Saturday Open Thread: All The Stars – Our History In Astronomy

Good Morning POU! We close out our series featuring these extraordinary individuals!

Dr. Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II

Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker, II (August 24, 1936 – April 29, 2001) was a Black American solar physicist and educator who was instrumental in developing the x-ray and ultraviolet telescopes used to capture the first detailed photographs of the Sun’s outermost atmosphere, the corona, in 1987. Still widely used in cosmology and astrophysics today, the technologies Walker developed are used in NASA’s solar telescopes, and the fabrication of microchips. As a professor of physics at Stanford University from 1974 until his death, Walker encouraged many racial minorities and women to pursue careers in space research and exploration, including Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut to fly into space in 1983. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan appointed Walker to serve on the commission that investigated the causes of the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 24, 1936, Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland in 1957. In 1958 and 1962, he received his master’s and doctorate degrees in astrophysics from the University of Illinois. His doctoral dissertation focused on the radiation energy involved in the atomic binding of protons and neutrons.

Beginning his scientific career as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1962, Walker helped create satellites used to study the Earth’s protective Van Allen radiation belts. After completing his Air Force duty in 1965, Walker worked at the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation, where from 1971 to 1973, he directed the Space Astronomy Program. His later career was devoted to the study of the Sun’s atmosphere.

Dr. Harvey Washington Banks

Dr. Harvey Washington Banks (February 7, 1923 – 1979) was an American astronomer and scientist who made history in 1961 when he became the first Black American scientist to earn a doctorate specifically in astronomy. His research contributed to advances in the field of astronomical spectroscopy, the use of light to study the properties of stars, planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. Banks also specialized in geodesy, the science of accurately measuring and understanding the Earth’s geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravity field. Many aspects of today’s Global Positioning System (GPS) technology are based on his work in geodesy.

Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on February 7, 1923, Banks moved with his family to Washington, D.C., where he attended Dunbar High School, famed for developing generations of academically elite, groundbreaking Black Americas, even during racial segregation. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from Howard University in 1946 and 1948, respectively. He remained at Howard, where he taught physics until 1952. From 1952 to 1954, he worked in the private sector before teaching physics and mathematics in the Washington, D.C. public school system for two years. In 1961, he became the first Black American to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy from Georgetown University.

Doctor Beth A. Brown

Beth A. Brown (July 15, 1969 – October 5, 2008) was a NASA astrophysicist specialized in the study of black holes and the emission of x-ray radiation from galaxies. In her work at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, she championed science communications and higher education. After her premature death from a pulmonary embolism at age 39, the American Astronomical Society created the Beth Brown Memorial Award for outstanding minority science students, now presented at the annual meetings of the National Society of Black Physicists.

Born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1969, Brown loved Star Trek and Star Wars. In 1987, she graduated as valedictorian from William Fleming High School. During a class trip to an observatory, she viewed the Ring Nebula, an experience she called the moment she “got hooked on astronomy.” She received her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Howard University in 1991, graduating summa cum laude. She then earned a master’s degree in astronomy from the University of Michigan and in 1998, became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s Department of Astronomy. During her time there, Brown developed a popular course in “naked eye astronomy” to help students observe the night sky without the aid of telescopes or binoculars.