October 28, 1926 – May 14, 2024
(Image credit NASA Langley)
From the family Obituary: “On May 14, 2024, Norman Crabill completed his mission here on this planet. From initial entry into earth’s atmosphere in 1926, in a row house in DC, he soared: from designing model airplanes, on wings of song in Jr High Choral events, to lifelong friendships sailing the Potomac, to first flights in small aircraft, to love leading to marriage, to work at NACA/NASA which had him designing rockets and planning missions to the moon with Lunar Orbiter and to Mars with Viking, to getting his pilot’s license, to learning to play and improvise on the piano, to lightning research that influenced the design of modern-day aircraft, to interacting with adopted god-children – music and swimming lessons, museum visits – to his own inventions to improve a private pilots experience while in the air, and to mentoring young people and inspiring those with whom he spent time.”
“Norm was a legend even among the larger Viking team. “Norm can figure anything out”, some would say. He was dogged in his pursuit of knowledge and solutions, he even showed me his research and coursework on a subject he was unfamiliar with – until he immersed himself, because he was skeptical if something wasn’t “provable”. He needed to know why and how things happened. He was passionate about his work and proud but believed in learning from mistakes too. He was known for being tough and demanding, but he was also fair and listened… IF you had a strong argument.
Norm was born in Washington, D.C., and earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Catholic University in 1949. He joined the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory right after school before it was renamed NASA and earned a Master of Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1958, through the new Langley graduate program that was started specifically to grow the future aerospace workforce, a special program instituted at numerous schools throughout the United States. He retired from NASA in 1986 and continued consulting into his 80s.
He worked on the earliest rocket systems launched from the Wallops Flight Station and contributed to the first US Satellite program – NASA Echo I and II. But his most exciting and proud moments came from the Lunar Orbiter missions – 5 out of 5 he and others would share with pride as all 5 missions exceeded plans and he had the creativity and sense to utilize the last two missions to capture the very first Earthrise photo, taken by the Lunar Orbiter cameras, long before Apollo went to the Moon.
From Lunar Orbiter, he stayed with the incredibly gifted team that proposed and won the Viking Project Office team in a competitive bidding process that included JPL. He was assigned as Mission Analysis and Design Manager. Viking I landed successfully on Mars July 20, 1976 followed by Viking II on September 3, 1976. Both orbiters and landers became the baseline for Mars knowledge, making subsequent missions easier and safer with atmospheric data, as well as a treasure trove of science datas on chemistry, biologic investigations, imaging, seismology, and more.
Following Viking, Norm turned his efforts to aviation and led mulitple innovations that provided data to the FAA improving reliability and safety. He was the innovator on the Storm Hazards Program providing data from in-flight measurements of direct-strike lightning to determine threat to aircraft and consulting at VIGYAN, Inc. and on other projects.
In addition to being an employee of NACA/NASA, Norm was a father, mentor, musician, and pilot. Over the years he spent an enormous amount of time mentoring youth and early career aviation engineers, and served on historic groups such as the The Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society (VAHS). His love of history drove him to help charter the Williamsburg Eagles Chapter, the Virginia Airports book, Virginia Aviation History Project and serve as the first chairman for the VAHS Aviation Historical Marker Program. His musical talents engaged him in teaching and supporting young musicians, and inspired his own family members to pursue music.
Norm is missed and respected by many, and his legacy will continue with his family, the many people he influenced and the innovations that marked his professinal career.
~ Rachel Tillman, Founder VMMEPP
Norm received numerous honors and awards during his outstanding career: (source NASA)
NASA Group Achievement Award to Lunar Orbiter Spacecraft and Operations Team (1967)
NASA/LaRC Special Achievement Awards for Sustained Superior Performance Leading to a Major Viking Cost Saving, and the Viking ’75 Landing Site Working Group (1973)
NASA Exceptional Service Medal for Viking Mission Design and Landing Sites Selection, NASA Group Achievement Awards for the Viking Landing Site Staff, and for the Viking Project Office Management, NASA/LaRC Special Achievement Award for the Viking Design and Landing Site Selection (1977)
NASA/LaRC Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Engineering Achievement and Direction of the NASA Severe Storms Research Program (1983)
NASA Group Achievement Award to Langley F106 Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse Test Team, conducted in cooperation with the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico (1985)
Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society Judge Spain Leadership Award for his book “Virginia Airports” (2001)
Inducted into Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society’s Hall of Fame (2008)
Inducted into the International Astronautical Federation Hall of Fame (2016)