Hans F. Meissinger

MEISSINGER, Hans F. Born November 25, 1918 (Villingen, Germany), died February 12, 2009 (Los Angeles), at age 90 years. Devoted husband for 59 years of Hannah (Gerber), beloved father of Joyce Arnon (Orinda, CA), revered grandfather of Eric and Christina Arnon, all of whom survive him. Also surviving are sister Maria Breitinger (Lincoln Park, New Jersey), son-in-law Stephen Arnon, M.D., (Orinda, CA), and nieces and nephews. Hans was a Southern California senior aerospace engineer for almost 60 years who specialized in designing deep space exploration missions. His many innovations include inventing "Earth swing-by," the method that uses Earth's gravitational energy to send the largest possible payloads to distant planets like the Galileo probe to Saturn and the Pioneer probe to Jupiter. Hans was also a linguist, fluent in classical and modern languages, a pianist, and with his wife, an inveterate traveler and hiker. He will be deeply missed by family and friends. Funeral services were private.