The contributions of mechanical engineering alum and former trustee Abe Silverstein as a pioneer of American air and space exploration are being recognized in a new Indiana Aviation Hall of Fame’s Hoosiers in Flight exhibit at the Indianapolis International Airport.

The permanent exhibit was unveiled in a special ceremony on February 19 in the lower level baggage claim area of the airport. Indiana residents who have had an impact on aviation and aerospace are highlighted in four distinct areas: Brave, clever, daring, and innovative Hoosiers. 

Silverstein covered many of these areas while playing a leading role in developing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where he launched the nation’s satellite programs, and its first manned space flight missions with a goal to put humans on the moon by the end of the 1960s. He spearheaded the Mercury and Apollo projects, both named by Silverstein, along with the Gemini program, and astronaut Neil Armstrong made the historic moon walk on July 20, 1969. Silverstein retired shortly thereafter. 

During a 40-year NASA career, Silverstein made significant technical and managerial contributions in the development of the nation’s early jet engines, created large supersonic wind tunnels for aviation research, and advocated the first practical application of the liquid hydrogen engine, named Centaur which would propel the technological space race that eventually put man on the moon sent the Viking explorer to Mars, Pioneer to Jupiter and Saturn, and Voyager to Uranus and Neptune.

Silverstein was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Indiana Aviation Hall of Fame’s initial class of honorees in 2020. Other honors included the prestigious Guggenheim Medal for his significant contributions to the advancement of flight, NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Spirit of St. Louis Medal, the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Award, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Louis W. Hill Space Transportation Award. His name also adorns the Glenn Space Center’s administration building, where he spent many years as the center’s director, and a supersonic wind tunnel, which continues to make significant breakthroughs in aviation research.

Silverstein, a Terre Haute native, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1929 and added a master’s degree in the engineering discipline in 1934. He later received an honorary degree from Rose-Hulman in 1959 and contributed as a member of the college’s Board of Managers from 1977 until 1991. He died in 2001.