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Mae Carol Jemison-by NASA-

10 Most Famous NASA Scientists

Let’s begin by defining the phrase NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government in charge of the civil space program, as well as space and aeronautics research. The important things to keep in mind about NASA’s scientific efforts are that it concentrates on improving our understanding of Earth through the Earth Observing System, advancing heliophysics through the Science Mission Directorate’s Heliophysics Research Program, exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with cutting-edge robotic spacecraft like New Horizons and planetary rovers like Perseverance, and studying astrophysics subjects like the Big Bang through the James Webb Space Telescope and the Great Observatories.

Did you know that NASA scientists do innovative research in the fields of planetary science, in order to address some of the most important challenges facing humanity? These scientists make discoveries that benefit humanity, from aiding efforts to purify the water throughout the world to creating essential medical advancements. Here are the most famous NASA scientists.

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1. John M. Grunsfeld

John Grunsfeld-by NASA-

John Mace Grunsfeld is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut born on 10 October 1958. He was appointed senior Associate Administrator for the Scientific Mission Directorate at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C in January 2012. Prior to this, he managed the science program for the Hubble Space Telescope and the next James Webb Space Telescope as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Among his research specialties are research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray physics, and the newly growing subject of exoplanet studies with a focus on future astronomical instrumentation. He has flown on the space shuttle five times and made three visits to the Hubble Space Telescope. Also, he carried out eight spacewalks to maintain and improve the observatory. On his shuttle missions, he spent more than 58 days in space, including 58 hours and 30 minutes of spacewalk time.

2. Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla was an  Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was born on 17 March 1962  and died on 1 February 2003. The first American-Indian descent woman to travel to space twice was Chawla. As a mission specialist and principal robotic arm operator, she made her first space flight on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997. Her second flight was on STS-107, Columbia’s final mission, in 2003, where she sadly perished with seven other crew members when the space shuttle Columbia exploded during re-entry into the atmosphere on 1 February 2003. She has become a great inspiration to everyone who wants to become an astronaut, not just women around the world.

3. Sally Ride

Sally Ride in 1984-by Adam Cuerden-

Sally Kristen Ride was an American physicist and astronaut born on May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012. Ride joined NASA in 1978 and, after cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1963 and 1982, became the first American woman and third woman to fly in space in 1983. She also made history as the oldest American astronaut to have gone into space. Sally participated in two shuttle flights, acting as the ground-based capsule communicator, and contributed to the development of the robotic arm for the Space Shuttle. This has brought her recognition in science education and also as a role model to generations.

Read also; Top 10 Facts about Sally Ride

4. Mae C. Jemison

American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut Mae Carol Jemison(born October 17, 1956) worked as a science mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992 and made history as the first black woman to visit space. She carried out studies in the life and material sciences while aboard the shuttle, and she also participated as a co-investigator in a study on bone cells. She established the Jemison Group, Inc. in March 1993 which aimed at studying, developing, and deploying innovative technologies appropriate to the social, political, cultural, and economic context of the individual, especially for the developing globe.

5. Margaret G. Kivelson

Margaret Galland Kivelson-by NeeshaRS-

Margaret Galland Kivelson was born on October 21, 1928, is an currently American planetary scientist and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Space Physics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests are not limited to Earth; they also cover Saturn, Jupiter, and its Galilean moons because she studies solar-terrestrial physics and planetary science. She is a wonderful inspiration since only a few scientists are better knowledgeable about the mysteries of Jupiter and its icy moons.

6. Edwin Hubble

Astronomer Edwin (1889–1953) was a significant contributor to the development of observational cosmology and extragalactic astronomy. He proved that many objects formerly believed to be “nebulae,” or clouds of gas and dust, were actually galaxies outside the Milky Way. He scaled galactic and extragalactic distances using the strong direct correlation between a classical Cepheid variable’s luminosity and pulsation time, which was found in 1908 by Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Hubble gave evidence for the phenomenon now known as Hubble’s law, which states that a galaxy’s recessional velocity increases with its distance from the Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope, which bears his name and has a model on display in his hometown of Marshfield, Missouri, is the entity for which Hubble is most known.

7. Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun-by NASA/MSFC-

One of the most significant rocket developers and supporters of space travel in the 20th century was Dr. Wernher von Braun born on 23 March 1912 to 16 June 1977. He participated in the Nazi Germany rocket research program as a young man where he collaborated on the design and development of the V-2 rocket during world war II which became the first manmade object to enter space in 1944.

Read also; Top 10 Facts about the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

8. John C. Mather

John Cromwell Mather(born August 7, 1946) alongside George Smoot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) which helped strengthen the big-bang theory. The COBE project “may also be viewed as the beginning of cosmology as a precision science,” according to the Nobel Prize committee. Today, Mather works as a senior professor of physics at the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and a senior astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland. In addition, he serves as the senior project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

9. Peggy Whitson

Peggy Whitson-by NASA-

Peggy Annette Whitson(born February 9, 1960) is known to have spent a long time in space than any other woman or American, totaling 665 days. She is the only female astronaut to have twice taken control of the station and the first woman to command the space station during her second voyage. She was station commander from April 10, 2017, through June 2, making history as the first woman to lead the space station twice. She holds several spacewalking records, including the most spacewalks completed (10), the longest time spent in space (60 hours, 21 minutes), the most time spent in space for a woman, and the third-most time spent in space for any spacefarer (a cosmonaut is first and former Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria is second).

10. Kathryn D. Sullivan

American geologist and oceanographer Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan(born October 3, 1951) participated in three Space Shuttle crew missions. He served as a Payload Commander on STS-45, his first Spacelab mission solely focused on NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth. The ATLAS-1 (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science) cargo’s twelve experiments were run by the crew during the course of the nine-day mission.

Read also; 15 Brightest Scientists of All Time

NASA conducts research on Earth, including its environment, our sun, our solar system, and beyond. The singular goal of NASA offers advantages both large and small. Spending on space exploration boosts the economy, creates jobs, and kickstarts businesses. Their inventions enhance day-to-day living, promote medical knowledge, aid in disaster relief efforts, and more.