Tag: Obituary

Bruce Murray, former JPL Director, co-founder of the Planetary Society, and Caltech Emeritus Professor passed away on August 29.
In the words of JPL’s Director Charles Elachi “Bruce was JPL’s fifth Director, serving from 1976 to 1982, but his association with JPL goes back much further. He was a Caltech geologist and a key member of the Mariner 4 Imaging team that captured the first close up image of Mars in 1964. It was only the first of four planetary missions in which he played a vital role as a scientist.
Shortly after Bruce became Director, JPL was the scene for mission operations for the landings of Viking 1 and 2 on Mars. The following year Voyager 1 and 2 were launched, and Bruce led the lab through the Voyagers’ encounters at Jupiter and Saturn. He worked tirelessly to save our nation’s planetary exploration capability at a tumultuous time when there was serious talk of curtailing future missions. Along with Carl Sagan and Lou Friedman, he founded The Planetary Society. Long after returning to Caltech as a professor, he continued to be a strong voice in expressing the importance of space exploration.”

Obituaries have been posted in various websites, including The Planetary Society and the Los Angeles Times.

It is with great sadness that we note the unexpected passing of
Mike Wargo, Chief Exploration Scientist for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD). Mike was a leading contributor to NASA’s human lunar and planetary exploration program. He was involved in many lunar missions, including Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the LCROSS satellite. In his nearly two decades at NASA, he received numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and seven group achievement awards. He worked tirelessly to integrate science community input into human exploration planning as the primary interface with NASA’s Mars, Lunar, and Small Bodies Assessment Groups. His openness, enthusiasm and energy will be sorely missed. More extensive memoria may be found at:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/features/wargo/

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=166329664#fbL…

NASA is asking the International Astronomical Union to name a crater on the moon in his honor “so his name will be forever enshrined in the heavens.” Gifts may be made to MIT in memory of Michael Wargo for the Department of Materials Science Endowed Fellowship Fund by contacting Bonny Kellerman, [email protected] or at 617-253-9722.

[From the PEN]

It is with great sadness that we announce the death from brain cancer Dr. Jeffrey K. Wagner, passed away July 8. He received a Bachelor of Science in astronomy from Penn State University in 1974 and a Ph.D. in geology and planetary sciences from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980. Wagner was a Professor of Astronomy and Geology at Bowling Green State University Firelands College for 30 years. Jeff’s name is familiar to everyone in the field of spectroscopy of planetary surfaces. His seminal work on the ultraviolet reflectances of planetary materials, which formed his Ph.D dissertation, opened a new field in planetary spectroscopy. He was the author of the book “Introduction to the Solar System,” which was published in 1991 and often used in the classroom by his students.

It is with great sadness I have to report the passing of Dr Hasso Niemann, who was a founding father of atmospheric experiments and mass spectrometry at the center ­ which ultimately led to the successful SAM experiment currently operating on the Curiosity Rover. Hasso died peacefully in his sleep early Thursday, July 11 morning after a brief battle with cancer.

Hasso leaves a huge legacy at Goddard and in the planetary and atmospheric sciences community with a career devoted to the development of mass spectrometer technology and using these capabilities to measure the composition of planetary atmospheres. Hasso¹s career began in graduated school with rather cumbersome rocket flight experiments and has spanned the epoch that saw spaceflight mass spectrometry evolve from crude, heavy laboratory tools to its current highly sophisticated state where mass spectrometers are now viewed as a primary instrument on planetary missions. Hasso made major contributions at every turn. Early in his career at Goddard as head of the Atmospheric Experiments Branch Hasso pioneered in situ exploration of the upper atmosphere of the earth with instruments on several spacecraft. He later focused on planetary atmospheres with first in situ measurements of the upper atmosphere of Venus on the Pioneer Venus Mission and subsequently the deep atmosphere of Jupiter with the prime instrument on the Galileo Probe that allowed fundamental questions regarding the formation mechanisms of giant planets to be addressed. Hasso contributed greatly to the Cassini mission as Principal Investigator on the Cassini Huygens Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer and the Facility Instrument Provider of the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer. His legacy continued at Goddard even after his retirement with provision of mass spectrometer by members of his group to missions such as the Mars Science Laboratory and the MAVEN Mars Orbiter.

Hasso cultivated broad and long lasting collaborations with world class planetary atmospheric scientists. He published many ground breaking papers describing the results of these experiments. Among his notable awards were NASA¹s Distinguished Service Medal for his career contributions in mass spectrometry, the Lindsay award in 1997 and the Al Seiff Memorial Award presented to him after his retirement in 2007. After his retirement Hasso continued to participate in the Cassini and continued to advise the mass spectrometer group at Goddard.

