Author
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Topic: Brad Smith, Voyager imaging lead (1931-2018)
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-03-2018 12:45 PM
Carolyn Porco shared on Facebook the news that Bradford Smith, the leader of the Voyager Imaging Team, died on Tuesday (July 3). He was 86. Though Brad was never a person to boast loudly of his own accomplishments, as the leader of the Voyager imaging team — his most renowned role in planetary exploration, though he had many others — he was very much responsible for the success of the Voyager imaging experiment and, in turn, for the public's fond perception of the Voyager mission.Brad was one of few who had the foresight to recognize the satellites and, later, the rings of the outer planets would be as fascinating as the planets themselves, and the need for a high resolution imaging capability to address both. These realizations drove him to insist on a change in the optics of the Voyager cameras and to hand-appoint to the original NASA-selected imaging team additional scientists with expertise in geology and planetary rings, as well as those directly involved in ground-based studies of the bodies that Voyager would visit. Many of us involved in Voyager and subsequently chosen for the Cassini mission were among those added to the Voyager imaging team by Brad. He was also a visionary. He made a point to invite scientists from other countries onto the imaging team for the Neptune encounter, notably Andre Brahic from France and Sasha Basilevsky from the Soviet Union. The latter was a stunning international gesture, considering that the Cold War had not yet ended. I recall it was Sasha who proclaimed that the surface of Triton was like frozen Vodka! He was also the one who imaged the dust disk around the star Beta Pictoris, the first visual confirmation of an extrasolar disk. Brad was consequential in ways that few appreciate. The work of planetary explorers over the last 30 years, and I personally, owe a great deal to his vision, groundwork, encouragement and support. He will be remembered. |
1202 Alarm Member Posts: 436 From: Switzerland & France Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 07-03-2018 12:55 PM
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Jeff Member Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
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posted 07-03-2018 01:27 PM
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David C Member Posts: 1015 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 07-03-2018 01:56 PM
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capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 07-03-2018 01:59 PM
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randy Member Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 07-03-2018 02:38 PM
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Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 977 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 07-03-2018 03:27 PM
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Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 07-03-2018 03:45 PM
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SkyMan1958 Member Posts: 867 From: CA. Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 07-03-2018 04:20 PM
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Kite Member Posts: 831 From: Northampton UK Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 07-03-2018 04:24 PM
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ManInSpace Member Posts: 114 From: Brooklin, Ontario Canada Registered: Feb 2018
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posted 07-03-2018 04:57 PM
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GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 07-03-2018 05:21 PM
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Panther494 Member Posts: 402 From: London UK Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 07-03-2018 05:29 PM
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star51L Member Posts: 340 From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 07-03-2018 06:47 PM
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alcyone Member Posts: 130 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 07-03-2018 07:04 PM
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oly Member Posts: 905 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 07-03-2018 10:01 PM
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Headshot Member Posts: 864 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 07-04-2018 10:59 AM
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Kevin T. Randall Member Posts: 1082 From: Chesham, Bucks UK Registered: Dec 2008
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posted 07-04-2018 01:04 PM
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Blackarrow Member Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-04-2018 06:59 PM
A long life well lived, and a magnificent legacy. He will indeed be remembered. |
ringo67 Member Posts: 179 From: Seekonk, Mass., USA Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-04-2018 07:52 PM
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YankeeClipper Member Posts: 617 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 07-04-2018 07:56 PM
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Gilbert Member Posts: 1328 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 07-05-2018 10:06 AM
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fredtrav Member Posts: 1673 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 07-05-2018 10:47 AM
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posted 07-05-2018 12:18 PM
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jasonelam Member Posts: 691 From: Monticello, KY USA Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-05-2018 07:30 PM
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Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 07-06-2018 03:43 AM
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MB Member Posts: 155 From: Olmsted Falls, Ohio U.S.A. Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 07-06-2018 10:55 PM
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rjb1elec Member Posts: 212 From: Merseyside, England Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 07-07-2018 11:58 AM
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dss65 Member Posts: 1156 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 07-11-2018 06:04 PM
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RobertB Member Posts: 160 From: Israel Registered: Nov 2012
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posted 07-14-2018 10:36 AM
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mode1charlie Member Posts: 1169 From: Honolulu, HI Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 07-14-2018 02:42 PM
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Donbl Member Posts: 26 From: Frederick, MD Registered: Jun 2013
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posted 07-14-2018 10:56 PM
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posted 07-14-2018 11:23 PM
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Spoon Member Posts: 143 From: Cumbria, UK Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-17-2018 02:31 AM
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alcyone Member Posts: 130 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 07-17-2018 07:51 PM
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