The Nobel Connection to the Space Program

Details The Nobel Connection to the Space Program The Nobel Connection to the Space Program

Sep 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aiaa.conf.6071n&link_type=abstract

Space 2007, AIAA Proceedings, paper id. 6071

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Nobel Prize In Space Science, Astrophysics, Great Observatories, Climate Change, Cosmic Radiation Background, Cobe

Scientific paper

The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics was heralded by some in the press as the "First Nobel Prize for Space Exploration." Indeed the Nobel Foundation's announcement specifically cited the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite launched by NASA in 1989 as the prime-enabling instrument It elaborated further, "The COBE results provided increased support for the Big Bang scenario for the origin of the Universe. These measurements also marked the inception of cosmology as a precise science." NASA also seized this unique moment of fame to honor its favorite son, the first Nobel scientist of the agency, John Mather, of the Goddard Space Flight Center, who shared the honor with Professor G. Smoot of the University of California, the Principal Investigator of the COBE measurement. It is without any dispute that the Nobel Prize is the highest scientific honor and best-known award of admiration and inspiration to the public and educational sectors. Unfortunately in the American culture, youths are mostly exposed to success icons in the sports, entertainment, and business domains. Science icons are largely unknown to them. We sincerely hope that success stories of Nobel scientists will become part of the learning curriculum in the K-16 educational experience. In this paper, we examine the pedigree of a number of Nobel Prizes over the years, and discuss their interactions with, and connections to, the space program. It is advantageous for the context of educational and public outreach to see such connections, because in a number of public surveys, one important customer expectation for the space program is the search for new knowledge, to which the Nobel Prize is a prominent benchmark. We have organized this lengthy paper into nine, fairly independent sections for ease of reading:1."Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm" - Introduction and Background2."Connecting the Dots Between the Heavens and Earth" - From Newton to Bethe3."From Cosmic Noise to the Big Bang" - The First Nobel Recognition about Space Exploration4."Gone with the Win d" - Ozone Depletion Galore5."The Great Observatories" - From Einstein to Spitzer6."And the Winner is: Chandra" - How an Unpronounceable Name Won Over the Household Name "Mother X-ray"7."From the Mother of X-ray to the Father of X-ray Astronomy"8."To Catch a Ghost" - Hunting for That Elusive Cosmic Messenger9."The Stars Spell Your Name" - Christa's 73 Seconds in Space!Reprint can be downloaded from http://www.geocities.com/edw_ng/ -- reference link entitled "Nobel Connection"

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Nobel Connection to the Space Program does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Nobel Connection to the Space Program, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Nobel Connection to the Space Program will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1008973