Daniel O'Donnell Klute (1921–1964) was an American rocket scientist and chemical engineer. During World War II, Klute worked for

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

developing the first American jet-powered fighter planes. Later, he was recruited to work on the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

and the development of the first

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Oak ...

. During the early 1960s, Klute was in charge of the combustion research at

Rocketdyne Rocketdyne was an American rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, Canoga Park, in the western San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, in southern California. The Rocke ...

Corporation during the development of the Saturn

F-1 rocket engine The F-1, commonly known as Rocketdyne F1, was a rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne. This engine uses a gas-generator cycle developed in the United States in the late 1950s and was used in the Saturn V rocket in the 1960s and early 1970s. Five ...

. Testing of the engine had revealed a serious instability problem during combustion that would sometimes cause catastrophic failure. In October, 1962, Dr. Klute presided over the Combustion Stability Committee at the Liquid Propulsion Division at Rocketdyne. His contributions were instrumental in solving the combustion instability problem. The crater

Klute ''Klute'' is a 1971 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula, written by Andy and Dave Lewis, and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, and Roy Scheider. The film follows a high-priced ca ...

on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

was named after him in 1970 by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

. Dr. Klute's experience at Rocketdyne included analyses and analytical design studies for nearly all Rocketdyne engines, both liquid and solid. He was responsible for structural analysis and integrity of many Rocketdyne engines and their components. His analyses of control systems resulted in the advancement in the design of Rocketdyne products. In the last four years of his life, he had been associated with the combustion devices and combustion processes of the liquid rocket engines. He was especially influential in the design and development of the J-2 and F-1 combustion components. From October 1962, until his death, he had been responsible for the direction of the F-1 stability program. In this capacity he gained national recognition and prominence as one of the nation's outstanding scientists. During this assignment he worked closely with government specialists, university professors, and consultants regarding the fundamentals of combustion stability. He was recognized by NASA as an individual who made outstanding contributions to this field. In 1945, Klute married Frances Kramer in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Kramer worked testing aircraft engines in the Chrysler Factory. Together, they had nine children; Michael, Mary, Daniel, David, Margaret, Martha, Elizabeth, Steven, and Helen.

References

* * * * 1921 births 1964 deaths American aerospace engineers American chemical engineers 20th-century American engineers Manhattan Project people 20th-century American chemists {{US-engineer-stub