New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
‘An incredible sense of pride’
While Lenny Masiello never stepped on the moon, he contributed to a major moment in NASA history
Lenny Masiello spent much of his adult life in Connecticut. But there was one day in 1969 when he was as far away from the Constitution State as you can get.
In fact, he was on the moon. Not physically, of course, for only two men traveled to the moon that year. It was strictly in spirit that Masiello walked on the lunar surface, since he was the one who tested the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore on their historic journey.
Today, Masiello is retired and lives in Maryland with Carol, his wife of 52 years. He looks back at his Connecticut aeronautics and engineering career with an enormous amount of satisfaction.
“I rarely mention my spacesuit involvement to people,” Masiello said. “Not many people know about it — or at least not many remember.” But when the 50th anniversary of his graduating class at the University of Hartford came around, it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing — and several people suddenly recalled having heard long ago about his involvement.
“A postcard sent to the alumni had a picture of an astronaut on the moon,” he said. “That’s when some fellow graduates began to recall the story. A few who didn’t know me that well called the Smithsonian Institution to find out more. Guess what! The Smithsonian had more information about me than I had about myself.”
The spacesuit assignment came as a result of his job at Hamilton Standard, the former Hartford technology manufacturing firm. At that time, Hamilton (which has since been through several mergers and acquisitions) was a major provider of environmental control, fuel cell and life support systems for NASA’s space program. While working at Hamilton, Masiello also attended the University of Hartford at night, was a second lieutenant in the Massachusetts Air National Guard and took flying lessons. One day, a Hamilton executive, aware of both Masiello’s pilot training
and top physical condition, came looking for him and informed him that NASA was looking for someone to test the final version of the spacesuit that the company was working on.
Masiello was selected.
In the summer of 1966, he was sent to Houston to assess and demonstrate the advanced capabilities of the spacesuit, designed to provide moon walkers with life support, flexibility and more. Among the many rigorous tests he was required to perform was one
to see how easily he could weld components in conditions simulating the atmospheric pressure of outer space. This was in case the astronauts had to patch a hole in the ship if it were struck by a meteorite or other space junk. In attendance with Masiello during these tests were astronauts John Herschel Glenn Jr., John “Jack” Leonard Swigert Jr., Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. and Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom. Masiello had much in common with Swigert, who eventually flew on the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon
mission; both were college students in the Hartford region. Swigert earned a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at its Hartford campus and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hartford. Masiello graduated with a degree in electrical engineering.
He spent the next two decades as an Army pilot, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After concluding his military service, Masiello became a sales executive for a company called Square D, while he and his wife resided in their Somers, Conn., home. The couple has two sons. For work he traveled throughout New England, as well as to Europe and Asia, racking up as many miles, if not more, than several round trips to the moon.
Masiello is proud of Connecticut’s role in technology. “Companies like Sikorsky, Hamilton Sundstrand and UTC Aerospace seem to be doing very well,” he said, cognizant of the fact that although he’s retired, he’ll forever be associated with America’s scientific prowess; and the valor that frequently goes with it.
All his memories notwithstanding, the trip he remembers best was taken by those two other astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
“On July 20, 1969, my Air National Guard squadron mates and I were glued to the TV,” he said. “I was covered with goosebumps when Armstrong walked on the moon. I felt an incredible sense of pride knowing that I had a part in making that possible.”