Hasso legacy will live on not only with his many planetary science colleagues but also with the technical teams that worked with him on all aspects of instrument development. Hasso’s interest in inviting young people to be part of his instrument efforts, his exemplary leadership and extraordinary work ethic in making the instruments happen, and his graceful and gracious diplomacy in dealing with the myriad people involved in the projects were all lessons in being a model scientist and human being.

The family will conduct private funeral arrangements.

Nicholas White and Jonathan Lunine

David S. McKay, Chief Scientist for Astrobiology at the NASA Johnson Space Center, passed away on February 20, 2013. During the Apollo program, McKay gave the first men to walk on the Moon training in geology. In recent years, McKay was perhaps best known for being the first author of a scientific paper postulating past life on Mars on the basis of evidence in martian meteorite ALH 84001. This paper has become one of the most heavily cited papers in planetary science. The NASA Astrobiology Institute was founded partially as a result of community interest in this paper and related topics.

As a graduate student in geology at Rice University, McKay was present at John F. Kennedy’s speech in 1962 announcing the goal of landing a man on the Moon within the decade. Kennedy’s speech inspired his interest in helping to train the Apollo astronauts in geology. He was a chief trainer for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their last geology field trip in West Texas. On July 20, 1969, McKay was the only geologist present in the Apollo Mission Control Room in Houston when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon.

McKay studied lunar dust since the return of the first Apollo 11 samples in 1969, and has contributed over 200 publications on this topic. As a result of this effort, McKay contributed major discoveries, including the source of vapor deposition on lunar soil grains, the formation of nanophase iron globules on lunar soil grains, the processes on the Moon that contribute to grain size distribution, and insight into space weathering and the chemically activated nature of in situ lunar dust.

McKay was honored by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) by having an asteroid named after him in 2002. His IAU citation mentions his years of work on lunar samples as well as the positive effect his research on martian meteorites has had on planetary research. McKay was also a recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Award at Rice University, the NASA Superior Achievement Award for Lunar Science Contributions; the Laurels Award from Aviation Week and Space Technology, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and the Distinguished Texas Scientist Award from the Texas Academy of Science.

McKay was with NASA for more than 47 years, and made substantial contributions to science during his career. He will be missed.

Richard E. Young, planetary scientist from NASA’s Ames Research Center, passed away unexpectedly on January 16, 2013 while walking near his country home in the Sierra foothills at Dunlap, California. He was 69. Rich had a long and productive career in planetary science. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he came to Ames to work on advanced planetary mission concepts, which inspired him to seek and earn a Ph.D. from UCLA, working with Prof. Gerald (Jerry) Schubert, in 1972. After a short post-doc at NCAR, Rich returned to Ames to work on the Venus atmosphere with Jim Pollack, and joined the Theoretical Studies Branch of the Space Science Division in 1976. During his career Rich conducted research into a broad variety of topics ranging from interior structural and thermal models of the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune, to 3D atmospheric dynamics of free and forced planetary scale waves and zonally averaged flows, and the radiative properties of terrestrial volcanic hazes. He was among the first to develop general circulation models for Venus to try to explain its four-day superrotation – perhaps the most challenging goal for understanding deep planetary atmospheres. He participated in three major planetary missions including Pioneer Venus, the Venus Vega mission, and the Galileo Jupiter mission for which he served as the entry probe chief scientist. Later in his career Rich managed the Planetary Systems Branch for five years. He retired in 2006, but remained active in science by educating the public about the reality and challenge of climate change on Earth. As a human being, Rich was the best. His hearty laugh often echoed around the halls at Ames, and he never had a bad word for anyone. He was an enthusiastic tennis player, poker player and backpacker. He had a soft spot in his heart for animals of all kinds, and in his retirement he volunteered at an animal rescue shelter near his home. He is survived by his wife Cindy, her two daughters and two grandchildren.

Stephen Eugene Dwornik passed away peacefully on December 17, 2012. Dwornik was born July 3, 1926, in Buffalo, New York, to Stephen Dwornik and Helena Januszkiewicz Soltys.

Beloved husband of 61 years to Kathleen Westphal Dwornik; father to Kris Bragg (Al), Karen McCaa (Kevin), and David Dwornik (Fran); Grampy to Matthew, Stephanie and Jessica Bragg; Jason (Lori), Michael and Michelle McCaa; Emily and Alex Dwornik. As a young boy he lived above, and worked at his parents’ neighborhood bar, learning from his mother a work ethic and social liveliness he never lost.

