During World War II, Klute worked for Chrysler developing the first American jet-powered fighter planes.
Later, he was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project and the development of the first atomic bomb in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
During the early 1960s, Klute was in charge of the combustion research at Rocketdyne Corporation during the development of the Saturn F-1 rocket engine.
During this assignment he worked closely with government specialists, university professors, and consultants regarding the fundamentals of combustion stability.
Together, they had nine children; Michael, Mary, Daniel, David, Margaret, Martha, Elizabeth, Steven, and Helen.