Robert Samuel Kraemer

Robert S. Kraemer died on August 20, 2013. He was beloved husband for 59 years to Anne LaVerne (Park) Kraemer; loving father to Kathryn (Terry) McCoy of Kensington, Joan (Rob) Compere of Ellicott City, Stephen of Athens, GA, Anita (Stephen Bowler) of Catonsville, Timothy of Germantown, and David (Theresa) of Catonsville; and proud grandfather of 11.

As Director of Planetary Exploration at NASA, Bob was instrumental in sending spacecraft to all eight planets of the Solar System. At the Rocketdyne division of North American Aviation in CA, he had a hand in designing every rocket engine that sent Americans into space until the Space Shuttle. He published two books: Rocketdyne: Powering Humans into Space, and Beyond the Moon: A Golden Age of Planetary Exploration 1971-1978. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest honor.

Bob was born on October 21, 1928 in Fullerton, CA, one of six children of Kathleen and Lawrence Kraemer. He graduated from Fullerton Union HS, earned a BS from the U of Notre Dame in 1950, and an MS from Caltech in 1951. He moved to Rockville in 1967, then to Annapolis in 1981, and to Catonsville in 2007. Bob was an avid sailor and loved to drive and work on classic sports cars.

The family will receive friends at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, MD on Saturday, August 24 at 1 pm, where a Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1:30. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Loyola Jesuit Secondary School in Malawi, Africa (www.loyola-malawi.org ), the Planetary Society (planetary.org), or a charity of your choice. To leave condolences, please visit www.sterlingashtonschwabwitzke.com