Ave Kludze

Ave K. P. Kludze Jr. is an American aerospace engineer and civil servant, specializing in complex systems engineering and design. He is a senior NASA Spacecraft Systems Engineer.

Early life and education Kludze was born in Hohoe, in the Volta Region of Ghana, the son of Anselmus Kludze, a legal reformer who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and Comfort Brempong who worked with the Bank of Ghana. He grew up in Dansoman-Sahara, a suburb of Accra. His love of science began at an early age; his parents once remarked that they were fearful to leave him at home in case he dismantled the radio. At friends’ houses, he would take apart their televisions to see how they worked. By his own admission, Kludze's fascination with aviation began with a trip to the airport in Accra as a young boy. His father had intended him to become a lawyer but supported him regardless in his ambitions.

Career Kludze has held positions at various NASA Centers including the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia and NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, where he became if not the first African, the first Ghanaian to ever fly (command and control) a Spacecraft in Orbit (including the ERBS and TRMM Spececrafts, etc. for NASA from a mission control center).

In 2002, Kludze was recognised and honoured at the Second Biennial Adisadel College Excellence Awards at a ceremony at the State House in Accra, by the Adisadel College Old Boys Association and the college. He was profiled on Cable News Network (CNN) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).