NASA Administrators December 1969 Season’s Greetings Letter to All NASA Employee

Description

NASA
Administrators December
1969 Season’s Greetings Letter to All NASA Employees
A well written Season’s Greeting!
The letter is from the NASA Administrator Thomas Otten (T.O.) Paine following the Apollo 11 Moon landing and Apollo 8 Lunar Orbit. Also present is the image of the First Footprint on the Moon.
Condition is Very Good Used. Once folded, possible original to the letter, and some small staple holes at the top of the letter invisible from the front but can be seen on the back. No tears, dog ears or writing.
Please see attached pictures
Shipping includes a Tracking Number
Thomas Otten (T.O.) Paine (November 9, 1921 – May 4, 1992), was an
American
engineer, scientist, and advocate of
space exploration
, was the third
Administrator of NASA
, serving from March 21, 1969 to September 15, 1970.
During his administration at NASA, the first crewed
lunar landing
by
Apollo 11
was flown as were three other Apollo missions. Paine was also deeply involved in preparing plans for the post-Apollo era at NASA.
Dr. Paine was appointed Deputy Administrator of NASA on January 31, 1968. Upon the retirement of James E. Webb on October 8, 1968, he was named Acting Administrator of NASA. He was nominated as NASA's third Administrator on March 5, 1969, and confirmed by the Senate on March 20, 1969.
Paine was recruited to succeed Webb by President Lyndon Johnson. He was tasked with the responsibility of getting the Apollo program back on track in the wake of the Apollo 1 disaster, and fulfilling President Kennedy's goal "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
During his administration at NASA, the first seven
Apollo
manned missions were flown, highlighted by the first manned lunar landing by
Apollo 11
. In all, 20 astronauts orbited
Earth
, 24 traveled to the
Moon
, and twelve walked upon its surface. Many automated scientific and applications spacecraft were also flown in U.S. and cooperative international programs.
Paine was also deeply involved in preparing plans for the post-Apollo era at NASA. Along with
George Mueller
and others, Paine developed an ambitious plan calling for the establishment of a lunar base and a massive space station in Earth orbit before the end of the 1970s, culminating in a manned mission to Mars as early as 1981. President
Richard Nixon
rejected these plans, however.
He was awarded the
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
.