Skylab "Daily Snoopy" Collection (North American Rockwell)
Compilation of “Daily Snoopy” cartoons (focusing on CSM processing). These were produced for the North American Rockwell Test and Launch Teams, and the cartoons deal with their workflow in preparing the CSM for each mission.
These cartoons were appended to each day’s processing schedule as a way to lighten the mood and encourage engineers to actually read the schedule! After each mission was completed, the daily cartoons were collected into a mimeographed booklet that was distributed to all the “Snoopies,” the engineers who were the “Unsung Heroes of Apollo.”
The daily schedules for the CSM group in spacecraft operations became famous at Kennedy Space Center when cartoons began appearing on them. John Tribe described that the tradition started during preparations for Apollo 7 in 1968:
“The idea of recruiting Snoopy to be the spokesperson for the working troops originated with Ernie Reyes. Al Tinnirello, a North American Rockwell scheduler, implemented it initially. He and Chuck Davis, later joined by Bill Trott, John Tribe, Ernie Reyes, Charlie Stevenson, and Wayne Stallard, took turns preparing the drawings and adding the few words that would give them that extra zing. The combined efforts of these NASA/NAR contributors assured that most appropriate events in the course of daily activities were covered.
Snoopy became an integral part of every CSM schedule that went out, and the schedule itself was soon referred to as "The Snoopy." The pup's popularity was so great that every member of higher management checked the drawing every day, and sometimes protested how they were depicted. It even became an honor to appear in the cartoon. Not only were daily bloopers reported, but Snoopy was also sympathetic to the workers' long hours, difficult problems, or illness. His popularity assured increased attention to the schedule. He gradually became an influential informal communication tool between the troops and management. (Ward "Countdown to a Moon Launch" p. 23)”
Although Ernie Reyes drew many of the Snoopy cartoons for NASA checklists, etc. it appears that many — if not all — of the daily processing schedule Snoopy cartoons at KSC (especially for North American/Rockwell's CSM testing and checkout) were drawn by a number of people:
Provides a fascinating glimpse into the day to day work of building spacecraft, dealing with NASA, and managing crushing schedules and high expectations with good humor.
