NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET
NAME: Robert Edwin Smylie
ORAL HISTORY: 17 April 1999
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi,
1952
MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1956
MS in Management, Sloan Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, 1967
graduate course work, University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
PRE-NASA CAREER:
Industrial Engineer, Ethyl Corporation, Pasadena, Texas (1952-1954)
Douglas Aircraft Company, Santa Monica, California
Engineer, DC-8 program (1956-1960)
Head, research group on air conditioning supersonic transports
Lead Engineer, Skybolt missile thermal conditioning systems (1960-1962)
NASA CAREER:
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
Head, Life Systems Section, Environmental Control Systems Branch, Life Systems
Division (1962)
Head, Environmental Control Systems Branch, Crew Systems Division (1962-1964)
Assistant Chief for Apollo Support, Crew Systems Division (1964-1968)
Acting Chief, Crew Systems Division, Engineering and Development Directorate
(1969-1970)
Chief, Crew Systems Division (1970-1973)
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology (1973-1976)
Acting Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology (1976)
Associate Administrator for Space Tracking and Data Systems (1980-1983)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Deputy Director (1976-1979)
Acting Director (1979-1980)
POST-NASA CAREER:
Executive positions with: RCA, General Electric, and the Mitre Corporation
Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Robert E. Smylie
Space Station Integration Division, Grumman Aerospace Corporation
Vice President of Technical Operations, Space Station Support Division, Grumman
Aerospace Corp., Reston, Virginia
CURRENT OCCUPATION: President, Smylie Associates - aerospace consultant for NASA and
industry
PROFESSIONAL & HONORARY SOCIETIES:
• Fellow, American Astronautical Society
• Honorary Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
AWARDS & CITATIONS:
• AIAA Victor Prather Award
• NASA Exceptional Service Medal
SELECT PUBLICATIONS:
Boyntin, J. H., R. G. Arbic, Charles A. Berry, R. E. Day, P. C. Donnelly, W. R. Kelly, J.
P. Mayer, Alan B. Shepard, and Robert E. Smylie. Postlaunch memorandum report
for Mercury-Atlas no. 9 (MA-9). Part 1: Mission Analysis. NASA TM-X-61634.
Cape Canaveral, FL: NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, 1963.
Faget, Maxime A. and Robert E. Smylie. “Apollo life-support and protective systems.”
Presented to the International Astronautical Federation 20th Congress, Mar del Plata,
Argentina, October 5-10, 1969.
Hays, E. L. and Robert E. Smylie. “Development of nonmetallic materials for space
applications.” In Survival and Flight Equipment Association: Proceedings of the 8th
Annual Symposium, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 28 - October 1, 1970, by the
Survival and Flight Equipment Association, 171-197. N.p.: Survival and Flight
Equipment Association, 1970.
Smylie, Robert E. and Maurice R. Reumont, “Life-support systems.” In Manned
Spacecraft: Engineering Design and Operation, ed. Paul E. Purser, Maxime A. Faget,
and Norman F. Smith, 137-160. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1964.
Smylie, Robert E. “NASA activities and plans.” In Space Tracking and Data Systems,
Proceedings of the Symposium, Arlington, Virginia, 16-18 June, 1981, by the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 65-74. Arlington, VA: American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1981.
Smylie, Robert E. “NASA development of firefighter protective equipment.” NASA TM-
X-70347 (CASI 74N75846). Houston: NASA Johnson Space Center, 1972.
Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Robert E. Smylie
Smylie, Robert E. “Space Station technology planning.” In Lewis Research Center
Spacecraft Environmental Interactions Technology, NASA, 13-18. Washington DC:
NASA, 1985.
Smylie, Robert E. “Update to the TRDS-A mission operation report.” NASA TM-85283
(CASI 83N20987). Washington: NASA, 1983.
Smylie, Robert E. and R. O. Aller. “The NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
Systems and its impact on spacecraft support in the space transportation system era.”
In International Astronautical Federation, International Astronautical Congress, 32nd,
Rome, Italy, 6-12 September 1981, by the International Astronautical Federation.
Smylie, Robert E. and R R. Stephens. “The NASA data systems standardization program
- rationale and scope.” In Proceedings of the International Telemetering Conference,
San Diego, California, 24-27 October 1983, by the Instrument Society of America,
820-827. Research Triangle Park, NC: Instrument Society of America, 1983.
PATENTS:
Samonski, F. H., Jr. And Robert E. Smylie. “Liquid-gas separator for zero gravity
environment patent.” 1967.
BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:
“NASA Key Personnel Change - 2 April 1980,” Robert E. Smylie Biographical File,
Scientific and Technical Information Center, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston,
TX.
“Nomination for the 1971 Victor A. Prather Award - American Astronautical
Society,” American Astronautical Society Awards folder, Awards by Organization file,
Awards Office, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.
Robert E. Smylie, “The Application of Decision CPM to Incentive Contracts”
(Master’s Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1967).
Robert E. Smylie. Short Resume, 22 January 1999.
“Robert E. Smylie Service Record Card,” Personnel Files, Human Resources Office,
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.
Who’s Who in Aviation and Aerospace, U.S. Edition, Compiled with the assistance
of Jane’s Publishing Company, Ltd. Boston and New York: National Aeronautical
Institute, 1983. s.v. Smylie, Robert E.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET CREATED: 8 MARCH 1999
