M
Most people have crushes on astronauts, but I’m
smitten by a voice. Jack King has never been to the
Moon. He has never had a ticker tape parade. You
wouldn’t recognize him if you passed him on the street. But
the moment he begins speaking, chances are you’d want a
front row seat, because Jack King has seen it all.
King is best known for his work as
the NASA Chief of Public Information
during the Mercury, Gemini and
Apollo missions. It was his voice that
was heard as Apollo 11 lifted off for
the Moon, earning him the nickname,
“The Voice of Apollo.” A 15-year NASA
veteran, King is now retired, but still
volunteers his time as a public affairs
so associated.
I recently had the privilege of
sitting down with King for a generous
interview that spanned some of
NASA’s greatest accomplishments
and his most cherished memories.
3…2…1…LIFTOFF.
RocketSTEM: How did you make
a name for yourself in the world of
Journalism?
Jack KING: “I was born and raised
in Boston, Massachusetts. I lived
there for 25 years. My dad was
a sports writer for the Associated
Press. I wanted to follow in my dad’s
footsteps as a newsman. That’s how
it all came about really. I worked as
every summer from high school all the
way through college.
“I started off as the low man on the
totem pole. As a rookie newsman,
I worked with some great people,
some really talented people and
I was fortunate enough to take
advantage of their guidance.
“One night I was all alone in the
SS Andrea Doria. It was in a collision
with the Stockholm off the coast of
Nantucket. I grabbed the almanac
and looked up the passenger list.
It was 5,632 or something like that.
I saw and I jumped on the wire
report it. In the wire service the
great competition was between
Associated Press, United Press and
International News Service. There
www.RocketSTEM .org
accurate with the news and that
down to my credit.”
RS: When did you start covering
launches?
KING: “The early era of space
exploration was driven by a race
between the Soviet Union and the
United States. In 1957 I covered the
launch of Sputnik, followed by the
explosion of Vanguard and a month
later Explorer 1.
“What happened was after
Sputnick, Associated Press saw
what was going on down in Florida.
We were developing our own big
rockets, at the time the Atlas and
the Titan. They decided that they
should have a full time news chief
down at the Cape. So my bureau
chief recommended me and the
next thing I knew I was down there
covering all the stories.
“I remember there were two major
motels in Cocoa Beach at the time,
one was the Vanguard and one
the Vanguard, the Associated Press
did. It was a beautiful set up. I had
a bedroom upstairs and a printer
and a whole newsroom downstairs. I
had a telescope looking out at the
Cape. When