Joseph W. Schmitt, who as one of NASA’s earliest “suit techs” was often the last person to have face-to-face contact with astronauts before they shot skyward on their historic missions, died on Sept. 25 in Friendswood, Tex. He was 101.

His granddaughter, Susan Alexander, confirmed the death.

Mr. Schmitt put Alan Shepard into his Freedom 7 capsule for America’s first spaceflight in May 1961, and he was still suiting up astronauts more than 20 years later, making sure everything was sealed and connected properly. Before any flight, he would spend long hours in the testing laboratory with the astronauts, getting them accustomed to their suits and troubleshooting problems.

He wrangled suits through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs and into the space shuttle era, a span during which spacesuits went from being, essentially, modified military gear to being high-tech creations that could protect an astronaut on a spacewalk or on a stroll on the moon.

His longevity and roots from the very start of the space program were occasion for some ribbing by colleagues.