The first head of NASA space missions Chris Kraft died in the US aged 96, CNN reported. 

"America has truly lost a national treasure today with the passing of one of NASA's earliest pioneers -- flight director Chris Kraft," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to the Kraft family. Chris was one of the core team members that helped our nation put humans in space and on the Moon, and his legacy is immeasurable.”

"Once comparing his complex work as a flight director to a conductor's, Kraft said, 'The conductor can't play all the instruments--he may not even be able to play any one of them. But, he knows when the first violin should be playing, and he knows when the trumpets should be loud or soft, and when the drummer should be drumming. He mixes all this up and out comes music. That's what we do here,'" added Bridenstine.

He received many awards and honors for his work, as well as the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and four NASA Distinguished Service Medals. He later directed NASA’s Lyndon Johnson Space Center.