A Presentation on the Quiet Genius of George R. Carruthers
In April 1972, George Robert Carruthers, PhD (1939-2020) visited NASA Manned Space Center in Houston and watched as astronaut John Young positioned a gold-plated far ultraviolet camera / spectrograph on the Moon. The instrument, Carruthers’s invention, was the first astronomical observatory on the lunar surface, landing in the Descartes Highlands via Apollo 16. Young focused it on Earth outermost atmosphere, its “geocorona,” as well as on galaxies and more. Carruthers received the President’s Medal for Technology and Invention for this invention and accomplished much more during his career, including developing instruments for Skylab and Shuttle missions. He also focused his talents and energy on inspiring youth. Dr. David H. DeVorkin, senior curator emeritus of the history of astronomy and the space sciences at the National Air and Space Museum, presents the life of George Carruthers of the US Naval Research Laboratory at this online NASA seminar, based on his new book From the Laboratory to the Moon: The Quiet Genius of George R. Carruthers.
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