Ain Laats was born on October 6, 1935, in Tapa, Estonia. Driven from home by World War II, he spent his early years as a refugee in Germany from 1945 to 1951 before immigrating to the United States through Ellis Island in 1951, settling initially in Bath, New York before moving with his family to New York City, where he pursued his education.

 He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from City College, New York, a foundation that led to a long and remarkable career at Draper Laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he dedicated his life's work to helping the United States win both the Space Race and the Cold War. He is known for his contributions to the guidance and navigation systems on the Apollo missions, and to the Polaris, Poseidon, and Peacekeeper missile programs. He was a civilian contractor aboard the USS George Washington submarine during its historic first submerged Polaris missile firing.

Beyond the lab, he loved to ski and hike in Vermont. He was terrific with the charcoal grill, skilled with a chainsaw, and he chopped all of his firewood by hand. During his younger days, he was known as the life of the party — always ready for a good time, with polka music and a good sausage (especially Polish kielbasa, bratwurst, and Estonian verivorst). He was a voracious reader and maintained a regular journal. He was extremely proud of both his Estonian heritage and his American citizenship.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Virginia (Dunn) and three sons, Alexander, Andrus and Adam. Ain and Virginia lived in Winchester, Massachusetts for 54 years. His family grew to include Laura (Lowder), Jessica Anderson, and Sandra (Siewert), and his grandchildren Erik, Emily (Tan), Jakob, Maia, Margo, Gwen, Andrus, and Lucy. In 2020, they moved to the Commons in Lincoln where they met and enjoyed a wonderful new community.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MA Alzheimer's Association , 320 Nevada Street, Suite 201, Newton, MA 02460, online at Alzheimer's Association or donate a warm sweater or jacket to someone who is cold – Ain would like that.