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ALVIN SEIFF MEMORIAL AWARD
presented annually at the International Planetary Probe Workshop
Al Seiff Memorial Award Nomination Form
Deadline
: 16 March 2007
All nomination materials should be sent
(in electronic form, PDF preferred)
to
ippw-5@rssd.esa.int with the Subject Line "Al Seiff
Award Nomination".
Purpose:
To recognize and
honor a scientist, engineer, technologist, or mission
planner for an outstanding contribution to the
understanding of the atmospheres of planets or moons
utilizing high speed entry probes.
Background: The lecture will be named after Alvin
Seiff as the Alvin Seiff Memorial Award to be presented
annually at the International Planetary Probe Workshop.
Alvin Seiff's contributions to the fields
of planetary exploration, planetary probe technology,
and mentoring a generation of world class planetary
scientists and technologists are legendary. His
leadership using ballistic ranges and innovative
engineering analysis played a key role in determining
the aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics of the Apollo
entry vehicle that was used several times to return
astronauts from the Moon. Shortly after president
Kennedy told the nation we were going to put a man on
the Moon and bring him back safely within the decade, Al
pulled together a group of young people from across the
nation to contribute to this goal. Under his leadership
at NASA Ames, the center made key contributions defining
the aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics of the Apollo
Earth return vehicle.
Later in his career, Al pursued his goal
of inverting the entry physics "problem" into the
"solution" of using the response of an entry probe to
determine the structure and composition of an unknown
planetary atmosphere. This powerful concept was proven
with the Planetary Atmospheric Entry Test (PAET)
project, which demonstrated that inversion of the entry
physics problem could be done in the Earth's atmosphere.
Al Seiff was the principal investigator
on experiments that utilized the approach he pioneered
to determine the structure of the atmospheres of Mars,
Venus and Jupiter. This was accomplished by the flights
of the Viking, Pioneer-Venus, and Galileo entry probes.
Al's work on planetary atmospheres is broadly published
in both the scientific literature and textbooks. Al is
broadly recognized for his contributions, both
nationally and internationally. He won the NASA Medal
for Exceptional Scientific Achievement three times and
was awarded the honor of the Dryden Lectureship by the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for
his work on planetary atmospheres.
Perhaps as important as his
contributions to NASA's goals in science and engineering
was the product of his leadership: coaching and
mentoring. Scores of young engineers and scientists who
worked for and with Al later entered the ranks of world
class researchers, leaders and managers for NASA and the
Department of Defense, including a center director of
Ames, organizational directors, division chiefs and
branch chiefs.
Al embodied the best we can expect from
a leader, and exemplified the saying "give more than you
take from the circle of life." He truly "soared to the
stars", literally touching three planets with his
experiments. Al gave his best to the international
planetary science community. Al passed away in 2000 but
his inspiration lives on.
Rationale:
The young researchers of today will stand on the
shoulders of the giants from the past to discover great
things in the future that one can only dream off today.
An important element of the International Planetary
Probe Workshops is to introduce, motivate and educate
young people in the field of scientific studies of
planetary atmospheres. It is only by placing today's
research activities in the proper historical context, by
recognizing, appreciating, and understanding the
contributions of our predecessors, and by utilizing the
experience and knowledge gained by past generations of
explorers that a framework that dictates our path for
future explorations can be defined. As solar system
explorers we are bound by the achievements of our
colleagues, and we are obligated to further this chain
of scientific discovery to the next generation.
To celebrate Al Seiff's lifetime of
dedication to the engineering, technology, and
scientific studies of planetary atmospheres, to provide
young researchers who never had the chance to know Al
with the opportunity to learn how his work truly
influences virtually every aspect of planetary
exploration, this award and prize lecture will be named
after Alvin Seiff.
Details of
Award: The Alvin Seiff Memorial Award will be
an annual award presented at the International Planetary
Probe Workshop. The recipient will be recognized for his
or her substantial contributions to the field of planetary entry and
descent science and technology, and will be selected by vote of the International
Steering Committee and previous Alvin Seiff Memorial
Award winners.
The Alvin Seiff Memorial Award will
comprise expenses to attend the International Planetary
Probe Workshop, a plaque (or medal) and certificate, and
a Prize Lecture to be given during the workshop (either
at the banquet or during one of the workshop sessions.)
Prior
to the winner giving his or her lecture, a member of the
International Steering Committee will give a very short
synopsis of Al's contributions to set the tone for the
occasion.
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