George Mueller (NASA) - Mueller's Working Style

Mueller's Working Style

Almost everyone who worked with Mueller on Apollo agreed he was technically brilliant and exceedingly capable. Even those who frequently disagreed with him like Christopher Kraft or George Low recognized his abilities. While Mueller could be described as intellectually arrogant he was not an office tyrant, in fact, one of his colleagues, John Disher, describes working for him as a "piece of cake". Nor did he try to belittle others or shout them down. While appearing affable and reasonably charming "with the epitome of politeness, but you know down deep he's just as hard as steel!".

Interestingly, we get a rare glimpse inside the extremely rational, hard to know Mueller when he was asked what was his most memorable moment during the years of Apollo. It wasn't the first launch of the Saturn V, the Apollo 8 triumph or even the moon landing but a surprise birthday party that his staff organized for him after the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969.

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