Gunter Wendt, one of the driving forces of the American space program, passed away earlier this week at age 85. Wendt was the pad leader at Kennedy Space Centre throughout the Mercury and Gemini days, the last face that astronauts saw before heading into space. Always concerned with the safety of his astronauts, Wendt earned the nickname “pad fuhrer” due to his thick German accent and firm rules. He was one of most endearing characters in Tom Hanks’ HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon”. more details here: http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050310a.html
