Eberhard Rees

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Eberhard Rees

Born	April 28, 1908 Trossingen, Germany
Died	April 2, 1998 DeLand, Florida
Occupation	Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center

Eberhard Rees (April 28, 1908 – April 2, 1998) was the second Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

Rees received his scientific and engineering education in Stuttgart and at the Dresden Institute of Technology. His studies focused on thermodynamics, engine design, production planning and methods development. After graduating in 1934, he became assistant to the manager of a steel mill in Leipzig, Germany. In 1940 he became technical plant manager of the German Guided Missile Center at Peenemünde. As World War II ended, Rees was among the German rocket experts that surrendered to Allied forces and emigrated from Germany to work for the U. S. Army as part of Operation Paperclip.

Initially assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas, Rees and other members of the Wernher von Braun team were eventually transferred to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Assigned to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Rees served as Deputy Director of Development Operations.

When NASA created the Marshall Space Flight Center, Rees was the Deputy for Technical and Scientific Matters. In 1970 after the Apollo program had accomplished its primary goal of landing a Man on the Moon, Rees was promoted to Center Director. His main tasks as Director were managing the development of the Skylab space station. He once said that:

With Skylab we are not concerned primarily with flying a spacecraft. We are concerned with the important aims of living and working in Earth orbit and conducting the experiments that will eventually lead to many beneficial results