A Bunch of Plumbers

Peggy Newcomb

Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. in the Pearl Young Theater
(video) within Langley firewall

Abstract

The lecture is based on the contents of the book A Bunch of Plumbers, authored by John Newcomb. John believed the Lunar Orbiter Project and Viking Project Missions were important parts of history. He and others felt passionate about them. John’s book pays tribute to many of the unsung heroes of the early space missions. Much of the technology developed in these early programs is still being used today. John Newcomb graduated from Virginia Tech and joined the NASA Langley Research Center in 1962. He quickly became involved in the Lunar Orbiter Project and the Viking Project. After Viking, John was the head of NASA’s Physics and Chemistry Experiments inSpace Program that performed experiments in the free fall environment of NASA’s Space Shuttle and The International Space Station.

Speaker

Peggy Newcomb, wife of John Newcomb, will be presenting the lecture. Peggy is formerly a chemistry teacher at York High School. Most recently, she has served as an armchair editor for this book. Peggy and John were married for 50 years and have three daughters and now five grandchildren and one great grandchild. Peggy has enjoyed writing for the local paper, and she is an artist of many years. She has been President of the Poquoson Art League and President of the Chesapeake Bay Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. She is continuing these book talks as a legacy to the programs and John’s roles in them.