Harry "Hank" Rotter

"Apollo Project Thermal Engineering"

SPEAKER -- Mr. Harry "Hank" Rotter joined NASA in 1963 and retired in 2019 with just over 56 years of service.

After earning a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, Mr. Rotter joined the Johnson Space Center. His first position was as mechanical and stress engineer for the manned centrifuge, drop tower, and man rated vacuum Chambers in the Flight Acceleration Branch/ Crew Systems Division. He served as a test director for these facilities testing Gemini and Apollo suits and hardware.

In 1967 he took a new position as Environmental Control System engineer for the Apollo spacecraft's Command and Service Modules. His service began with Apollo 7 and continued through the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. He then moved to the Shuttle program, where he managed the orbiter's Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). He was also Project Manager for the Orbiter Tunnel Adapters that provided crew access to manned payloads in the payload bay.

His duties expanded as he became ECLSS Work Package Manager for all the ECLSS subsystems, then Division Chief Engineer for ECLSS, Crew Equipment, Crew Escape System, EVA Systems, and ECS payload integration and accommodations. His work included design for the Shuttle 28 day missions, as well as design for Shuttle connections to the Russian Mir space station and the International Space Station.

In 2000 he became the ECLSS lead for Orbital Space Plane project, and in 2003 he jointed the NASA Engineering and Safety Center as the ECLSS and Active Thermal Control Systems (ATCS) disciplines lead. He also became ECLSS and ATCS NASA Technical Fellow and NASA Technical Capability Lead for the NASA Chief Engineer Office.

He has lead investigations of technical problems and mishaps, including the Mir space station fire and the Mir Spectra leak. He also investigated the fire abort the British submarine HMS Tireless, the GOES-17 thermal failure, and the pilot hypoxia issues of the F/A-18 Hornet.

His awards include a Shuttle program star award, a distinguished service medal, and three exceptional service medals.

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov