| Richard Passman | |
| Birth Date: | 30 June 1925 |
| Birth Place: | Cedarhurst, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Aeronautical engineer, non-fiction writer |
| Alma Mater: | University of Michigan |
| Employer: | Bell Aircraft, General Electric, United States Department of Energy |
Richard Passman (June 30, 1925 – April 1, 2020) was an American aeronautical engineer and space scientist. He worked on projects including the Corona, the first spy satellite. He was a volunteer in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum[1] and author.
Passman was born in Cedarhurst, New York, to Ethel and Matthew Passman. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1944 and mathematics in 1946. He earned a master's in aeronautical engineering in 1947.[2] He joined the Navy Pilot Training program during WWII, but was discharged for medical reasons.[3]
Passman worked for Bell Aircraft, General Electric, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Grumman Corp.
He worked on the team that created Bell X-1, the first airplane to exceed the speed of sound and served as the Chief Aerodynamicist for Bell X-2, the first plane to break mach-3. He also worked on the Corona, the spy satellite that informed the U.S. of Russian nuclear power.[4] Passman's work also included the Nimbus weather satellite and the SNAP-27 power system for Apollo missions to the moon. He served as manager of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project before it was terminated by President Nixon.[5]
He co-authored X-15: The World’s Fastest Rocket Plan and the Pilots who Ushered In the Space Age in 2014.[6] He was named to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Wall of Honor.[7]
Passman was married to Minna for 70 years. They had three sons and lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the time of his death. He died of complications from COVID-19 at Holy Cross Hospital.