James A. Van Allen
September 17, 1914 – August 9, 2006

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James A. Van Allen was one of the true pioneers of this nation’s space program and of space science. He will always be remembered as the lead scientist who built the scientific instruments that flew on the first successful American satellites, Explorers 1 and 3. Data from those flights led Van Allen to announce the existence of belts of particle radiation encircling the Earth, now recognized worldwide as the Van Allen belts.

Van Allen entered space research and development in the 1940s as leader of a high-altitude rocket research group at the Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, where he performed a wide range of cosmic ray and geophysical studies with captured German V-2 missiles and rockets of his own design. He chaired the Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel and became a leading member of the upper atmosphere research program of the International Geophysical Year of 1957–58. Van Allen remained active in geophysical and planetary research. He took a leading role in several spacecraft programs: Pioneer, Mariner, Orbiting Geophysical Observatory, and, through his many students, the Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini missions.

Van Allen was an ardent supporter and spokesperson for the continued health of all the sciences in America. A gifted and passionate teacher, he advised and mentored space scientists everywhere and especially his many University of Iowa students.

Van Allen was Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1960, and in 1974 he was recognized as one of the top 10 college professors in America by People Magazine. His countless prizes and honors included the Crafoord Prize in 1989 and the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement in 2006. The Museum holds many objects and instruments created or fostered by Van Allen, including the Pioneer 10 and Explorer 1 spacecraft in the Milestones of Flight gallery.