Former NASA Engineer Recalls First Lunar Landing with Pride

Bob Cromwell, a former metallurgical engineer for the Apollo Program Office at NASA headquarters, remembers the reactions of his colleagues after the first lunar landing, which occurred almost 43 years ago on July 20, 1969.

“Everyone was tremendously proud,” said Cromwell, who assisted in managing safety, reliability, and quality surveys and administered annual audits at the Johnson Space Center (Houston, Tex.), the Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, Ala.), and the Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, Fla.).  “We had to have faith that it was going to go well,” said Cromwell.

One of Cromwell’s favorite memories from the activity surrounding the momentous event involves a chance meeting with Neil Armstrong just after the lunar landing.  Having been asked to represent the NASA headquarters at a conference on Long Island, Cromwell later realized Armstrong was also speaking at the event.  To this day, Cromwell keeps a treasured photo of himself with Armstrong taken at that event in his home at in Springfield, Va.

Cromwell still attends annual NASA luncheons, and speaks with great satisfaction in having been involved in the historic Apollo program.  “It sure made my mother proud,” said Cromwell, who displays an article from 1969 citing his involvement in the NASA program from his hometown newspaper, the Amherst News-Times.

Cromwell was born in Amherst, Ohio, and was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 1943.  While in the Navy, Cromwell participated in a variety of duties from ordinance storage to air operations to graves registration in several locations from Hawaii to the Caroline Islands to the Gilbert Islands. 

After leaving the Navy in 1946, Cromwell lived in Massachusetts until relocating to the Washington, D.C. area for the position at NASA in 1962, where he worked until retirement in 1977.  He continued to live in Fairfax for 40 years.  In 2002 he and his wife Ginny moved to Greenspring.

About Greenspring:  Greenspring, one of 16 Erickson Living full-service retirement communities, is situated on a scenic 108-acre campus in Springfield, Virginia.  The community is home to nearly 2000 residents, many of which reside in the 1405 independent living apartment-style homes.  At Greenspring, over 200 resident-driven clubs and programs promote an engaged, fulfilling lifestyle that is reflected in resident satisfaction levels that exceed the industry average.  Life at Greenspring offers a true sense of community and is an exciting alternative to the typical retirement community.  Additional information about Greenspring can be found at www.ericksonliving.com.