He attended Buffalo’s prestigious Technical High School and enlisted in the Army at age 17 (with the blessings of his mother in support of her adopted country). Dwornik, 102nd Division, fought along the front lines in Europe, participated in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Army’s Bronze Star for his service. After returning to Buffalo, he entered the State University of New York at Buffalo where he received both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Geology. Summer work included field work in Alaska along the Brooks Range in the late 1940s. After several years of persistent courting, he married the “One Love of his Life”, Kathleen Rose Westphal, on June 2, 1951, and moved to Springfield, Virginia, to begin a career dedicated to scientific advancements, starting with mine detection at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratories and continuing with planetary geology space research at NASA.

While at NASA, Dwornik acted as a Project Manager for the Surveyor Program (seven unmanned Moon landing spacecrafts). Dwornik co-authored several books, including Atlas of Mercury. One of his fondest memories was providing the first substantial NASA grant monies to a young astronomer named Carl Sagan. After Dwornik’s retirement from NASA, he enjoyed a second career with Ball Aerospace, including volunteer work helping to create a planetary Braille map and being a speaker for ElderHostel courses. He was a perennial joker and loved pranks, puns, and humor of all kinds. He was also a die-hard Washington Redskins fan, first obtaining season-tickets in 1954, and continuing in the family to this day. Some of his favorite memories were also spent with his entire family at Jekyll Island, GA for annual Summer vacations, continuously from 1969. He endowed the Stephen E. Dwornik Paper Award for Planetary Geology to support future generations of scientists.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Stephen E. Dwornik Award c/o Geological Society of America Foundation, P.O. Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301; or to the Multiple Sclerosis Society/National Capital Chapter, 1800 M Street, NW, Suite 750 South, Washington, DC 20036. Celebration of his life to be scheduled later.

Published in The Washington Post on December 22, 2012
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/WashingtonPost/obituary.aspx?n=STEPHEN-…

Dr. Bertram “Bert” Donn, the first head of NASA Goddard’s astrochemistry group, passed away on Friday December 28, 2012 at age 93. A New Yorker by birth, Bert attended Harvard University where he was taught by such legends as Fred Whipple, Cecilia Payne, and Bart Bok. A meeting with Harold Urey in the 1950s turned Bert’s attention to problems of low-temperature reactions and their connections to cometary and interstellar chemistry. Bert’s research at Goddard spanned theory, observation, and experiment, with connections to NASA missions such as Skylab, Apollo, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer. Bert also was an early NASA contributor to the astrobiological literature, he initiated several astrobiology-related research projects at Goddard, and he founded Goddard laboratories for studying the chemistry and physics of ice, dust, and nucleation. He was a 50-year member of the American Astronomical Society and a long-time DPS member. Aside from his Goddard work, Bert was a well-known and honored advocate of non-violence and peaceful conflict resolution, and was instrumental in the racial integration of Greenbelt, Maryland, where he and his family lived for 50 years. For more information please see http://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/691/Donn.html.

– Reggie Hudson and Joe Nuth (January 6, 2013)

John Guest (1938-2012) was a pioneer in planetary geologic mapping, contributing to the first geologic map of Mercury, as well as the first comprehensive map of the eastern equatorial region of Mars with Ron Greeley. He participated in the Mariner 10 and Viking missions, as well as the Magellan mission to Venus. Along with Ron, he helped to select the Viking 2 landing site. Primarily though, John was a volcanologist, happiest when he was in the field, especially at Mt. Etna. John did his PhD work at University College London, mapping volcanic fields in Chile, including the Chao Dacite and the Upper Tertiary ignimbrites in Antofagasta Province. He then went to the University of London Observatory to work with Gilbert Fielder on lunar craters, quickly realizing that craters on the Moon are not volcanic, but impact, starting his long interest in planetary science.

He founded the NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility at University College London, and taught many students there, including Rosaly Lopes, Chris Kilburn and Ben Bussey. John founded the European Planetary Geology Consortium in 1976, along with Philippe Masson, Gerhard Neukum, and Marcello Fulchignoni, which sparked many collaborations among its members. John’s work on Mars, Mercury, the Moon and Venus, as well as his very extensive work on terrestrial volcanology, leave a rich legacy.

He had a particular talent for being able to interpret geology from surface morphology – whether in the field, from aerial photographs or planetary images. He was much loved by his collaborators and students for his kind and generous spirit, and his sense of humor, which included terrifying his students in the field with tales of hairy lava tube rats and deadly snakes camouflaging in ropy lava. He was awarded the GSA G.K. Gilbert award in 1991; that same year the asteroid 1982 HL was named Guest by the International Astronomical Union Nomenclature Committee. He is survived by his wife Mary and sons James and Ben.

Prepared by Ellen Stofan, Angus Duncan, Rosaly Lopes, and Chris Kilburn.