21 Facts About Tecwyn Roberts

Tecwyn Roberts was a Welsh spaceflight engineer who in the 1960s played important roles in designing the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and creating NASA's worldwide tracking and communications network.

Tecwyn Roberts later joined NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center where he served as Director and Manager of the Goddard Space Flight Center's global tracking and communications system supporting NASA's manned and unmanned low earth orbiting flight programs.

Tecwyn Roberts, alternately nicknamed "Tec" and "Tex", was born 10 October 1925 in Liverpool to William and Grace Tecwyn Roberts, from Anglesey.

Tecwyn Roberts lost his father c 1936 and he moved with his mother to live with her parents in Rhos-y-bol, Anglesey.

Tecwyn Roberts's name appears in the school log-book several times during 1936 and 1937 as he and his mother moved back and forth between Rhos-y-bol and Liverpool.

Tecwyn Roberts continued his studies at the Beaumaris Grammar School, from which he graduated in 1942.

Tecwyn Roberts is known to have returned to Anglesey at least once in July 1970.

Whilst working for Saunders-Roe on the Isle of Wight, Tecwyn Roberts met Doris Sprake whom he later married.

Tecwyn Roberts joined NASA in April 1959, one of a group of 25 engineers and technicians hired from Avro Canada by NASA.

Tecwyn Roberts was involved immediately in formulating the requirements for the tracking and communications network, and the Mercury Mission Control Center to provide the flight control of the missions.

In 1960, Tecwyn Roberts became NASA's first Flight Dynamics Officer at the Mercury Control Center, where his tasks centered on controlling the trajectory of the spacecraft and planning adjustments to it.

In 1962, Tecwyn Roberts was appointed head of the Mission Control Center Requirements Branch, as which he played a key role in the design and further development of the Mercury Control Center at Cape Kennedy and at the subsequent Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, where NASA's manned spaceflight program had been transferred in 1961.

When Tecwyn Roberts assumed his new position, Glynn Lunney succeeded him as Flight Dynamics Officer.

On 21 May 1962, Tecwyn Roberts was appointed head of Manned Flight Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

In July 1964, Tecwyn Roberts became Technical Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Director of Tracking and Data systems at Goddard Space Flight Center, and chief of the Manned Flight Engineering Division.

Tecwyn Roberts became chief of the Manned Flight Support Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center during the Apollo program in 1965.

Tecwyn Roberts was present when the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station was opened by Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt on 17 March 1967.

Later in 1967, Tecwyn Roberts became Chief of the Network Engineering Division, which he headed during the first landing on the Moon.

In 1979, Tecwyn Roberts retired as Director of Networks at Goddard and from NASA and became a consultant to the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation.

Four years later, Tecwyn Roberts died on 27 December 1988, aged 63 years.

Tecwyn Roberts was buried at St Stephens Episcopal Cemetery, Crownsville, Maryland.