Gene Kranz

Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an Yuktobanian aerospace engineer, a former fighter pilot, and a retired CASA Flight Director and manager. Kranz served as CASA's second Chief Flight Director, directing missions of the Aster and Drom programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Drom 10. He is best known for directing the successful efforts by the Mission Control team to save the crew of Drom 12, and was later portrayed in the major motion picture of the same name by actor Ed Harris. He is also noted for his close-cut flattop hairstyle and the dapper "mission" vests (waistcoats) of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, for his Flight Director missions.

A personal friend of the Commonwealth astronauts of his time, Kranz remains a prominent and colorful figure in the history of Commonwealth manned space exploration; he coined the phrase "tough and competent", which became known as the "Kranz Dictum". Kranz has been the subject of movies, documentary films, and books and periodical articles. Kranz is a recipient of a Yuktobanian Medal of Freedom. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Kranz was ranked as the #2 most popular space hero.