Dwight Peterson Obituary

Dwight "Pete" Gilbert Peterson

Charleston - Dwight "Pete" Gilbert Peterson, 83, husband of Martha Parker Ham, passed away on March 19, 2026. Pete was born in Chicago, IL, to Hazel Victoria Peterson and Paul Gilbert Peterson, and raised in Corning, NY. He graduated from Northside High School in 1960 and from Cornell University in 1964 with a degree in Physics. He later earned a Master's Degree in Logistics Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Pete entered the Air Force in 1965 and served during the Vietnam Conflict from 1966 to 1967. Lieutenant Peterson earned the Bronze Star for his achievements in combat while serving as the munitions officer at Bien Hoa and Phu Cat. He was then selected as one of 100 officers to serve in the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program, since canceled. He served as NASA Consumables Analyst for Apollo 7 through Apollo 13 at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston from October 1967 to August 1970. Pete defined the propellant requirements for the Apollo spacecraft service propulsion system, the lunar module descent propulsion system, and the lunar module ascent propulsion system. His insightful propellant analyses of all major propulsion systems for Project Apollo resulted in significant weight savings to the lunar module. Apollo Astronaut Colonel Frank Borman recognized his outstanding contribution to the success of Apollo 8, the first manned lunar flight orbiting the moon. In preparation for landing, Apollo 11, he validated the calculated fuel budgets through simulations in June 1969 at Cape Canaveral with Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The propellant budget had been calculated within specific probability of success and was tested when Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong took manual control of the lunar module to avoid craters on the lunar surface, consuming extra propellant. The entire Mission Control personnel breathed a sigh of relief when Neil Armstrong landed the Eagle with 24 seconds of propellant remaining. As part of the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team, Captain Peterson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the miraculous rescue and return to Earth of the three endangered astronauts.

After his time at NASA, Pete served on the Air Force Inspector General team in Sembach, Germany and then under NATO in Incirlik, Turkey. He was the Minuteman Logistics Plans Program Manager at the Directorate of

Special Weapons, San Antonio Air Logistics Center. His final assignment was to the Pentagon serving on the US Air Staff for Air Launch Missile Logistics and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Logistics Resources Advisor. Pete retired in 1986 as a Lieutenant Colonel and began working for Synergy, a defense contractor, until he retired as a principal of the company in 2000.

He and his wife, Marti, spent many happy years sailing the Intracoastal Waterway and the Chesapeake Bay. They moved to James Island in November 2000 and to Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community in 2018. He is survived by his wife, Marti, of 31 years; brothers Douglas Peterson, Dale (Wyn Kelley) Peterson, David Peterson, sister Deborah (Milan Matus) Peterson; three children, Anna Shearer, Seth Peterson (Peg Helner Peterson), and Leslie (Andrew) Wessel, step-daughter, Rachel White, eleven grandchildren, Emma Shearer, Madeleine Shearer, Thomas Shearer, Laurel Peterson, Raymond Peterson, Emmett Peterson, Nora Wessel, Jonas Wessel, Manny Wessel, Hank Wessel, and Paul Wessel; as well as many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, son-in-law Tom Shearer, and sister-in-law Joanne Peterson. A private service will be held at a later date. Donations in Pete's memory may be made to the Fort Ticonderoga Association.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.

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