In 1961, Dr. Gilruth became the Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, with responsibility for the development of spacecraft for manned flight, for flight crew selection and training, and for the conduct of space flight missions. He served in this capacity until January 1972. During his decade-long tenure as MSC Director, Dr. Gilruth managed 25 manned-space flights, including Alan Shepard's first Mercury flight in May 1961, the first lunar landing by Apollo 11 in July 1969, the dramatic rescue of Apollo 13 in 1970, and the Apollo 15 mission in July 1971. In January 1972, Dr. Gilruth took on a new position with NASA as Director of Key Personnel Development, reporting to the Deputy Administrator in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he had responsibility for identifying near- and long-range potential candidates for key jobs in the agency and for creating plans and procedures which would aid in the development of these candidates. Dr. Gilruth retired from NASA in December 1973 and, in January 1974, was appointed a member of the National Academy of Engineering's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board; and was asked to serve as a member of the Houston Chamber of Commerce Energy Task Force.