Bruno W. Augenstein, a former vice president and chief scientist at The Rand Corporation and author of the most important document of the missile age, died peacefully on July 6 at his home in Pacific Palisades. He was 82. Augenstein was widely regarded as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the grandfather of applications of antimatter technology. As a project leader at Rand, his 1954 memorandum to the U.S. Department of Defense on design tradeoffs and feasibility alternatives elevated the Air Force’s ballistic missile program to a top national priority. This program’s research also jump-started America’s space program by helping to develop the basic space-launch capability used to this day. Born in Germany, Augenstein moved with his family to the United States in 1927 and was formally educated at Brown University, MIT, Caltech and UCLA in mathematics, physics and aeronautical engineering. In the 1950s, he was ICBM project leader and chief scientist for satellite programs (including the CORONA reconnaissance satellite) at Rand, and later director of planning for Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation. During the 1960s, Augenstein was assistant director of the U.S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon. In the 1970s, Augenstein was director and principal of the consulting firm Spectravision, Inc. and served on many boards. Among later work at Rand, he led U.S. Air Force studies on antimatter science and technology, initiated a Department of Defense program on micro air vehicles, and served on the International Astronautical Federation Committee on Interstellar Exploration. Bruno Augenstein was a true Renaissance man with a wide range of interests, including history, archeology, literature, classical music, world travel, track and field, swimming and body surfing. A science fiction buff, he not only dreamed of but actively pursued the development of interstellar space travel and mankind’s exploration of the universe. He served as a mentor to many up-and-coming scientists, and touched everyone he met in some unique and positive way. More than all of Augenstein’s scientific achievements during his life, his loving heart, great compassion, and generosity touched the lives of his family and friends and changed them all forever. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; sister Ellen; daughter Karen; sons Eric and Christopher; daughter-in-law Renee; and faithful dog Molly. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 6 at 2 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades.
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