SANDESTIN - Forty-five years ago today, man did the impossible. He walked on the moon.
Today, Don Cooksey can't help but smile when he picks up a print of Neil Armstrong standing beside an American flag, his footprints visible on the lunar surface.
The large photo is one of about two dozen the Sandestin resident has collected over the years, but it's still his favorite.
For more photos, click here.
Years before Armstrong became a national hero, the now-retired engineer was one of the NASA employees working toward President John F. Kennedy's goal to reach the moon.
He doesn't brag about the connection. Cooksey said making history was the last thing on their minds.
'We didn't know at that point what the outcome was to be. We just had a job to do,' he said.
Before retiring, he had a room dedicated to his NASA memorabilia. Today, because his home is much smaller, most of the items stay packed away.
But this week, in honor of the 45th anniversary, he pulled them out again.
And just remembered.
'Kind of mind-boggling to think it's been that long,' he said with a shake of his head. 'Doesn't seem like it.'
The career launch
Cooksey was designing bridges in Louisville, Kentucky, the day NASA came calling.
A University of Kentucky graduate with deep roots in the River City, he'd never really given outer space too much thought. But as a man in his 20s, he was open to a new adventure.
'I had been doing it for about four years,' Cooksey said of bridge design. 'I was kind of bored.'
NASA, he said, was looking for engineers to help get the still-new, government-funded program off the ground.
It was 1962 when he accepted a job in Sandusky, Ohio, at Plum Brook Station. Along with other engineers, Cooksey was tasked with figuring out how to harness the power of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen without damaging the structural integrity of the Centaur rocket.
Before they began work with the volatile substances, Cooksey and the other engineers were 'quarantined,' he recalled. Their movement was quite restricted, he said, until instructors came in and gave them a crash course in cryogenics.
Once the instruction was complete, they got to work on the 8,000-acre test ground set aside for the project. It was an enormous area whose scope proved more than necessary, he said.
One time, when igniting the rocket fuel for a quarter of a second, windows cracked in downtown Sandusky a couple of miles away.
Landing on the moon
In the years prior to Apollo 11's weeklong flight, engineers in Sandusky were constantly conducting research.
The Atlas/Centaur rocket team eventually helped NASA reach the moon for the first time and confirm it was safe to stand on. The team even scoped out seven potential landing locations.
'When he (Armstrong) got there, the story is he didn't like any of the seven, so he found one of his own,' Cooksey said with a laugh.
Cooksey had no hard feelings about Armstrong choosing a different location and said he watched the moment on television just like an estimated 530 million other Americans.
Today, he joins them in remembering the historic achievement on its anniversary. But Cooksey can also recall how NASA propelled his life into unexpected, welcome directions.
'It was exciting; it was fun,' he said. 'You look back on it and it went so fast.'
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.
Former NASA engineer helped get man on the moon (PHOTOS)
SANDESTIN - Forty-five years ago today, man did the impossible. He walked on the moon.
Today, Don Cooksey can't help but smile when he picks up a print of Neil Armstrong standing beside an American flag, his footprints visible on the lunar surface.
The large photo is one of about two dozen the Sandestin resident has collected over the years, but it's still his favorite.
For more photos, click here.
Years before Armstrong became a national hero, the now-retired engineer was one of the NASA employees working toward President John F. Kennedy's goal to reach the moon.
He doesn't brag about the connection. Cooksey said making history was the last thing on their minds.
'We didn't know at that point what the outcome was to be. We just had a job to do,' he said.
Before retiring, he had a room dedicated to his NASA memorabilia. Today, because his home is much smaller, most of the items stay packed away.
But this week, in honor of the 45th anniversary, he pulled them out again.
And just remembered.
'Kind of mind-boggling to think it's been that long,' he said with a shake of his head. 'Doesn't seem like it.'
The career launch
Cooksey was designing bridges in Louisville, Kentucky, the day NASA came calling.
A University of Kentucky graduate with deep roots in the River City, he'd never really given outer space too much thought. But as a man in his 20s, he was open to a new adventure.
'I had been doing it for about four years,' Cooksey said of bridge design. 'I was kind of bored.'
NASA, he said, was looking for engineers to help get the still-new, government-funded program off the ground.
It was 1962 when he accepted a job in Sandusky, Ohio, at Plum Brook Station. Along with other engineers, Cooksey was tasked with figuring out how to harness the power of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen without damaging the structural integrity of the Centaur rocket.
Before they began work with the volatile substances, Cooksey and the other engineers were 'quarantined,' he recalled. Their movement was quite restricted, he said, until instructors came in and gave them a crash course in cryogenics.
Once the instruction was complete, they got to work on the 8,000-acre test ground set aside for the project. It was an enormous area whose scope proved more than necessary, he said.
One time, when igniting the rocket fuel for a quarter of a second, windows cracked in downtown Sandusky a couple of miles away.
Landing on the moon
In the years prior to Apollo 11's weeklong flight, engineers in Sandusky were constantly conducting research.
The Atlas/Centaur rocket team eventually helped NASA reach the moon for the first time and confirm it was safe to stand on. The team even scoped out seven potential landing locations.
'When he (Armstrong) got there, the story is he didn't like any of the seven, so he found one of his own,' Cooksey said with a laugh.
Cooksey had no hard feelings about Armstrong choosing a different location and said he watched the moment on television just like an estimated 530 million other Americans.
Today, he joins them in remembering the historic achievement on its anniversary. But Cooksey can also recall how NASA propelled his life into unexpected, welcome directions.
'It was exciting; it was fun,' he said. 'You look back on it and it went so fast.'
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.
Entities 0 Name: Cooksey Count: 16 1 Name: NASA Count: 13 2 Name: Armstrong Count: 6 3 Name: moon Count: 6 4 Name: Sandusky Count: 6 5 Name: SANDESTIN Count: 4 6 Name: Neil Armstrong Count: 2 7 Name: University of Kentucky Count: 2 8 Name: Katie Tammen Count: 2 9 Name: River City Count: 2 10 Name: John F. Kennedy Count: 2 11 Name: American Count: 2 12 Name: Louisville Count: 2 13 Name: Kentucky Count: 2 14 Name: Plum Brook Station Count: 2 15 Name: Ohio Count: 2 16 Name: Don Cooksey Count: 2 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1qtDmQx Title: Moon Webcasts Celebrate Apollo 11 Lunar Landing: Watch Live Tonight Description: NASA's Apollo 11 moon landing 45 years ago today (July 20) captivated the world and space fans have a chance to relive that lunar feat with two free webcasts tonight. The online Slooh community observatory will offer live telescope views and expert commentary on the first manned moon landing to begin the night.
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