OVIEDO, Fla. — If you’re looking for a feel-good story today, you’ve found it. At Lutheran Haven Retirement Community in Oviedo, family and friends are gathered to celebrate a very special milestone: Carl Roth’s 108th birthday. And talk about perfect timing. Today is also the day NASA’s Artemis 2 mission launches for a trip around the moon. For Carl, who worked on the Apollo program that first took humans to the lunar surface, it’s a full-circle moment.
Carl’s career in space exploration began in the 1960s. He wasn’t an astronaut floating in zero gravity, but his role was just as critical. He helped manage the ground stations that tracked spacecraft and sent vital data back to Mission Control. Without that work, missions like Apollo 11 wouldn’t have had the real-time information needed to keep astronauts safe.
“I was a NASA co manager, shall we say, of the ground station sections that checked out the spacecraft before the spacecraft was ready and willing to go,” Carl told us during our interview, wearing his Apollo 11 cap with pride.
Despite his incredible resume, Carl is quick to deflect praise. He’s humble, funny, and still sharp as a tack at 108. When asked how he feels about hitting this major milestone, he laughed it off: “it doesn’t feel any different than when I was one seven.”
He even rocked a custom t-shirt for the occasion that reads, “I make 108 years look great.” We’d say he’s living up to the slogan.
Carl believes the push to explore space isn’t just about planting flags on the moon. It’s about the everyday technology we gain along the way. “without our without our space programs, we would not, certainly not have all the physical equipment available to do as we’re living today, internet, computers, whatever you want,” he said.
Today, Carl is surrounded by loved ones at Lutheran Haven, enjoying cake, laughter, and a whole lot of love. He’s lived through history, helped make history, and now gets to watch history unfold again as Artemis 2 heads skyward.
From Apollo to Artemis, Carl Roth’s story is a reminder that the past and future of space exploration are deeply connected. And today, we’re just glad to celebrate a remarkable man who’s still reaching for the stars at 108 years young.
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