Placide Donald Nicaise
June 2003

Feel free to browse around and explore my writings. You can Preview the text, or Download some documents in MS Word 97 format with graphics by clicking on the links.

Huntsville and the German Rocket Team:

Part1: From One Life to Another is the story of von Braun and his German Team as they come to the USA, settled in Huntsville, then put up the first American satellite. Preview Download

Part2: The Golden Age of Apollo describes what it was like during the 1960's to work on the Apollo/Saturn program as engineers struggled to make the lunar landing deadline. Preview Download

Part3: Politics and Purge of the Rocket Team tells of political events shaping the space program, and how von Braun's Team was purged and discredited. Preview Download

The Epilog looks back at the overall picture of von Braun's legacy and the events that changed the technical culture within NASA. Preview

Quality Assurance on the Launch Pad tells about an over-zealous inspector who had to be removed forcible from the gantry during a countdown. Preview

Mr. Nice Guy reflects on the nice guys and mad dog engineers who struggled to develop the Saturn launch vehicles. Preview

Rocket Science and Human Nature, a discussion of feedback control in machines and the analogous process that drives animal behavior through emotions and instincts. Preview

You can read something of my background in a brief autobiography.