Peter T. Burr, Sr.

Peter Townsend Burr, Sr, 86, a resident of Odenton, MD, passed away on February 6, 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents Albert Devere Burr Jr. and Dorothy Lida Townsend, his wife Valorie A. Burr, and brother Christopher Burr.  He was the loving father of Mary Davie (Saul), Pete Burr, Jr. (Elizabeth), Douglass Burr (Rebecca) and Erica Bovaird (Brian), cherished grandfather to seven and great-grandfather to three (with another one on the way). Born at the Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington DC on January 8, 1935, Pete spent his very early years in the Washington DC suburbs, and then saw much of the US living in many cities and towns with his parents and brother Chris.  After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering, Pete joined the US Army. He departed the Army as a lieutenant. Pete joined NASA in 1960 and held many positions at Goddard Space Flight Center throughout his 34 year career with the Agency.  He began work as a research engineer with the Satellite Applications Systems Division,  held positions as Head of the Information Systems Engineering Section in the Tracking and Data Systems Directorate; Assistant Project Manager, then Project Manager, Test and Training Satellite; and Spacecraft Manager, Synchronous Meteorological Satellite.  From 1975 until its successful launch in 1980, he was Project Manager, Solar Maximum Mission, and from 1980 until April 1988 he served as Project Manager, Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, when he was named Deputy Director of Flight Projects. He served as Director of Flight Projects at Goddard and had responsibility for the overall direction, development and management of a large number of satellite projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Background Explorer, ASTRO-1, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, NOAA and GOES weather satellites, and the Gamma Ray Observatory.  He finished his formal career in 1994 as the Deputy Director of Goddard, but went on to contribute to the Report on the Loss of the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 Missions in 2000. He received numerous awards, including the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Goddard Astronautics Award in 1981, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 1983.

Pete loved everyone he met, was outgoing (the life of the party), and a loving, caring, and generous person. He brought much joy and laughter to everyone and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

A memorial service will be planned in the future.

Donations in his memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.