Jonathan McDowell

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Jonathan McDowell

Jonathan Christopher McDowell (born 1960) is an

astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He is a staff member at the Chandra X-ray Observatory. McDowell is the author and editor of Jonathan's Space Report, an e-mail-distributed newsletter documenting satellite launches.[1]

Education and career

McDowell has a BA in Mathematics (1981) from

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. McDowell then moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he spent a year at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In 1992, McDowell returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and currently works there as a staff member at the Chandra X-ray Observatory
.

Research interests

McDowell's main research interests include:[citation needed]

In software, McDowell helped design the CIAO[2] data analysis package and the software infrastructure for the Chandra X-ray Observatory data processing pipelines. More recently, McDowell led the creation of an exhibit of astronomical images at the Smithsonian.[3] He is co-director of an undergraduate summer research program whose alumni include Alicia M. Soderberg and Planet Hunters scientist Megan Schwamb.[4]

Jonathan's Space Report

In his free time, McDowell conducts research into the history of spaceflight, and since 1989 has written and edited Jonathan's Space Report, a free internet newsletter documenting technical details on satellite launches. This information, obtained from original sources including declassified Department of Defense documents and Russian-language publications, can also be found on McDowell's web site.[5]

In 1994, McDowell published a history of the

boundary of space.[6] In the mesosphere, 80 km is nearly equal to 50 mi, the altitude used by the United States to confer astronaut status on pilots, as in the X-15 program itself. It also differs from the internationally accepted Kármán line altitude of 100 km, used by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for the same purpose. In 2018, McDowell published a refereed journal paper in Acta Astronautica[7]
making detailed physical arguments for the 80 km value.

Media

In 2017, McDowell weighed in on footage released by the Department of Defense showing a UFO on the website Inverse,[8] though stating he had not reviewed the case in question:

Typically, the explanation is that the thing they are looking at is much closer or much farther than they thought, or is a reflection of some kind,

From 1993 to 2010, McDowell wrote a monthly column for Sky & Telescope. In addition, McDowell has been interviewed on numerous television and radio programs[9] with regard to rocket launches or other celestial phenomena that generated interest amongst the general public.

Honours

He was elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020.[10]

The

4589 McDowell was named after him in 1993.[1]

Activism

In addition to his astronomical activities, McDowell has been engaged in progressive activism, for example Planned Parenthood, and other social endeavors such as promoting skepticism and atheism.[11][12][13]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3
    .
  2. ^ "Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations". Chandra X-ray Observatory. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Past Exhibits | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History". naturalhistory.si.edu. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ "SAO REU Summer Intern Program". Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Jonathan's Space Report". Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  6. ^ McDowell, Jonathan (Spring 1994). "The X-15 Spaceplane, (with) X-15 Flight Log". Quest: The History of Spaceflight. 3 (1): 4–12.
  7. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.07.003
    .
  8. Bustle Digital Group. Archived
    from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Jonathan's Media Appearances". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  10. ^ "AAS Fellows". AAS. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Boston Atheists". Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  12. ^ "Harvard Humanists". Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Boston Skeptics". Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

External links

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