Eugene Merle Shoemaker
Eugene Merle Shoemaker | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | July 18, 1997 near Alice Springs, Australia | (aged 69)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | California Institute of Technology Princeton University |
Known for | Planetary science Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 |
Spouse | Carolyn S. Shoemaker (m. 1951) |
Awards | G. K. Gilbert Award (1983) Barringer Medal (1984) National Medal of Science (1992) William Bowie Medal (1996) James Craig Watson Medal (1998) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Planetary geology[1] |
Institutions | U.S. Geological Survey, California Institute of Technology |
Thesis | Impact mechanics at Meteor Crater, Arizona. (1960) |
Doctoral advisor | Harry Hammond Hess |
Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American
He was killed in a car accident while visiting an impact crater site in Australia. After his death, some of his ashes were carried to the Moon with the Lunar Prospector mission.
Early life and formal education
Shoemaker was born in
Shoemaker enrolled in the Caltech in 1944, at the age of sixteen.[b] His classmates were older, more mature and on a fast track to graduate before serving in World War II. Shoemaker thrived in the fast pace and earned his bachelor's degree in 1948, at age nineteen. He immediately undertook the study of Precambrian metamorphic rocks in northern New Mexico, earning his M.Sc. degree from Caltech in 1949.[9]
Family
While Shoemaker was attending Caltech, his roommate was Richard Spellman, a young man from
The Shoemakers had three children: two daughters and one son. Carolyn saw her work as keeping house and raising the children especially after they settled in Flagstaff in the 1960s. She had tried teaching school before they married, but found the work unsatisfying. She also traveled sometimes with Gene, but stopped after she noticed that her absence affected the children. After their children were grown, Carolyn wanted something meaningful to combat the "empty nest" feeling. By then, Gene suggested that she take up astronomy and join his team looking for asteroids approaching Earth. A student working at Lowell Observatory commenced teaching her astronomy. She showed great potential and launched her career as a planetary astronomer at age 51. She continued the work until her death in 2021.[10]
Scientific contributions
The
Daniel Barringer, an entrepreneur and mining engineer who had discovered Meteor Crater in 1891, had postulated that it had been caused by the impact of a meteor. About the same time, G. K. Gilbert, the chief geologist of the USGS, examined the crater and announced that it had been created by an explosive venting of volcanic steam. A majority of scientists accepted Gilbert's explanation of the cause of the crater, and it remained the conventional wisdom until Shoemaker's investigations half a century later.[9]
For his
Astrogeology and Apollo
In 1960, Shoemaker directed a team at the
Shoemaker was also involved in the training of the American astronauts. He himself was a possible candidate for an Apollo Moon flight and was set to be the first geologist to walk on the Moon but was disqualified due to being diagnosed with Addison's disease, a disorder of the adrenal gland. Shoemaker would train astronauts during field trips to Meteor Crater and Sunset Crater near Flagstaff.[13] He was a CBS News television commentator on the early Apollo missions, especially the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions, appearing with Walter Cronkite during live coverage of those flights.[14]
According to David H. Levy, just before the crewed Moon landings,
"With humanity about to set forth upon this new world, geologists and astronomers were divided as to whether the lunar surface was a result of volcanic forces from beneath, or cosmic forces from above. In 1949, Ralph Baldwin had articulated that the Moon's craters were mostly of impact origin and Gene Shoemaker revived the idea again around 1960. He saw craters on the Moon as logical impact sites that were formed not gradually, in eons, but explosively, in seconds."[11]: 58–59
He was awarded the
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
In 1993, he co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 using the 18-inch Schmidt camera at Palomar Observatory. This comet was unique in that it provided the first opportunity to observe the planetary impact of a comet. Shoemaker–Levy 9 collided with Jupiter in July 1994. The resulting impact caused a massive "scar" on the face of Jupiter.
Death
Shoemaker spent much of his later years searching for and finding several previously unnoticed or undiscovered
On July 31, 1999, some of his ashes were carried to the Moon by the Lunar Prospector space probe in a capsule designed by Carolyn Porco.[18][19] Celestis, Inc. provided the service—at NASA's request—commercially, making Shoemaker's ashes the first private delivery to the lunar surface. Celestis is the memorial spaceflight company that flew the ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry into space,[20][21][22] as well as Star Trek actor James Doohan ("Scotty"), Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper[23] and hundreds of other people from around the world.[24] Shoemaker is the only person whose remains have been placed on any celestial body outside Earth.[25] The brass foil wrapping of Shoemaker's memorial capsule is inscribed with images of Comet Hale–Bopp ("the last comet that the Shoemakers observed together"),[19] the Barringer Meteor Crater, and a quotation from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet reading
The fatal crash happened when Hale-Bopp was still visible to the naked eye, having passed perihelion and having moved into the southern celestial hemisphere.
