Robert Frimtzis ^People

In 1962, at North American Aviation (Rockwell) in Downey, California, Robert Frimtzis was engaged in guidance and control studies for advanced systems. Later, as project manager of the Apollo Mission Simulator (AMS), a device being designed for the purpose of training astronauts to fly to the moon, Robert worked closely withNeil Armstrong, the only astronaut assigned to follow the AMS. He later managed the development of the timelines defining all the activities the three astronauts had toperform in the correct chronological sequence for each lunar Apollo mission.In 1966 at Hughes Aircraft Company (HAC) in El Segundo, California, Frimtziswas the assistant manager of the Trajectory Analysis Department on the Surveyor pro- gram. The department developed the trajectories for all Surveyor spacecraft flights.Additionally, he managed the Liftoff and Translation experiment. It proved that space- craft engines can be reignited on the lunar surface, a task which was not a Surveyor technical requirement.The Surveyor was the first unmanned spacecraft to soft land onthe moon. In addition to collecting and analyzing lunar samples, and photographing the surface of the moon, it proved the principle of soft landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface, and selected the landing corridor for the future Apollo manned flights. Later, as the engineering department manager, and assistant laboratory manager of systems engineering for a criticaldefense satellite program.