Gene Shoemaker

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Gene Shoemaker

• Bridget Mahoney
• December 13th, 2005

http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/
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Gene Shoemaker 1928-1997

• Gene Shoemaker was born Eugene Merle Shoemaker on
  April 28th, 1928.
• Shoemaker was killed instantly on July 18th, 1997
  in a head on collision in Australia.

Gene with Dr. Eddie McKee at Toroweap Pt., Grand
Canyon (1968).
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/GeneImages.html
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Education and Employment

• Shoemaker graduated from CalTech at age 19, and
  earned his masters degree one year later with a
  thesis on the petrology of Precambrian
  metamorphic rocks.
• Shoemaker joined the United States Geological
  Survey upon graduating, and stayed involved with
  the USGS for the rest of his life.
• Shoemaker earned his Ph.D from Princeton
  University in 1960.

www.caltech.edu
www.usgs.gov
http//www.princeton.edu/7Evp/
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Research

• Gene Shoemakers research for the USGS initially
  involved the uranium deposits in Colorado and
  Utah.
• Shoemaker wrote his Ph.D thesis on Meteor Crater
• Shoemaker did seminal research in the mechanics
  of meteorite impacts

Meteor Crater, Flagstaff, Arizona
http//neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/meteorcrater.html
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Meteor Crater and Shoemaker

• In 1952, Shoemaker hypothesized that Meteor
  Crater as well as lunar craters were created by
  asteroidal impacts
• National interest in plutonium led the USGS to
  sending Shoemaker to the Yucca flats to
  investigate small nuclear events in comparison
  with the Meteor Crater, although Shoemaker wanted
  to create a map of the moon.

Shoemaker at Meteor Crater, 1960s
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemak
er/
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Coesite

• While doing research in the Yucca flats on
  meteorite impact with David Chao, the pair
  discovered Coesite
• Coesite is a silica that is produced during
  violent impact

earth.leeds.ac.uk
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Astrogeology

• Shoemaker took a great interest in the moon and
  wanted to create a map of the moon upon visiting
  it himself.
• In 1961, Shoemaker took a pioneering role in the
  USGS leading the field of astrogeology,
  highlighting the Ranger missions to the moon and
  astronaut training.

Shoemaker at Meteor training Astronauts
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
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The USGS Center of Astrogeology

• Shoemaker was appointed chief scientist at the
  USGS Center of Astrogeology in Flagstaff, Arizona
  in 1965.
• Here, Shoemaker was responsible for planning the
  lunar landings involving geologic activity

http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
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USGS Astrogeology and Shoemaker

Shoemaker with USGS Astrogeology Branch
employees, 25th anniversary of the Branch (1987).

http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/GeneImages.html
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Shoemakers Influences

• In 1969, Shoemaker returned to CalTech as a
  professor and served as the chair of his
  department for three years.
• Until his retirement in 1993, Shoemaker spread
  his time between Pasadena and Flagstaff Arizona.
• During this time, he also took a position at the
  Lowell Observatory.

Acting as Astrogeology branch Chief
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
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http//www.lowell.edu/
http//www.caltech.edu
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Palomar Observatory
http//www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/
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Palomar Observatory

• While attempting to extend his knowledge
  regarding formation and distribution of
  terrestrial and lunar impact craters, he became
  academically involved Elinor Helin.
• The two developed a plan to investigate the
  Apollo asteroids.
• With the use of a Schmidt telescope, they program
  had its first success in 1973.
• The pair were able to summate an enormous amount
  of knowledge regarding these structures.

http//www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visiting.html
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Gene and Carolyn A Scientific Team
Gene and Carolyn at a Flagstaff Party in their
honor (1960's)
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/GeneImages.html

• Gene and Carolyn Spellman married in 1951.
• The Shoemakers acted as a mom and pop team to
  ensure that Palomar has been and will remain an
  important site for the discovery of asteroids.
• More than 13 of asteroids have been discovered
  there.

Shoemakers at Palomar telescope, 1994
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
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Honors

• Gene Shoemaker had a great many honors bestowed
  on him, including
• Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute in
  1965, election to membership in the National
  Academy of Sciences in 1980, the Gilbert Award of
  the Geological Society of America in 1983 and the
  Kuiper Prize of the American Astronomical Society
  in 1984.

Shoemaker with Pres. Bush, Sr. being presented
National Medal of Science (1992)
Being presented honorary doctorate at Temple
University (1967)
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/GeneImages.html
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Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

• Comet Shoemaker-Levy was the ninth short period
  comet discovered by Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker
  and David Levy

Images from of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
http//www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/background.html

• The comet was in orbit around Jupiter, and was
  disrupted by Jupiter in 1992 and collided with
  Jupiter in 1994.

Shoemakers at Space Telescope Science Institute
http//www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/image354.html
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NEAR Shoemaker

• The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft has
  been renamed by NASA in honor of Gene Shoemaker
• Shoemaker was a an integral part of the 1985
  working group that made the initial study of the
  NEAR mission, helping to define objectives and
  conceptualize a payload.
• Many of this groups recommendations were
  included in the spacecraft.

Artists rendition of NEAR Shoemaker
http//near.jhuapl.edu/spacecraft/
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NEAR Shoemaker

Photograph of the launch in February 1996
http//near.jhuapl.edu/resources/launchlg.jpg
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Shoemakers Legacy

• Gene Shoemaker was considered the "father" of the
  science of near-earth objects, to the discovery
  and study of which The Spaceguard Foundation is
  dedicated.
• Shoemakers ashes were sent to the moon, honoring
  his wish to get there someday.

Shoemaker examining the ejecta blanket at the
Wabar meteorite impact site
http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
r/GeneImages.html
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Web References

• http//www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/news81.html
• http//wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/Shoemake
  r/
• http//neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news097.html
• http//www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/background.html

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Text References

• Levy, David H. (2000) Shoemaker by Levy The
  Man Who Made An Impact. Princeton University
  Press Princeton, New Jersey.