Bernard (Bob) Maggin, 93, of Rockville, Maryland, died January 19, 2014 at his home after a long illness.  He was born September 11, 1920 in Detroit, Michigan.  He was the first of two sons born to Russian immigrants, Morris and Becky Maggin.  Always the flight enthusiast and recreational pilot, he graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1942.  He moved to Hampton, Virginia and began his career with the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) at Langley Field.  He was drafted into the Army (Army Air Corps) during WWII, and was assigned to continue his on-going work with aircraft guidance and navigation systems with NACA.

In 1951, he married Frances Robinson in Detroit MI.  They resided in Arlington VA, where they started their family and eventually made their home in Bethesda, Maryland.

His early work in aerospace included the Vanguard Rocket system which launched the second US satellite to reach Earth orbit.  He later worked on the committee that established NASA as the successor organization to NACA.  His NASA career concentrated on manned spaceflight systems, working on the design and planning of the Apollo lunar missions as well as space station development and the Shuttle project.  He retired from NASA in 1975 after 33 years of service and worked with the National Academies of Sciences, Arthur D. Little, and The Department of Transportation and also performed volunteer work at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.  He has been a long serving member of the board of directors of the NASA Alumni League (NAL) and active in promoting NAL policy towards federal support and competitiveness of the US commercial aircraft industry.

Mr. Maggin was preceded in death by his brother, Irv Maggin, and grandson, Joshua Maggin.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Frances Robinson Maggin; sons Dr. Robert Maggin (Mary) of Rockville, Richard Maggin (Anna) of Potomac, Wayne Maggin (Suzanne) of Greenwich, Connecticut and Kenneth Maggin (Susan) of Potomac, and 12 grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at B'nei Tzedek with interment to follow at King David Memorial Gardens in Falls Church, Virginia.  The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA) Hospice or Doctors Without Borders.  The family will be observing Shiva at the family home in Rockville.