Retrofire: The Story of Tom Weichel from Colony, Oklahoma to the Moon!

by Bill Moore

America's answer to the Soviet threat in the 1960s was a race to the moon. President John F. Kennedy challenged the American people to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. That massive effort required the skills of thousands of Americans. Reaching into the heart of the country, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration pulled young engineers fresh out of college ready to take on this amazing task. Among the many college graduates was a young man from the small town of Colony, Oklahoma. Tom Weichel had grown up on a farm and knew common sense and hard work. These qualities suited him perfectly for the jobs NASA had in mind. Weichel went to Houston with a new Physics degree and a new wife. He and the other young engineers helped America achieve one of the greatest accomplishments of all time - landing a man on the moon. But it is more than this. It is the story of a young man experiencing life in the big world. He flies to numerous NASA sites around the country and the world to oversee the Agena during the Gemini missions. Then when the programs changed and Weichel moved over to Apollo, he moved into the world of Mission Control with the task of bringing the ships home from orbit or from the Moon. That responsibility really was tested with his final mission of Apollo 13. Weichel then returned to the farm and ranch life of western Oklahoma to raise his family.There are numerous books by and about the astronauts and some in Mission Control, but none about a Retrofire Officer like Tom Weichel. I believe it will be a popular book among space enthusiasts, historians and students/researchers.

171 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2019