Lock Haven Native Major Player in Successful Space Shot
HOUSTON – The United States this weekend pulled off a spectacularly successful spacecraft launch and docking project and a Lock Haven native, Curtis W. “Curt” Cranmer, was a major player in the effort.
The Space X capsule was launched from Florida on Saturday and on Sunday docked perfectly with the International Space Station, better than 200 miles above Earth. It marked the first time NASA astronauts had launched from the U.S. since 2011. And for the last five years Curt Cranmer has spent his time with the current Space X Demo 2 mission. As a lead mission evaluation room manager, Cranmer personally worked with the Saturday launch and the Sunday docking.
The weekend success was an emotional time for those involved in the program, and their family members as well. Cranmer’s wife, the former Janet Birely from Altoona, later relayed word about the team effort involved: “NASA works very much as a team. Within every project, someone is chosen as a ‘lead.’ They have a team and work together to solve problems and create solutions. Curt had a great team on this mission which gave him great confidence as a lead. This launch and docking required a lot of work from a lot of people. Curt later said, ‘The Demo 2 was launched from the shoulders of some phenomenal men and women.’
He is honored to work and contribute daily. During the docking, he texted me, ‘I have such a cool job!’”
Cranmer has been with NASA since 2001 but his story began in Lockport. He is the son of the late Richard and Evelyn Cranmer. He attended Woodward Elementary School and graduated from Lock Haven High School in 1974. (His younger brother, Ashley Cranmer, still lives in the family homestead on Farrandsville Road in Lockport, with his wife, Kelly).
He went to Penn State University and graduated in 1979 with degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. This took him to Houston to work in the Chemical Industry where he worked his way up to production manager and investment manager for OxyChem. He got his MBA from The University of Houston in 1987. As changes came to the chemical industry, in 2001, Cranmer was hired by NASA where, as Mission Evaluation Room Manager for the International Space Station Program, he works to daily monitor hardware on the ISS which keeps the station running and the crew alive.
Cranmer has received many awards for his contributions including the Silver Snoopy Award, the highest honor awarded by the astronauts for efforts to keep them safe in their missions.
For the current SpaceX Demo 2 mission, he has worked with many from NASA and SpaceX to prepare over the past five years. Cranmer had worked the Dpace X Demo 1 mission which helped prepare participants for all of the manned missions by carrying supplies and cargo to the ISS. He worked many shuttle missions as well and is preparing for another commercial flight by Boeing.
Cranmer is married to Janet (Birely-Ellis) from Altoona who also attended Penn State and teaches in the NASA area. The two connected in Houston in 2008 and are proud of their blended family: Nika Cranmer of Steamboat Springs, CO, Anya Cranmer and Ethan Cranmer both of Austin, Texas, Julie Ellis Holly (Rocky) of Willis, TX, Doug Ellis (Erin) of Altoona, and Jaime Ellis Lewis (Justin) of Colorado Springs.
(Editor’s note: This story has been edited slightly to emphasize the team approach at NASA).
