13 Facts About Abe Silverstein

Abraham "Abe" Silverstein was an American engineer who played an important part in the United States space program.

Abe Silverstein was a longtime manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

Abe Silverstein was instrumental in the planning of the Apollo, Ranger, Mariner, Surveyor, and Voyager missions, and named the Apollo program after the Greek and Roman God.

Abe Silverstein was hired by NASA's predecessor, NACA, in 1929 at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory as an aerodynamicist to work on the design of the Altitude Wind Tunnel to be built in Cleveland, Ohio at the Lewis Laboratory.

Abe Silverstein directed research in propulsion aerodynamics in the Altitude Wind Tunnel that led to significant improvements in both reciprocating and early turbojet aircraft engines.

Abe Silverstein was placed in charge of all research at the Lewis Research Center in 1949.

Abe Silverstein received an honorary doctorate in 1958 from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland.

Abe Silverstein was one of the founders of the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism.

Abe Silverstein retired from NASA in 1970 in order to take a position with Republic Steel Corporation.

Abe Silverstein died on June 1,2001, in his home in Fairview Park, Ohio.

Abe Silverstein is survived by two sons: Joe, of Thousand Oaks, California, and David, of Maumee, Ohio; a daughter, Judy Cook of Columbia, Maryland; and five grandchildren.

NASA credits Abe Silverstein with giving both the Mercury and Apollo programs their names.

In 2015, Silverstein was enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame as one of the "Class of 2015" along with aviation pioneers Robert Cardenas, Robert N Hartzell, and Gene Kranz.