Wives, children of Apollo program have happy and difficult memories
For the families of astronauts and NASA leaders, the 50th anniversary of the moon landing brings back memories of a time when their private lives were lived under the glare of constant media attention.
Apollo-Saturn 7 crew members, from left, astronauts Wally Schirra, commander; Walter Cunningham, lunar module pilot; and Donn Eisele, command module pilot. Photo courtesy of NASA
Retired school nurse Harriet Eisele was married to astronaut Donn Eisele, who flew in Apollo 7 flight. This 1968 mission saw Donn Eisele, Wally Schirra and Walter Cunningham spend 11 days in space testing equipment and making the first TV transmission of onboard crew activities.
“It was a crazy time with television trucks and press outside our house,” Harriet Eisele said. “They would entertain my kids or maybe my kids would entertain them. I remember the kids playing in the front yard and they’d say and do silly things. Often, if a journalist asked them if an astronaut lived at the house, they would tell them no and send them down the street and around the corner.”
Harriet Eisele lived in El Lago for 53 years. The close-knit community was wonderful after having lived in 17 houses because Donn traveled to different Air Force bases, she said.
As an astronaut’s wife, Harriet Eisele had many extraordinary experiences, including dining at the White House with President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. A framed photo in Harriet Eisele’s home shows the menu included oyster bisque, prime rib beef and dessert of Moonshot Jubilee.
Harriet Eisele, wife of Apollo 7 astronaut Donn Eisele, and her children greet the media Oct. 10, 1968, on the family’s front lawn in Seabrook. The Eisele children are Jon, the youngest; Donn and Melinda. Behind Harriet Eisele are her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry D. Hamilton. Photo courtesy of the Houston Chronicle
“I don’t really remember the meal, but I was thrilled to meet Charles Lindbergh, who was also at the dinner,” she said. “That was so exciting.”
That wasn’t her only encounter with the president. Eisele also was invited to his ranch in Texas with other astronaut wives, she said.
“There was one moment during an official photo and he was leaning so far back in his chair I thought his head would end up in my lap,” she said.
One of her special memories of the time was again shared with astronaut wives as they got to meet actor Jimmy Stewart, hugely popular, and a personal favorite of Harriet’s. But it wasn’t all fancy dinners and fun times, she said.
“I think there is a misconception that we were rich and everything was paid for us,” Harriet Eisele said. “That simply wasn’t true.”
For Eisele, 1968 was an incredibly difficult time, she said.
Astronaut Gerald Carr, commander for the third manned Skylab mission, takes off time from pre-flight training in 1973 to pose for a picture with his wife, JoAnn, and their six children. Among the children are two sets of twins — Jamee Adele top right and Jeffrey Ernest, bottom left, 15; and bottom center Jessica Louise and Joshua Lee, 9. Jennifer Anne, 18, is at top left. John Christian, 11, is at bottom right. Photo courtesy of NASA
“In the space of seven months, Donn had his flight, our son Matt died of cancer and we were divorced,” Eisele said. “It was so hard.”
Eisele remembers signing her divorce papers and instantly seeing it displayed on a news ticker. Her phone rang off the hook and when she answered her front door, it was Paris Match magazine requesting an interview that Eisele declined.
“CBS offered me $30,000, but I knew they wanted me to talk badly about everyone, so I refused to do it,” she said.
Other astronaut wives and friends from the tight-knit El Lago neighborhood rallied around, she said.
The three members of the Skylab 4 crew stand near Pad B, Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the preflight activity Nov. 8, 1973. They are, from left, scientist-astronaut Edward G. Gibson, science pilot; astronaut Gerald P. Carr, commander; and astronaut William R. Pogue, pilot. Photo courtesy of NASA
“There were so many acts of kindness,” she said. “I couldn’t have got through it all without my neighbors and friends. The other wives filled my freezer with food and refused to tell me who cooked because they didn’t want to burden me with thank you notes.”
Her strong bond with other astronaut wives continues to this day, she said. They maintain contact and get together on a regular basis, most recently visiting astronaut Gene Cernan’s ranch with a group of wives and their daughters.
This support for family, neighborhoods and community is a defining feature of the Apollo era, said Jeff Carr, who is president of Griffin Communications Group and has more than 34 years’ experience in government and corporate communications for NASA and United Space Alliance, and is the son of astronaut Gerald Carr.
Gerald Carr was one of 19 astronauts selected in 1966. He was capsule communicator for Apollo 8 and 12 and was involved in the development and testing of the lunar rover module. In 1973, he became the commander of Skylab 4 and set a record for the longest manned flight of 84 days, during which he logged 15 hours of extravehicular activity outside the lab.
Even as a child, Jeff Carr was struck by the intense media interest in all things related to Apollo, he said.
The family of Skylab 4 commander Gerald Carr and friends join in celebration at the Carr home near the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Feb. 8, 1974, after the completion of the flight. Pictured, from left, are John Christian, 11; Joshua Lee, 9, Jennifer Ann, 18; Jamee Adele, 15; the Rev. Dean Woodruff, the family pastor; Jeffrey Ernest, 15; JoAnn Ruth Carr; and Astronaut Rusty Schweickart. The family pet, Tags, takes it all in stride. One of the other twins, Jessica Louise, 15, is behind the group and not seen. Photo courtesy of Ed Kolenovsky/AP
“I remember in the lead-up to Apollo 11, I was good friends with Andy Aldrin,” Jeff Carr said. “Buzz had built a long jump in their backyard, and one day Andy and I were messing around in the yard entertaining a journalist with our youthful antics. Those long jump photos of us ended up on page three of the Houston Post.”
Jeff Carr remembers the long hours put into Apollo, the concern for astronaut safety and the way that wives, neighbors, teachers and others in the community supported each other, he said.
“Families were expected to take care of each other and make sure life wasn’t difficult for the men,” Jeff Carr said. “It was a sacrifice similar to that made by the thousands of families in active military service both home and abroad.”
Three members of the STS-99 crew are greeted by Johnson Space Center Director George W.S. Abbey on Feb. 23, 2000, following their arrival at Ellington Field in Houston. From the left are astronauts Janet L. Kavandi, Janice Voss and Gerhard P.J. Thiele, all mission specialists. Photo courtesy of NASA
Joyce Abbey is a passionate communicator and educator executive at NASA and Science Applications International Corp. whose work with students in kindergarten through 12th grade was recognized with a Pinnacle Award in 2018. Her father, George Abbey, had a storied career at NASA Johnson Space Center for 29 years in a variety of management roles ultimately working as the center director.
“We just never saw our dads,” Joyce Abbey said. “They worked incredibly long hours to make Apollo happen, and when they socialized, the work continued with discussions over cocktails. At 87, my dad still stays out too late and works too hard.”
Joyce Abbey is the daughter of George Abbey, the former director of flight operations at NASA Johnson Space Center. George Abbey, who was known as “The Astronaut Maker,” was in charge of mission control, astronaut selection and training and flight assignments. Courtesy photo
Joyce Abbey believes Apollo’s legacy is the incredible teamwork, innovation, determination and grit shown by the thousands of people who made the program successful.
Though he worked hard, her father made time for the family, especially for vacations, Joyce Abbey said. She also remembers him finding her pet duck Henry, who had been missing for weeks, upsetting her and her four siblings. Despite being in a car with his boss George Lowe, George Abbey told him to stop the car for Henry.
“George Lowe was looking for a person,” Joyce Abbey said. “You can imagine his face when my dad opened the door and a duck got into the car.”
Her father has an open invitation for his five children to have Sunday dinner each week, Abbey said.
“We get together most weeks and revert back to being mischievous kids.”
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