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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

After receiving his M.S. degree in Aeronautics from Caltech in 1951, Mr. Kraemer joined the rocket propulsion group (later to be known as Rocketdyne) at North American Aviation. Advancing to Chief of Advanced Projects, he helped design rocket engines for the Thor, Jupiter, Atlas, Saturn I, and Saturn V launch vehicles.
In 1961, he joined the Aeronutronic Division of Ford Motor Co. as Chief Engineer for Space Systems and Manager of Lunar and Planetary Programs. In 1967, he moved to NASA Headquarters, initially as Manager of Advanced Planetary Programs and Technology and then in the 1970s as Director of Planetary Programs.
During that period he was responsible for a historic string of planetary missions, including Mariner 9 to Mars, Pioneers 10 & 11 to Jupiter and Saturn, Mariner 10 to Venus and Mercury, Helios 1 & 2 to 0.29 AU, Vikings 1 & 2 to Mars, Voyagers 1 & 2 to Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus-Neptune, and Pioneer Venus 1 and 2. For this he received NASA’s Medal for Outstanding Leadership and the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest award. He is the author of “Beyond the Moon: A Golden Era of Planetary Exploration 1971-1978” published by the Smithsonian Institution Press.