Richard Passman (June 30, 1925 – April 1, 2020) was an American aeronautical engineer and space scientist. He worked on projects including the Corona, the first spy satellite. He was a volunteer in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum^[1] and author.

Passman was born in Cedarhurst, New York, to Ethel and Matthew Passman. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1944 and mathematics in 1946. He earned a master's in aeronautical engineering in 1947.^[2] He joined the Navy Pilot Training program during WWII, but was discharged for medical reasons.^[3]

Passman worked for Bell Aircraft, General Electric, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Grumman Corp.

He worked on the team that created Bell X-1, the first airplane to exceed the speed of sound and served as the Chief Aerodynamicist for Bell X-2, the first plane to break mach-3.^[3] He also worked on the Corona, the spy satellite that informed the U.S. of Russian nuclear power.^[4] Passman's work also included the Nimbus weather satellite and the SNAP-27 power system for Apollo missions to the moon.^{[citation needed]} He served as manager of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project before it was terminated by President Nixon.^[5]

He co-authored X-15: The World’s Fastest Rocket Plan and the Pilots who Ushered In the Space Age in 2014.^[6] He was named to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Wall of Honor.^[7]

Passman was married to Minna for 70 years. They had three sons and lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the time of his death. He died of complications from COVID-19 at Holy Cross Hospital.^[2]