Awards and tributes
Shoemaker received a large number of awards for his professional work. According to the obituary published by the
- Doctorate of Science, Arizona State College, Flagstaff, 1965.
- John Price Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute, co-recipient with E.C.T. Chao, 1965.
- Arthur S. Flemming Award, 1966.
- Doctorate of Science, Temple University, 1967.
- NASA Medal for Scientific Achievement, 1967.
- U.S. Department of the Interior Honor Award for Meritorious Service, 1973.
- Member, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 1980.
- U.S. Department of the Interior Distinguished Service Award, 1980.
- Arthur L. Day Medal of the Geological Society of America, 1982.
- G.K. Gilbert Award of the Geological Society of America, 1983.
- Rieser Kulturpreis, co-recipient with E.C.T. Chao and Richard Dehm, 1983.
- Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Arizona, 1984.
- Barringer Award of the Meteoritical Society, 1984.
- Kuiper Prize of the American Astronomical Society, Division for Planetary Sciences, 1984.
- Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society, 1985.
- Distinguished Alumni Award of the California Institute of Technology, 1986.
- Rittenhouse Medal of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society, co-recipient with C.S. Shoemaker, 1988.
- National Medal of Science, 1992.
- Whipple Award, American Geophysical Union, 1993.
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1993.
- AIAA Space Science Award, 1996.
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, 1996.
- William Bowie Medal, American Geophysical Union, 1996.
- Special Award, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1997.
- Shoemaker Award, Texas Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, awarded posthumously, 1997.
On July 24, 1997, a memorial for Shoemaker and Jurgen Rahe was presented in the U.S. House of Representatives by California representative George E. Brown Jr. The memorial was published in the Congressional Record. The memorial credited Shoemaker with being either the discoverer or co-discoverer of 820 asteroids and comets during his career.[c] [27]
A ring-like topographic feature in Western Australia, an
In their 2020 album, Human. :II: Nature., Finnish metal band Nightwish paid tribute to Shoemaker in the song "Shoemaker". Composer Tuomas Holopainen says he was inspired by his biography, which moved the entire band to tears.
List of discovered minor planets
Shoemaker is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the co-discovery of 183 minor planets between 1977 and 1994.[29]
List of minor planets discovered by Eugene Shoemaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Notes
- ^ Buffalo Museum of Education likely refers to the institution now known as the Buffalo Museum of Science.
- ^ Astronomer and co-discoverer of the Shoemaker-Levy comet, David H. Levy said that Shoemaker had never considered going to any other university than Caltech.[9]
- ^ Rahe was a German-American astronomer and project leader at NASA who was killed in an auto accident near Washington D. C. on June 18, 1997.
References
- ^ a b Chapman, Mary G. "Gene Shoemaker – Founder of Astrogeology". USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ Eugene M. Shoemaker Biography. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Oral History Transcript — Dr. Eugene Shoemaker". www.aip.org. Archived from the original on March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ISBN 0691113254– via Google Books.
- ^ a b Kieffer, Susan (2015). "Biographical memoir" (PDF). www.nasonline.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "2011 March – Ahern Funeral Home Condolences". www.ahernfuneralhome.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "History – SUNY Buffalo State". suny.buffalostate.edu. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Eliza Kellas
- ^ a b c d e f Kieffer, Susan. W (2015). "Eugene M. Shoemaker (1928–1997)" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ a b Chapman, Mary G (May 17, 2002). "Carolyn Shoemaker". USGS Astrogeology Center. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-0691113258.
- ^ Phinney, William (2015). Science Training History of the Apollo Astronauts. NASA SP -2015-626. p. 65.
