NASA Office of Logic Design

A scientific study of the problems of digital engineering for space flight systems,
with a view to their practical solution.

2006 MAPLD International Conference

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
with a session at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Washington, D.C.

September 26-28, 2006

Sy Liebergot
NASA Manned Space Center

Biography

 

Sy began his engineering career with North American Aviation, in Downey, CA, before graduating from California State University-Los Angeles with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1963. His space career began at North American at the very inception of the Apollo lunar program when he joined a newly formed Flight Operations Group. In 1964, he transferred to Houston, Texas as a member of the Flight Operations Group in support of NASA Mission Operations at the Manned Spacecraft Center, which had just opened.

Sy switched over to NASA after about a year to qualify for a "front room" flight controller position in the mission control center in order to "get in on the action." He became a veteran flight controller of many flights serving as Operations and Procedures Officer on AS-202, as Assistant Flight Director On AS-501 (the first Saturn V launch), and as EECOM (Electrical, Environmental, Consumables) Flight Controller on Apollo missions 8 - 15.

Sy was the Lead EECOM Flight Controller throughout all Apollo manned missions and an EGIL (Skylab EECOM) for all of the Skylab program missions. On the international scene, Sy was the Lead EECOM for the American-Russian Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. He contributed his experience to early shuttle missions and to the space station design.

Sy, as a Senior Project Engineer, directed the design and fabrication of the astronaut neutral buoyancy trainers for the International Space Station (ISS). He remains an active booster and international public speaker of NASA's space accomplishments and the importance of a good education. He lives in Pearland, Texas with his wife, Craig.

 

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Professional Experience

• 1963: BS Electrical Engineering California State University

• 1961-1964: North American Aviation Flight Operations Group

• 1964-1986: NASA

  • Flight Controller

  • Lead EECOM Flight Controller - Apollo

  • Lead EGIL (EECOM) Flight Controller - Skylab

  • Lead EECOM Flight Controller - ASTP

  • Project Design Team - Space Shuttle

  • Project Design Team - ISS

• 1995-2001: SpaceHab Senior Project Engineer for Design of Astronaut Neutral Buoyancy International Space Station Laboratory Trainers

Honors

• Presidential Medal of Freedom- Apollo 13

• NASA Commendation Award- leadership role in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) international space mission.

• Distinguished Alumnus- California State University-Los Angeles School of Engineering and Technology

• Museum of Flight "Wings of Heroes" Honoree

• Space Frontier Foundation 2005 Hero of the Moon

Publications and Consulting

As EECOM in Mission Control on Apollo 13, Sy was at the focal point of the crisis when the spacecraft oxygen tank exploded. He has advised and contributed to several books concerning Apollo 13 including the movie, Apollo 13; and was the technical adviser for an archival multi-media CD-ROM entitled Apollo 13, A Race Against Time, which is devoted to the Apollo 13 mission. He has appeared in the PBS NOVA series, the History Channel Modern Marvels, and the acclaimed Public Broadcast System documentary Apollo 13, To The Edge and Back. He served as the on-camera host for a space documentary entitled In the Shadow of the Moon, produced by the CBS affiliate in Austin, Texas. He recently has published his autobiography entitled Apollo EECOM: Journey Of A Lifetime.

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Digital Engineering Institute
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