Inducted in 2022
Walter Stuart Yager earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from OU, joined the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant, and earned an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Air Force Institute of Technology.
He served as Maintenance Officer for the Air Force Airborne Command Center, keeping one KC-135 always airborne as the Strategic Air Command flying command post. Later, as Commander of the 6555th Aerospace Test Group, and Space Launch Operations Manager, he supervised critical, high-value launches, including many classified surveillance missions. He integrated Air Force satellites with NASA rockets, and oversaw launches of Titan, Atlas, and Delta rockets.
Walt pioneered America’s exploration of Mars with the Viking spacecraft, delivering satellites and landing vehicles to the Red Planet. In 1977 he supervised the launch of Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft to research Jupiter and Neptune. Both Voyagers are still sending data from interstellar space.
Walt supervised the $4.5 billion construction of Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, to launch and land the NASA Space Shuttle, including its piggyback flights to Kennedy Space Center. He was in charge of the Air Force investigation of a weather satellite mishap in 2015, and on the team investigating a 1980 fuel explosion inside the silo of a Titan ICBM with a nuclear warhead.
During his career, Walt hosted dignitaries including President George H. W. Bush, the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and the Chinese Defense Minister. Colonel Yager received multiple awards, including the Legion of Merit. He became Lockheed Martin Vice President of Launch Operations, continuing to work with the Air Force and NASA on high value and classified missions, including the spectacular Cassini Mission, which explored the wonders of Saturn and its moons for 13 years.
Walt has been active in Junior Achievement, and he served as Chair of the 39th Space Congress and as President of the Missile and Space Pioneers.
