Saverio Morea
One of America?s foremost pioneers of flight in the Age of Technology, Saverio ?Sonny? Morea completed both Tech?s Aeronautical Engineering Curriculum ? winning the Bronze Medal for Mathematics at graduation ? and received his Private Pilots License in 1949 during his junior year.
In 1954, he received his Bachelor?s of Mechanical Engineering from CCNY and his 2nd Lt. Commission in the Corps of Engineers after completing the colleges? Army ROTC program. Lt. Morea was assigned to Dr. Werner von Braun?s group of scientists and engineers where he spent his military assignment in the field of ?guidance and control? on the Army?s REDSTONE ballistic missile.
Resuming civilian status, Mr. Morea switched to his preferred field of rocket propulsion where he worked on the JUPITER missile and the H-1 engine in the SATURN rocket. In 1960, he went to NASA and was named Project Manager for the F-1 engine where he developed the most powerful liquid rocket engine ever made. After this success, he was called upon to help redesign the J-2 engine that would eventually send American astronauts to the moon. Dr. von Braun then called upon Mr. Morea to lead the team to develop a ?car? ? the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) ? that the astronauts would use to move around on the surface of the moon.
For his significant contributions to space exploration ? the F-1 engine and the LRV ? Saverio Morea was twice awarded NASA?s Exceptional Service Medal.
