Fritz Zwicky

Pioneering astrophysicist, first to identify supernovas, neutron stars, cosmic rays and ‘dark matter’
John W. Young

Commanded the first shuttle flight, the first person to enter space six times
Charles E. Yeager

First man to travel faster than the speed of sound
James H. Wyld

Invented the regeneratively cooled rocket engine
Alfred M. Worden

Piloted the command module on Apollo 15 lunar mission
Johannes Winkler

Built the first liquid propellant rocket in Europe
Walter C. Williams

First director of the Dryden Flight Research Center
Edward H. White II

The First American to walk in space
Fred L. Whipple

Established the first optical tracking system for satellites, proposed the ‘dirty snowball’ theory of comet formation
Guenter Wendt

Guenter Wendt (1923-2010): John Glenn gave this German-American the nickname, ‘der Fuehrer of der Launch Pad.’ Guenter Wendt, an engineer for McDonnell Aircraft, oversaw launch pad activities in both the […]