Jesco von Puttkamer: 1933-2012 

Jesco von Puttkamer, who began his NASA career in 1962 working as an engineer on Wernher von Braun’s Saturn V rocket team at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., during the Apollo Program, has died, following a brief illness.

He was 79. Von Puttkamer came to NASA at von Braun’s personal invitation. In 1974, von Puttkamer transferred to NASA Headquarters in Washington. He most recently worked in the International Space Station Program. Among the numerous awards received by von Puttkamer was NASA’s prestigious Exceptional Service Medal in 2004.