Leonard Jaffe

Leonard Jaffe July 16, 2020 Leonard Jaffe died July 16th in Syracuse, New York at age 94 of COVID-19. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Leonard and his wife Elaine raised their family on Silver Spring, MD until moving to Syracuse in 2011 to be closer to family. Leonard served in the U.S. Navy (1944–46). He joined what later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as research engineer (1948), was the chief of the Data Systems Branch (1955), chief of communications satellites (1959), and director of the communication and navigation satellite programs of the Office of Space Science and Applications Satellites from 1963. When Leonard was Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Applications, his office was responsible for all NASA Space Applications Satellite Projects, starting with Echo Balloon (1960). Leonard worked with governments around the globe to establish the world's first geosynchronous satellite communication program, and worked with the United Nations to develop and adopt international space law. In 1979 Leonard headed the technical team of the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island. In 1981, he joined the Computer Sciences Corp. as vice president for product management and quality assurance and later became president of their Systems Division. From 1994 to 2001, he was president and chief operating officer of the Earth Sciences Corp. He was president of the International Astronautics Federation in 1975 and 1976 and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Astronautical Society, and the Society of Space Professionals International. Over the years Leonard received numerous awards from these organizations as well as from the U.S. government, and in 1989 he was inducted into the Space and Satellite Hall of Fame. Leonard loved his family. He enjoyed fishing, wood sculpting and photography. Leonard was preceded in death by his loving wife of 68 years, Elaine and their daughter Barbara. He is survived by his sons Ronald and Norman, their wives Maizie and May, and his grandchildren – Anna, Gail, Josh, Samantha and Danielle. Private graveside services for the immediate family are in Workman's Circle Cemetery. Sisskindfuneralservice.com Please sign the guestbook at syracuse.com/obits