Thomas J. Kelly (aerospace engineer)
Thomas Joseph Kelly was an American aerospace engineer. Kelly primarily worked on the Apollo Lunar Module, which earned him the name of "Father of the Lunar Module" from NASA.
Kelly at National Academy of Engineering
Kelly led the team at Grumman that designed and built the Lunar Module (LM2 shown)
Tom Kelly and Owen Maynard (center) in the Spacecraft Analysis Room (SPAN) during the flight of Apollo 11
The Apollo Lunar Module, originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed spacecraft to operate exclusively in the airless vacuum of space, and remains the only crewed vehicle to land anywhere beyond Earth.
Apollo 16 LM Orion on the lunar surface, 1972
Lunar Module Eagle, the lunar module ascent stage of Apollo 11, in orbit above the Moon. Earth is visible in the distance. Photograph by Michael Collins aboard the Command module Columbia.
A 1962 model of the first LEM design, docked to the command and service module. The model is held by Joseph Shea, the key engineer behind the adoption of lunar orbit rendezvous mission logistics.
This 1963 model depicts the second LEM design, which gave rise to informal references as "the bug".
