "epitomized the space agehe probably instilled more confidence in our space program than any slick campaign could have done, because of his knowledge and ability to impart it."

Since his retirement, Kraft has consulted for Rockwell International, IBM, and a number of other companies. A brief listing of his many honors include membership in the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, the International Academy of Astronautics of the International Astronautical Association, and the Aerospace Medical Association.

Among his awards, he received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal from the president of the United States in 1963, the Spirit of St. Louis Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1965, the Virginian of the Year Award from the Virginia Press Association in 1967, the ASME Medal in 1973, and the Goddard Memorial Trophy from the National Space Club in 1979. He also received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the highest NASA award, four times.