Jack A. Kinzler, Savior of the Skylab Mission, Dies At 94

Posted by samzenpus on Sunday March 16, 2014 @07:44AM from the rest-in-peace dept.

puddingebola writes "From his New York Times Obituary, 'Had Jack A. Kinzler not built model planes as a boy, had he not visited the post office as a youth and had he not, as a grown man, purchased four fishing rods at $12.95 apiece, Skylab — the United States' $2.5 billion space station — would very likely have been forfeit.' An excellent obit from the NYT, recounting the story of how Kinzler saved the Skylab mission with a telescoping parasol to patch a damaged heat shield. An inventive thinker and tinkerer, Mr. Kinzler was also responsible for the flags and plaques placed during the Apollo mission."

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Re:Another data point in the debate about college by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-16 08:48 · Score: 5, Interesting

Although I have an advanced degree in a physical science, it was all my hobby tinkering in electronics and mechanics that made a real difference in both my thesis research and my subsequent career. That's why things like Heathkit and the old Radio Shack are sorely missed. Simulations on a tablet are not the real thing.