Legendary NASA spacecraft designer dies
HOUSTON The pioneering NASA engineer who designed the original spacecraft for Project Mercury and whose work helped create every human NASA spacecraft since, has died. Maxime Faget (fah-ZHAY') was 83. NASA says Faget died Saturday at his home in Houston.
In 1958, Faget joined the Space Task Group, which evolved into the NASA Johnson Space Center. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe says that without his "innovative designs and thoughtful approach to problem solving," America's space program may not have gotten off the ground.
Former Johnson Space Center director Christopher Kraft calls Faget a true legend of the space program.
He was part of the original feasibility study for the space shuttle and helped develop the reusable spacecraft.
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