St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: August 1, 2021

Press release from St. Louis Science Center:

August 01, 2021

This day in 1980 marks the death of James S. McDonnell. An American engineer, he was the president of McDonnell Aircraft from 1939 to 1972. His innovative fighter designs, including the F-4 Phantom and F-15 Eagle, became the premier US fighters after 1960. McDonnell Aircraft, later McDonnell-Douglas, was also the prime contractor for the design and production of Mercury, Gemini, and MOL spacecraft.

This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.