Dr. Milton Antone Silveira former Chief Engineer of NASA passed away July 11, 2013, at his residence in McLean, Virginia. He was born May 4, 1929, in Mattapoisett, MA, the son of Carolinda and Antonne Silveira, originally from the Azores.
He is survived by his wife Dr. Jane Rogers Silveira and his sons: Leland and wife Larisa, Scott and wife Susan, Douglas, and his daughter Carolyn and husband Bill Krumrey, sisters Evelyn Pursley and Alberta Silveira and stepson Tom Rogers. Also survived by granddaughters: Heather, Sarah, Katie, Kristen, Katya, Taylor; grandsons: Ethan; great grandchildren Wyatt, Taylor, Kenzie and Tatum.
He attended Fairhaven High School, graduated from the University of Vermont where he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and then a M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, from The University of Virginia. He also attended Virginia Tech and the University of Houston. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Vermont in 1977.
While at the University of Vermont he was president of the flying club. His love of aeronautics began at age 16 when he acquired his pilot’s license. He maintained a long-term association with The University of Vermont by conducting a regular teleconference class for the engineering school, serving on the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Board, culminating in his establishing the Milton Silveira annual award to a junior faculty member in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.
In June 1951, he joined the National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) in Langley, Virginia, the precursor of NASA. In September 1951 he was called to duty as an Army Aviator by the United States Army and later served as the Chief Engineering and Maintenance Officer of all U. S. 8th Army in Korea.
In 1955 he returned to NACA, which later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He worked on all USA manned spacecraft programs in pursuit of putting a man on the moon: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. He was the Program Manager of Little Joe II in support of the Apollo Program and supported the Skylab Program.
Later he was Manager of the Space Shuttle Engineering Office and then Deputy Manager of the Orbiter Project Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
He left JSC to go to NASA Headquarters becoming the Assistant to the NASA Deputy Director and later NASA Chief Engineer. He retired from NASA after 36 years of service. He received numerous awards and citations during his NASA career.
After his NASA career, he worked for Ford Aerospace Corporation in Washington,
D. C. He then became a consultant to the Director at the Department of Defense at the Missile Defense Agency. He continued his association with NASA by consulting in support of the NASA Space Exploration Program.
His hobbies included serving as a docent at the National Gallery of Art, gourmet cooking, traveling, book club, and playing bridge.
Funeral from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett Thursday at 9 AM. Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church at 10 AM. Burial will follow in St. Anthony’s Cemetery. The family requests donations made in his memory to the following: The University of Vermont, CEMS Milton Silveira Scholarship, 85 S. Prospect Street Burlington, VT 05405 (802) 656-3131. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.