 |
|
Space physicist James Van Allen, shown here
in a University of Iowa photo, was best-known for discovering the
radiation belts that now bear his
name. | BEIJING,
Aug.10 (Xinhuanet) -- James Van Allen, a pioneer in space physicst who helped
propel the United States into the space race and discovered the Earth-circling
radiation belts that now bear his name, died Wednesday at 91.
Van Allen died of heart failure at the University of
Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, said Stephen Pradarelli, the
spokesman for the University of Iowa, where Allen has worked for years.
Van Allen helped blaze the trail into space for
America in the panicky weeks after the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik
on Oct. 4, 1957.
Four months after Sputnik, America launched its first
successful space mission, Explorer 1, which carried in its payload a small
Geiger counter developed by Van Allen. The instrument detected two belts of
intense radiation surrounding Earth, later named as the Van Allen Belts.
The belts spawned a whole new field of research known
as magnetospheric physics, an area of study that now involves more than 1,000
investigators in more than 20 countries.
The discovery also made Van Allen a scientific
celebrity. In 1959, Van Allen appeared on the cover of Time. He also received
numerous awards, including the nation's highest scientific award, the National
Medal of Science.
"He was one of the most important people in the
entire area of space science," said Thomas Zurbuchen, professor of space science
and aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan.
The folksy, pipe-smoking physicist, called "Van" by
friends, retired from full-time teaching in 1985. But he continued to write,
oversee research, counsel students and monitor data gathered by satellites.
Though he was an early advocate of a concerted
national space program, Van Allen was a strong critic of most manned space
projects, once dismissing the U.S. proposal for a manned space station
"speculative and ... poorly founded." Enditem
(Agencies)
|
