Video Kidibot

Tag: physicist

  • NASA Honors Legacy of Renowned Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking

    NASA Honors Legacy of Renowned Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking

    NASA is honoring visionary physicist Stephen Hawking, who died at his home in Cambridge, England, early Wednesday morning.

    Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot noted Hawking’s role as a “passionate communicator who wanted to share the excitement of discovery with all,” adding that his “impact cannot be overstated.”

    “Stephen’s breakthroughs in the fields of physics and astronomy not only changed how we view the cosmos, but also has played, and will continue to play, a pivotal role in shaping NASA’s efforts to explore our solar system and beyond,” said Lightfoot.

    This video is available for download from NASA’s Image and Video Library: https://images.nasa.gov/details-NHQ_2018_0314_NASA%20Honors%20Legacy%20of%20Renowned%20Astrophysicist%20Stephen%20Hawking.html

  • NASA names Unique Solar Mission after University of Chicago Physicist Eugene Parker

    NASA names Unique Solar Mission after University of Chicago Physicist Eugene Parker

    On May 31, NASA renamed humanity’s first mission to fly a spacecraft directly into the sun’s atmosphere in honor of Professor Eugene Parker, a pioneering physicist at the University of Chicago. This is the first time in agency history a spacecraft has been named for a living individual. Parker, the S. Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Physics, is best known for developing the concept of solar wind—the stream of electrically charged particles emitted by the sun.

    Previously named Solar Probe Plus, the Parker Solar Probe will launch in summer 2018. Placed in orbit within four million miles of the sun’s surface, and facing heat and radiation unlike any spacecraft in history, the spacecraft will explore the sun’s outer atmosphere and make critical observations that will answer decades-old questions about the physics of how stars work. The resulting data will improve forecasts of major space weather events that impact life on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space.