Re: Physicist James Van Allen Dies at 91

In message <VOSdnaJ1UaM5PUbZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>, g. beat <?@?.?.invalid> writes
"Henry Spencer" <henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:J3sq08.MBC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <UIWdnaKzcsKrsUbZnZ2dnUVZ_q2dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>,

ISTR a post a while back that Van Allen even opposed putting cameras on
probes ... feeling that cameras would get in the way of
"more productive science." ...

I do not know of the "post" that you refer -- but it does not match
comments
I heard - first hand.

Can you elaborate? The examples you cited don't actually address that
issue -- they establish that he supported various missions, but those
missions all had strong non-imaging components. Early on, there *was*
some opposition to cameras from the particles-and-field people, although
I don't know whether Van Allen in particular joined in that.

Henry -

I never asked about cameras on the very early missions [ of course -- Corona
was secretly refining that technology -- under the military / nation defense
budget :-) ].


Carl Sagan wanted a camera on Mariner 1 and 2, which was perhaps over-ambitious for the time!
In "The Worlds of Galileo Norman Haynes is quoted as saying "Van Allen .... demanded a good set of fields and particles experiments, and that meant a spinning spacecraft. Then the Science Committee wanted a camera, because they felt they needed it to keep the public on board".
Not for the science, presumably :-) And Van Allen isn't quoted as being opposed, even though opposition seems to have been widespread.
.

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