Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-04-2022 03:36 AM
Who were the suit technicians that suited-up the Apollo astronauts on launch day? Some of the names are familiar. I have not seen a complete list anywhere. I think Ron Woods was the suit tech for Aldrin on Apollo 11.
Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. is being assisted by a spacesuit technician during suiting operations in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building prior to the astronauts' departure to Launch Pad 39A.
GTBuzz Member
Posts: 11 From: Atlanta, GA, US Registered: Apr 2019
Posts: 2018 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 12-05-2022 08:16 AM
This photo is of my cousin Joe Rebokus.
He worked for David Clark Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is in all the videos loading Ed White into the spacecraft the day of the Apollo 1 fire.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-05-2022 09:30 PM
I'll make a list of the suit techs on launch day and add to it as we go:
[additional contributors in brackets]
Apollo 1 (Jan 27) Grissom ... White ... Joe Rebokus [ejectr] Chaffee ...
Apollo 7 Schirra ... Clyde Teague Eisele ... Keith Walton [heng44] Cunningham ... Jim Lewis [heng44]
Apollo 8 Borman ... Dick Sandridge [heng44] Lovell ... Ron Woods Anders ... Bob McDilda [heng44]
Apollo 9 McDivitt ... Clyde Teague Scott ... John Bolan Schweickart ...
Apollo 10 Stafford ... Al Rochford Young ... Jim McNair Cernan ...
Apollo 11 Armstrong ... Troy Stewart Collins ... Joe Schmitt Aldrin ... Ron Woods
Apollo 12 Conrad ... Dick Sandridge Gordon ... Bill Prior Bean ... John Bolan
Apollo 13 Lovell ... Clyde Teague [heng44] Swigert ... Haise ... Troy Stewart
Apollo 14 Shepard ... Al Rochford Roosa ... Mitchell ...
Apollo 15 Scott ... Joe Schmitt Worden ... Ron Woods Irwin ... Frank Hernandez [heng44]
Apollo 16 Young ... Clyde Teague Mattingly ... Frank Hernandez [heng44] Duke ... Troy Stewart
Apollo 17 Cernan ... Al Rochford [heng44] Evans ... Troy Stewart [heng44] Schmitt ...
Skylab 2 Conrad ... Joe Schmitt Kerwin ... Frank Hernandez Weitz ...
Skylab 3 Bean ... Garriott ... Ron Woods Lousma ... Al Rochford
Skylab 4 Carr ... Troy Stewart [heng44] Gibson ... Walt Salyer Pogue ...
ASTP Stafford ... Frank Hernandez Brand ... Al Rochford [heng44] Slayton ... Joe Schmitt [heng44]
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-06-2022 07:58 AM
Al Rochford and Alan Shepard on launch day.
heng44 Member
Posts: 3760 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 12-07-2022 09:43 AM
Some additions:
Grissom ... White ... Joe Rebokus Chaffee ...
Apollo 7 Schirra ... Clyde Teague Eisele ... Keith Walton Cunningham ... Jim Lewis
Apollo 8 Borman ... Dick Sandridge Lovell ... Ron Woods Anders ... Bob McDilda (Joe Schmitt was also there, but more in a supervising role)
Apollo 9 McDivitt ... Clyde Teague Scott ... John Bolan Schweickart ...
Apollo 10 Stafford ... Young ... Cernan ...
Apollo 11 Armstrong ... Troy Stewart Collins ... Joe Schmitt Aldrin ... Ron Woods
Apollo 12 Conrad ... Gordon ... Bean ...
Apollo 13 Lovell ... Clyde Teague Swigert ... Haise ... Troy Stewart
Apollo 14 Shepard ... Al Rochford Roosa ... Mitchell ...
Apollo 15 Scott ... Worden ... Ron Woods Irwin ... Frank Hernandez
Apollo 16 Young ... Mattingly ... Frank Hernandez Duke ... Troy Stewart
Apollo 17 Cernan ... Al Rochford Evans ... Troy Stewart Schmitt ...
Skylab 2 Conrad ... Joe Schmitt Kerwn ... Frank Hernandez Weitz ...
Skylab 3 Bean ... Garriott ... Lousma ... Al Rochford
Skylab 4 Carr ... Troy Stewart Gibson ... Pogue ...
ASTP Stafford ... Frank Hernandez Brand ... Al Rochford Slayton ... Joe Schmitt
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-07-2022 09:05 PM
Is this Ron Woods assisting Richard Gordon on launch day?
Update: he is identified as Bill Prior in Moonshots and Snapshots on page 105.
thisismills Member
Posts: 566 From: Michigan Registered: Mar 2012
posted 12-07-2022 11:04 PM
I have a sewn suit beta cloth patch from Troy Michael Stewart in my collection, here are a few photos of him with Armstrong I found during my research.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-08-2022 08:13 AM
It looks like Clyde Teague is suiting up John Young in some Apollo 16 film footage, so I will add that to the list.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-10-2022 11:01 AM
Two suit techs can be seen in this Apollo 10 crew walkout photo on launch day. One looks like Al Rochford. I don't know who the other one is.