- ^ "About – USGS Astrogeology Science Center". astrogeology.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ISSN 0091-6358. Archived from the originalon May 9, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ^ Browne, Malcolm W (July 19, 1997). "Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, 69; Set Record for Finding Comets". New York Times. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ "Eugene Shoemaker (1928–1997)". www2.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Eugene Shoemaker (1928–1997) – American Astronomical Society". aas.org. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ a b Porco, Carolyn. "The Eugene M. Shoemaker Tribute". Diamond Sky Productions. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- ^ a b Porco, Carolyn C. (February 2000). "Destination Moon". Astronomy. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- ^ Fletcher, Chris (January 31, 1999). "'Burying' a man on the moon: Astrogeologist's ashes aboard lunar spacecraft". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Mark Mancini (April 26, 2019). "Eugene Shoemaker: The Only Human Buried on the Moon". science.howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ Grundhauser, Eric (October 22, 2018). "Eugene Shoemaker Is Still the Only Man Buried on the Moon". AtlasObscura.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Moskowitz, Clara (May 22, 2012). "Ashes of Star Trek's 'Scotty' Ride Private Rocket Into Space". Space.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ "Participants of Space Funeral Flights". www.celestis.com/. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Fly Me to the Moon ... Forever". space.com. March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Eugene Shoemaker Ashes Carried on Lunar Prospector". www2.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "In Remembrance of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker and Dr. Jurgen Rahe". Congressional Record. July 24, 1997. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ Chamberlin, Alan. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. October 25, 2018. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
Bibliography
- Farley, K. A.; Montanari, A.; Shoemaker, E. M.; PMID 9596575
- Nozette, S. D.; Lichtenberg, C. L.; Spudis, P. D.; Bonner, R.; Ort, W.; Malaret, E.; Robinson, M. S.; Shoemaker, E. M. (1996), "The Clementine bistatic radar experiment", S2CID 5275759
- Shoemaker, E. M.; Robinson, M. S.; Eliason, E. M. (1994), "The South Pole Region of the Moon as Seen by Clementine", S2CID 41734505
- Nozette, S. D.; Rustan, P. L.; Pleasance, L. D.; Kordas, J. F.; Lewis, I. T.; Park, H. S.; Priest, R. E.; Horan, D. M.; et al. (1994), "The Clementine Mission to the Moon: Scientific Overview", )
- Weaver, H. A.; Feldman, P. D.; A'Hearn, M. F.; Arpigny, C.; Brown, R. A.; )
- Soderblom, L. A.; Kieffer, S. W.; Becker, T. L.; Brown, R. H.; Cook, A. F. 2nd; Hansen, C. J.; Johnson, T. V.; Kirk, R. L.; Shoemaker, E. M. (1990), "Triton's Geyser-Like Plumes: Discovery and Basic Characterization", Science, 250 (4979) (published October 19, 1990): 410–415, )
- Kring, D.A., (2007) "Guidebook to the Geology of Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona (a.k.a. Meteor Crater)". Lunar and Planetary Institute contribution No. 1355
- Smith, B. A.; Soderblom, L. A.; Banfield, D.; Barnet, C. D.; Basilevsky, A. T.; Beebe, R. F.; Bollinger, K.; Boyce, J. M.; et al. (1989), "Voyager 2 at Neptune: Imaging Science Results", )
- Smith, B. A.; Soderblom, L. A.; Beebe, A.; Bliss, D.; Boyce, J. M.; Brahic, A.; Briggs, G. A.; Brown, R. H.; Collins, S. A. (July 4, 1986). "Voyager 2 in the Uranian System: Imaging Science Results". Science. 233 (4759): 43–64. from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- Cook, A. F.; Shoemaker, E. M.; Smith, B. A.; Danielson, G. E.; Johnson, T. V.; Synnott, S. P. (1981), "Volcanic Origin of the Eruptive Plumes on Io", PMID 17731183
- Smith, B. A.; Soderblom, L. A.; Beebe, R. F.; Boyce, J. M.; Briggs, G. A.; Carr, M. H.; Collins, S. A.; Cook, A. F. 2nd; et al. (1979), "The Galilean Satellites and Jupiter: Voyager 2 Imaging Science Results", )
- Smith, B. A.; Soderblom, L. A.; Johnson, T. V.; Ingersoll, A. P.; Collins, S. A.; Shoemaker, E. M.; Hunt, G. E.; Masursky, H.; et al. (1979), "The Jupiter System Through the Eyes of Voyager 1", Science, 204 (4396) (published June 1, 1979): 951–972, )
- Shoemaker, E. M.; Hait, M. H.; Swann, G. A.; Schleicher, D. L.; Dahlem, D. H.; Schaber, G. G.; Sutton, R. L. (1970), "Lunar Regolith at Tranquillity Base", Science, 167 (3918) (published January 30, 1970): 452–455, S2CID 11397998
- Shoemaker, E. M.; Batson, R. M.; Holt, H. E.; Morris, E. C.; Rennilson, J. J.; Whitaker, E. A. (1967), "Surveyor V: Television Pictures", S2CID 44266405
- Gault, D. E.; Adams, J. B.; Collins, R. J.; Green, J.; Kuiper, G. P.; Mazursky, H.; O'Keefe, J. A.; Phinney, R. A.; Shoemaker, E. M. (1967), "Surveyor V: Discussion of Chemical Analysis", S2CID 41807553
- Chao, E. C. T.; Shoemaker, E. M.; Madsen, B. M. (1960), "First Natural Occurrence of Coesite", S2CID 45197811
External links
- Asteroids: Deadly Impact National Geographic videos
- USGS page about Shoemaker
- NASA page about Shoemaker Archived January 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine