Steven Copps

Steven Copps

Command System Flight Software Designer

Steve Copps was another member of the Apollo team who worked on the Polaris Missile’s GNCs before moving to work on the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) in 1962. Steve worked with Delco Electronics Company, which was partnered with the MIT Instrumentation Lab (now Draper) to create the AGC. Copps was Delco’s site manager for MIT for the first few years of the Apollo project.

By 1967, Copps was responsible for the crew interface to the guidance system and in 1969, he became the leader of the Apollo System Operation Development group. There, he headed up the command system flight software for both Apollo and Skylab. During flights, Copps was one of the engineers running special tests and simulations if the need arose.