In an Apollo 10 CDDT suit-up photo, Rochford is seen with Tom Stafford. The other suit tech is seen with John Young.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-13-2022 12:07 AM
John Bolan suited up Al Bean on launch day for Apollo 12.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-15-2022 08:01 PM
Who is assisting Jack Swigert in this Apollo 13 suit-up photo? The man on the left looks like the person who suited up Frank Borman for Apollo 8.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 12-19-2022 03:03 AM
Here is a photo of Clyde Teague with the Apollo 16 crew.
Captain Apollo Member
Posts: 365 From: UK Registered: Jun 2004
posted 01-22-2023 09:48 AM
Who was the female technician involved in the Apollo 11 suit up? She's seen working some equipment in films of the event.
EDIT - it was Judy Sullivan.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-02-2023 05:24 PM
This photo shows the ASTP crew suiting up for an altitude chamber test. The three suit techs (who also suited them up on launch day) can be easily identified in the same shot:
Frank Hernandez with Stafford
Al Rochford with Brand
Joe Schmitt with Slayton
heng44 Member
Posts: 3760 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 02-03-2023 08:54 AM
Dick Sandridge helped Borman suit up on Apollo 8. I added him to my listing above.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-03-2023 12:33 PM
He (Sandridge) looks like the suit tech for Conrad on Apollo 12.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-05-2023 03:49 AM
The suit tech walking behind Al Rochford in the Apollo 10 crew walkout photo posted earlier is Jim McNair. He looks like the suit tech who assisted John Young.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-08-2023 09:29 PM
The suit techs who entered the astronaut transfer van and went to the pad:
Apollo 7: Clyde Teague and Keith Walton
Apollo 8: Joe Schmitt and Dick Sandridge
Apollo 9: Clyde Teague and John Bolan
Apollo 10: Al Rochford and Jim McNair
Apollo 11: Joe Schmitt and Ron Woods
Apollo 12: Dick Sandridge and John Bolan
Apollo 13: Clyde Teague and Troy Stewart
Apollo 14: Al Rochford and ?
Apollo 15: Joe Schmitt and Frank Hernandez
Apollo 16: Clyde Teague and Troy Stewart
Apollo 17: Al Rochford and ?
Skylab 2: Joe Schmitt and Frank Hernandez
Skylab 3: Al Rochford and ?
Skylab 4: Troy Stewart and ?
ASTP: Al Rochford and Frank Hernandez
List is incomplete. Any additions or corrections?
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-09-2023 08:47 AM
In the above list, the unidentified suit tech for Apollo 17 is also the unidentified suit tech for Skylab 3. It is the same person.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-15-2023 12:38 PM
I have seen the two Skylab suit techs who went to the pad referred to as "SSSA" and "SSSB" in one countdown document.
closeout crew at the pad:
SPAD ... pad leader?
BSPT ... backup crew CMP?
SGQC ... quality control?
SCMT ... command module tech?
SSSA ... suit tech?
SSSB ... suit tech?
Does anyone know what those acronyms mean?
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 02-16-2023 04:51 AM
The astronaut transfer van was Vehicle No. 3 at the pad. Vehicle No. 1 and Vehicle No. 2 were for the other four members of the white room closeout crew.
After closeout, the suit techs left the pad area in Vehicle No. 1.
Paul78zephyr Member
Posts: 813 From: Hudson, MA Registered: Jul 2005
posted 03-04-2023 03:58 PM
quote:Originally posted by Captain Apollo: ...it was Judy Sullivan.
Thank you for that info. I wondered who she was also. She is 80 years old now. Here is an interview with her in 2019 during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11:
Philip Member
Posts: 6268 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
posted 02-20-2024 12:04 PM
Looking for a portrait photo of Clyde Teague.
heng44 Member
Posts: 3760 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 09-08-2024 01:22 PM
Two additions to the list.
Apollo 7 - Eisele: Keith Walton
Apollo 7 - Cunningham: Jim Lewis
Apollo 8 - Anders: Bob McDilda (Joe Schmitt was also there, but probably more in a supervising role)
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 09-08-2024 03:02 PM
Okay Ed, thanks for those new names.
So, in this Apollo 7 launch day suiting up photo I guess we are seeing Clyde Teague with Schirra, Keith Walton with Eisele, and Jim Lewis with Cunningham.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3983 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 09-09-2024 05:41 AM
Who is the suit tech seen in this Apollo 1 photo? It looks like Al Rochford, but I am not sure.
heng44 Member
Posts: 3760 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 09-10-2024 02:58 AM
Yes, it is Al Rochford.
posted 12-04-2022 03:36 AM
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