James Van Allen - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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James Van Allen

James Van Allen (1914 - 2006) was an American astronomer and astrophysicist who is best known for his work with the NASA's early space exploration programs.

Van Allen's most influential work occurred during his involvement with the NASA Explorer I and Explorer III missions in 1958. His instruments aboard the Explorer satellites detected a band of charged particles trapped by the Earth's gravitational field. These radiation belts would later be known as the Van Allen Belts.

Following the success of the Explorer I and III missions, Van Allen played an important role in subsequent NASA space exploration programs including the Pioneer, Mariner, Voyager, and Galileo programs.

Fact Sheet

Born		September 7, 1914 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, USA
Died		August 9, 2006 in Iowa City, USA
Nationality		American
Fields		Astronomy, Astrophysics
Education		Iowa Wesleyan College, BS University of Iowa, M.S., Ph.D.
Achievements		Participated in NASA's Explorer I and Explorer II missions Contributed to NASA's Pioneer, Mariner, Voyager, and Galileo programs.
Discoveries		Discovered the radiation belts that circle the Earth, no known as the Van Allen belts.
Awards		TIME magazine Man of the Year, 1960 National Medal of Science, 1987 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1978 National Medal of Science, 1987 Crafoord Prize, 1989 Vannevar Bush Award, 1991 NASA's Lifetime Achievement Award, 1994 National Air and Space Museum Trophy, 2006