Samuel C. Phillips

Samuel C. Phillips was born on February 19, 1921 in Arizona. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1942, and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1950. He served in the Air Force during World War II, after which he served as the Director of the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program.

He joined NASA in 1963 as the Director of the Apollo program. He investigated delays and budget issues in the program and wrote a summary of his findings in what later became known as “the Phillips Report” after the Apollo 1 fire. Phillips stepped down from NASA in 1969 and returned to the Air Force as the commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organization. He retired from the Air Force in 1975 a four-star general. Phillips received the Smithsonian’s Langley Gold Medal in aviation and space exploration for his work on the Apollo program.