Maxime A. Faget

Maxime Faget graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1943. In 1946 he joined the Langly Aeronautical Laboratory where he worked on the Mercury spacecraft's heat shield. In 1958, Faget became one of the 35 engineers who formed the Space Task Group at NASA (precursor to the Manned Spacecraft Center), creating the Mercury spacecraft. In 1962 he became the Director of Engineering and Development at the Manned Spacecraft Center and was technical support for the Apollo missions.

Faget received numerous awards for his work in spacecraft engineering, including the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership in 1963 and an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966. Faget retired from NASA in 1981 and went on to found Space Industries, Inc.