posted May 21, 2009 01:51 PM               

Hubble Repair Mission Astronaut John Grunsfeld Named to CU-Boulder Faculty

Astronaut John Grunsfeld, nearing the end of a successful NASA mission on board the space shuttle Atlantis to repair and refurbish the aging Hubble Space Telescope, has been named an adjoint professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Grunsfeld, who participated in three spacewalks during the mission -- including one to insert a $70 million instrument on the orbiting telescope designed by CU-Boulder known as the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph -- will join the university's astrophysical and planetary sciences department. Grunsfeld, who confirmed his acceptance of the CU faculty position in a space e-mail from Atlantis earlier this week, will conduct research and teach courses on manned space flight and the development and servicing of future space telescopes, according to CU-Boulder Professor Michael Shull.

Grunsfeld has now made eight spacewalks during his astronaut career, including three during the current Atlantis mission.

"John Grunsfeld is one of the finest space scientists in the nation and one of the premier astronauts to have flown on NASA space shuttles," said John Stocke of CU-Boulder's astrophysical and planetary sciences department. "We could not be more pleased to have him on board at the University of Colorado."

Grunsfeld has now participated in three NASA space shuttle missions to repair and upgrade Hubble, which was launched in 1990 and is widely considered one of NASA's greatest achievements. Grunsfeld will concentrate his research efforts at CU-Boulder on the development of the next-generation large optical and ultraviolet telescopes in space, the operations of science instruments in remote space environments and the development of a low-frequency radio telescope on the far side of the moon.

In addition to helping to install the COS on Hubble during the Atlantis mission, he also made extensive repairs on the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the orbiting telescope. Both COS and ACS were built by Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp. of Boulder.

The telephone-booth-sized COS should help scientists better understand the "cosmic web" of material believed to permeate the universe, said CU-Boulder Professor James Green of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, principal investigator for the instrument. COS will gather information from ultraviolet light emanating from distant objects, allowing scientists to look back several billion years and reconstruct the physical conditions and evolution of the early universe.

Grunsfeld joins former NASA astronaut Joe Tanner, who joined CU-Boulder's aerospace engineering sciences department as a senior lecturer in September 2008. Tanner has been at Johnson Space Center in Houston at the Mission Control Center helping to monitor Atlantis flight activities and advising the astronauts through the five spacewalks required to repair Hubble.

Grunsfeld received his bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. He began astronaut training in 1992, which led to five space shuttle flights. He served as chief scientist for NASA in 2003-04, the most senior science position at the space agency.

posted January 04, 2010 08:25 AM               

NASA Astronaut John Grunsfeld, Instrumental to Hubble Telescope Repair, Will Help Oversee its Science Operations

NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, who participated in three space flights to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is leaving the agency to become the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The institute is the science operations center for Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is planned for launch in 2014.

"During the past 18 years, John has been a true asset to the agency," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut who flew on the STS-31 mission that deployed the Hubble. "Some have called him the chief Hubble repairman, but I call him a friend and wish him the best in his new endeavor."

In addition to Grunsfeld's flights to Hubble (STS-103 in Dec. 1999, STS-109 in March 2002, and STS-125 in May 2009), he also served on two other shuttle missions. He performed eight critical spacewalks and logged more than 835 hours in space.

During 2003 and 2004, he was NASA's Chief Scientist at the agency's headquarters in Washington. He helped develop the Vision for Space Exploration, which set NASA on the path for future exploration endeavors.

In accepting the institute position, Grunsfeld said, "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me to work at a focal point of top astronomers at the leading edge of scientific inquiry. The team at the Space Telescope Science Institute has a demonstrated record of meeting the high performance challenges of operating the Hubble Space Telescope and preparing for the James Webb Space Telescope. I look forward to working with this excellent team as we continue to explore the mysteries of the universe."

posted January 04, 2010 10:08 AM               

Astronaut John Grunsfeld Appointed STScI Deputy Director

Dr. John M. Grunsfeld has been appointed Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md. effective January 4, 2010. He succeeds Dr. Michael Hauser, who stepped down in October. STScI is the science operations center for NASA's orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope planned to be launched in 2014.

In accepting the position, Grunsfeld said "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me to work at a focal point of top astronomers at the leading edge of scientific inquiry. The team at STScI has a demonstrated record of meeting the high performance challenges of operating the Hubble Space Telescope, and preparing for the James Webb Space Telescope. I look forward to working with this excellent team as we continue to explore the mysteries of the universe."

Born in Chicago, Grunsfeld received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 and his Master of Science and doctor of philosophy degrees in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

Grunsfeld held academic positions as visiting scientist at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science from 1980-81; graduate research assistant at the University of Chicago from 1981-85; NASA Graduate Student Fellow at the University of Chicago from 1985-87; Grainger Postdoctoral Fellow in Experimental Physics at the University of Chicago from 1988-89; and senior research fellow at the California Institute of Technology from 1989-92.

Grunsfeld reported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1992 for a year of training and became qualified for flight selection as a mission specialist. A veteran of five space flights, including three missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope -- STS-103 in Dec. 1999, STS-109 in March 2002, and STS-125 in May 2009 -- he has logged over 835 hours in space, including nearly 60 hours of Extravehicular Activity during eight space walks. He served as the NASA Chief Scientist detailed to NASA Headquarters in 2003-2004, where he helped develop the President's Vision for Space Exploration.

His research has covered X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, high-energy cosmic ray studies, and development of new detectors and instrumentation. Grunsfeld has conducted observations of the far-ultraviolet spectra of faint astronomical objects and the polarization of ultraviolet light coming from stars and distant galaxies.

"We are absolutely delighted that he has accepted the position," said STScI Director, Dr. Matt Mountain. "John brings to us a wealth of expertise in the areas of space exploration concepts and technologies for use beyond low-earth orbit. He will be invaluable in our continued efforts to conduct world-class science with state-of-the-art observatories and instrumentation."