Granville E. Paules III

PAULES GRANVILLE EDWARD PAULES, III (Age 73) Helped Guide Men to the Moon and Back Long time resident of Rockville, MD, beloved participant in many communities, Gran Paules, 73, died January 4, 2011 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, after a two year fight with bladder cancer. Mr. Paules, a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, entered the US Navy after commissioning through the NROTC. After serving in the West Pacific on the U.S.S. Coontz DLG9, he left the active Navy in 1964 for employment with NASA Flight Control in Houston. He continued his Naval Service through the Reserves and retired as a Captain. Mr. Paules served as a NASA Flight Controller at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Mission Control Center in Houston. He was a Primary Guidance Officer (Flight Dynamics) during the Apollo missions. He was on the console in "The Trench" during the moon-landing of Apollo 11. Mr. Paules received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts as a member of the flight operations team during the Apollo 13 crisis. In 1971 Mr. Paules began work for the Department of Transportation (DOT) as Chief of the Research and Development Division. He received the DOT Distinguished Service Medal for significantly advancing the state of transportation systems planning using the emerging desk top computer capabilities. During this time he was also a member of the Rockville Planning Commission. Mr. Paules returned to NASA in 1985 and served as Operations Director of the Space Station Freedom Program at NASA Headquarters during program formulation and early development. He later served as Deputy Director for Program Planning and Development with the Earth Science Enterprise Division and, concurrently, as its Chief Technologist. As Chief Technologist he advocated and obtained budget support for the Advanced Information Systems Technology Program and led the Earth Science 2025 Vision formulation effort, based on a highly interoperable constellation of environmental sensors. As a senior program executive for the Earth Science Enterprise and, more recently, the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Mr. Paules was engaged in formulation of many advanced concept satellite missions including the New Millennium Earth Observer-1, now a major test bed for evaluating multi-sensor interoperability. Throughout this assignment he was the Senior DOD Liaison, serving as NASA's representative to the multi-agency Space Technology Alliance and the Civil Applications Committee. While at NASA, he received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Mr. Paules served the Federal Government as a senior level manager for over 40 years. After retiring from NASA in 2006, Mr. Paules joined Kelly, Anderson and Associates, Inc. as a Principal for Aerospace Services. There he managed a business line which provided comprehensive services spanning the full range of government and commercial business support from strategic assessment, positioning, and marketing to proposal development, contract negotiations, and ongoing contract management support. During this time he was also a board member of OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) and Director of Education of IEEE GRSS (Institution for Electrical and Electronic Engineers Geospatial Remote Sending System). Mr. Paules was well-loved by his Christ Episcopal Church community. He held many offices in Vestry of the church, including that of Senior Warden. His primary area of interest was Outreach. Mr. Paules is survived by his wife, Diane; his son, Granville E. Paules IV, of Bainbridge Island, Washington state; his daughter, Allison R. Nelson, of El Cerrito, California; a brother and a sister of Fort Worth, Texas; five grandchildren; and numerous extended family members. They will greatly miss his patience, dry wit, generous spirit, and warm smile. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Christ Episcopal Church of Rockville to support Outreach and social ministries. His service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church of Rockville on Saturday, January 15, at 3 p.m.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Christ Episcopal Church of Rockville to support Outreach and social ministries. His service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church of Rockville on Saturday, January 15, at 3 p.m. Please view and sign the family guestbook at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com