This video history consists of original, master and reference videos documenting a children's lecture program by George R. Carruthers, a physicist and inventor. Carruthers invented the Far Ultra-Violet Camera (FUVCAM).
Scope and Contents note:
This collection contains original, master, and reference videos documenting Dr. George Carruthers. Dr. Carruthers discusses his invention, the Far Ultra-Violet Camera (FUVCAM), as well his background, and experience working with the space program.
Arrangement:
Divided into 3 series: 1) Original Videos; 2) Master Videos; 3) Reference Videos.
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. George Carruthers was born in 1939 and grew up in Milford, Ohio and Chicago's South Side. Carruthers received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Illinois in 1961, M.S. Physics in 1962, and his Ph.D in aeronautical and astronomical engineering in 1964. After receiving his Ph.D in 1964, Carruthers joined the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Space Science Division where he is now Senior Astrophysicist. Along with William Conway, another scientist, Carruthers developed the lunar surface ultraviolet camera and spectrograph used on the moon by Apollo 16 in 1972. The camera was used to take ultraviolet pictures of the Earth during the Apollo 16 space mission. It was the first camera to take pictures of the upper levels of the earth's atmosphere and to show that hydrogen exists in outer space.
Provenance:
This videohistory was created by the Innovative Lives Program of The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation on February 22, 1996. The Innovative Lives series brings young people and American inventors together to discuss inventions and the creative process and to experiment and play with hands-on activities related to each inventor's product.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the original videos are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
EUV, x-ray, and gamma-ray instrumentation for astronomy and atomic physics : 7-11 August 1989, San Diego, California / Charles J. Hailey, Oswald H. W. Siegmund, chairs/editors
7.34 Cubic feet (9 boxes of various size, 1 folder, 1 map folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Certificates
Photograph albums
Date:
1970s - 2010s
Summary:
This collection consists of material documenting the space science career of Dr. George Carruthers.
This collection is in English.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following items: National Technical Association Life Fellow Certificate; NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement Certificate; 1987 Black Engineer of the Year Award documentation; E.O. Hulbert Award for Science Award Certificate; University of Illinois Merit Award Certificate; scrapbook; two photograph albums; "Final Moon Mission" booklet; and congratulatory letter from President Jimmy Carter on receiving the NRL Commanding Officer's Award for Achievement in the Non-Disciplinary Field of Equal Employment Opportunity for 1985.
Arrangement:
Arrangement by type.
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 1, 1939, George Carruthers arrived at US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1964 with a Ph.D. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Illinois. Carruthers was assigned to Talbot Chubb's upper air physics branch and joined an experimental rocket astronomy team to search for molecular hydrogen in space. This required sensitive detectors for the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum and Carruthers developed an electronographic camera that amplified images electronically for recording on photographic film. Guided by Chubb and mentored by Julian Holmes at NRL, Carruthers devised especially efficient and reliable electronographic cameras and flew them on rockets in the late 1960s. In 1969, Carruthers responded to an open National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) "announcement of opportunity" to create experiments for follow-on Apollo flights. By the time NASA gave them approval, Carruthers and his NRL team had less than two years to design and build the first astronomical telescope that observed the universe from the Moon. Compact, highly sensitive, lightweight, and usable by Apollo 16 astronauts on the lunar surface, his highly sophisticated and versatile telescope could take direct images of the universe, as well as analyze its constituents. Carruthers remained at NRL for the rest of his career, continuing to develop and perfect a wide range of electronographic ultraviolet detectors for use both in astronomy and by the Department of Defense. After sounding rockets and Apollo, his devices flew on Skylab, and later on the Space Shuttle. In his later years, Carruthers became an avid mentor, inspiring local Washington DC school children to get practical experience in science and engineering.
Provenance:
George and Deborah Carruthers, Gift, 2020, NASM.2020.0024
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of two 8 by 10 inch green notebooks, which chart the construction of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) Satellite. Book one records from October 1, 1973 until September 16, 1974. Book two records from September 17, 1974 until January 9, 1976. The books contain black and white photographs with related notations.
Biographical / Historical:
The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) was the first experiment to explore the full range of ultraviolet radiation from the universe. The IUE was a satellite sponsored and operated jointly by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United Kingdom's Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and the European Space Agency (ESA), and dedicated to gathering astronomical data in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. The IUE was launched by a Thor-Delta rocket on January 26, 1978 and placed into a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. It carried a 45-centimeter Cassegrain reflecting telescope with two spectrographs, collected spectral data in real time and was capable of being operated by a visiting astronomer at one of two ground stations: in Madrid, Spain, and at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The observer could perform preliminary evaluation and analysis during the observing session, operating the system much like a modern ground-based telescope. In its18 years of operation the IUE provided data for thousands of scientific papers. IUE real time operations terminated on September 27, 1996.
Provenance:
Dick Harner, Gift, 2012
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
