NASA Safety Pioneer Jerome Lederer Dies at 101
02.17.04
Image left: Jerome Lederer in a circa 1967 photo. Credit: NASA
A MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR
Last week our nation and the NASA family lost one of the true
heroes of aviation and space flight, Jerome F. Lederer.
In a remarkable life that spanned the entire history of powered
flight, Lederer, 101, did nothing less than make air travel safer
for millions of passengers and contributed greatly to the success
of NASA's lunar landing missions.
In the course of his 46 year public service career Jerome Lederer
performed groundbreaking safety studies for the Air Mail Service,
the Civil Aeronautics Board's Safety Bureau and the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
He is credited with introducing blinking anticollision lights and flight data
recorders to aircraft. He also participated in the group that
organized the Federal Aviation Administration and modernized the
air traffic control system.
In 1967, following the tragic Apollo 1 fire, NASA Administrator
James Webb asked Mr. Lederer to become director of our Office of
Manned Space Flight Safety. He worked successfully to upgrade
NASA-wide safety policies and to implement safety awareness
programs throughout the Agency.
In a 1967 interview with the New York Times he said, "The principles are the same in aviation and
space safety. You always have to fight complacency--you need
formal programs to ensure that safety is always kept in mind."
From 1970 until his retirement in 1972, he served as safety
director for all NASA activities. In 1969, Mr. Lederer received
NASA's Exceptional Service Medal.
Our
sympathies go out to Mr. Lederer's wife of 68 years, Sarah
Boharsky Lederer of Laguna Hills, California, and to the entire Lederer
family.
Sean O'Keefe
NASA Administrator