Paul Desmond Scully-Power AMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
is an oceanographer. While a civilian employee of the United States
Naval Undersea Warfare CenterThe Naval Undersea Warfare Center is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare...
, he flew aboard
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
Space Shuttle mission
STS-41-GSTS 41-G marked the 13th flight of a space shuttle and the sixth flight of Challenger. It conducted the second landing at Kennedy Space Center...
as a
Payload SpecialistIn NASA vernacular, a Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a Space Shuttle mission...
.
Scully-Power was born May 28, 1944, in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. He became a U.S. citizen in 1982. He is married with six children (Adam, Lincoln, Holly (Deceased), Victoria, William and Tara). His recreational interests include squash and racket ball, sailing, and reading.
He attended schools in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
.
Paul Desmond Scully-Power AMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
is an oceanographer. While a civilian employee of the United States
Naval Undersea Warfare CenterThe Naval Undersea Warfare Center is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare...
, he flew aboard
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
Space Shuttle mission
STS-41-GSTS 41-G marked the 13th flight of a space shuttle and the sixth flight of Challenger. It conducted the second landing at Kennedy Space Center...
as a
Payload SpecialistIn NASA vernacular, a Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a Space Shuttle mission...
.
Personal
Scully-Power was born May 28, 1944, in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. He became a U.S. citizen in 1982. He is married with six children (Adam, Lincoln, Holly (Deceased), Victoria, William and Tara). His recreational interests include squash and racket ball, sailing, and reading.
Education
He attended schools in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
. He graduated, bachelor of science degree, honors, post graduate diploma of education, honors in applied mathematics while residing at
St John's College, University of Sydney]St John's College, or the College of St John the Evangelist, is a residential College within the University of Sydney.Established in 1857, the College of St John the Evangelist is the oldest Roman Catholic university college and second-oldest university college in Australia, and is one of the...
.
Experience
Scully-Power has spent extensive time at sea. He took part in 24 scientific cruises, 13 of which he was chief scientist. He is regularly invited to give papers at national and international scientific meetings and reviews articles for four technical journals. Scully-Power is also a qualified Navy diver.
In January 1967. after graduating from the University of Sydney, he was approached by the
Royal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following federation of the Australian Colonies in 1901, the former colonial navies merged to become the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
to set up the first oceanographic group within the Navy.
From January 1967 to July 1972 he was Scientific officer. Remained the first permanent head of the oceanographic group.
From July 1972 to March 1974 he was Australian Navy Exchange Scientist,
U.S. NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
. Worked at the U.S. Naval Underwater Systems Center,
New London, ConnecticutNew London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut.The city is home to Connecticut College, Mitchell...
, and at the Office of Naval Research,
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
During this period, he was invited to assist the Earth Observations team on the
SkylabSkylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
Project and has worked in space oceanography for each manned spacecraft mission since that time.
From March 1974 to March 1975 he returned to Australia, planned and executed the joint Australia,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
project ANZUS EDDY, which was the first combined oceanographic and acoustic measurement of an ocean eddy ever conducted.
In 1976 Appointed a foreign principal investigator for the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission, which was one of a series of satellites launched by NASA to explore the usefulness of remote sensing measurements.
Since October 1977 to present he emigrated to the United States and was offered a position at the Naval Underwater Systems Center. This position is that of a senior scientist and technical specialist on the staff of the Associate Technical Director for Research and Technology with the responsibility to insure the development of a comprehensive and balanced technology base within the Center.
In June 1984, he was chosen by NASA to be a
Payload SpecialistIn NASA vernacular, a Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a Space Shuttle mission...
on the 13th Shuttle mission, which would study Earth Sciences. His space flight experience include
STS-41-GSTS 41-G marked the 13th flight of a space shuttle and the sixth flight of Challenger. It conducted the second landing at Kennedy Space Center...
ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia being the first. Its maiden flight was on April 4, 1983, and it completed nine missions before breaking apart 73 seconds after the launch of its tenth mission, STS-51-L on January 28, 1986, resulting...
(October 5-13, 1984) was launched from and returned to land at the
Kennedy Space CenterThe John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center on Merritt Island, Brevard County, Florida, United States. The site is near Cape Canaveral, midway between Miami and Jacksonville, Florida. It is long and around wide, covering . A total of...
,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. STS-41-G was the first mission with a 7-person crew, and the first to demonstrate American orbital fuel transfer. During the 8-day flight, the crew deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, conducted scientific observations of the earth with the OSTA-3 pallet and Large Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with an EVA and associated hydrazine transfer. At mission conclusion, Scully-Power had traveled over 3.4 million miles in 133 Earth orbits, and logged over 197 hours in space.
Scully-Power is Chairman and CEO of SensorConnect Inc., a Silicon Valley high-tech company. He was formerly the CTO of the Tenix Group, Australia’s largest Defence & Technology contractor. He is a well-known innovator and corporate strategist.
Scully-Power has extensive commercial, government and academic experience in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and is widely recognised in the fields of defence & national security, aviation & aerospace, marine science, communications & systems analysis, and education.
Scully-Power has served as a Director of a number of public and private corporate and advisory boards worldwide.
Scully-Power is past Chairman of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (the federal regulator) and the Federal Government’s International Space Advisory Group, a former Chancellor of
Bond UniversityBond University is a private university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It was the first private university established in Australia...
(Australia’s largest private university), and was the inaugural Chairman of the Queensland Premier’s Science and Technology Council. Prior to that he spent over twenty years in the United States where he managed and led many high technology and defence industry programs. He served with the US Navy, NASA, the Pentagon, and the White House, where he was the Head of a Government-Industry partnership for the development of advanced communications systems as part of the White House National Technology Strategy Program. He was also responsible for the funding of major programs at universities and research institutions on behalf of the U.S. government. Additionally, he held the Distinguished Chair of Environmental Acoustics, was a Research Associate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Chairman of Membership of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, served on the University & College Accreditation Board, and was President of the Fort Trumbull Federal Credit Union. Before going to America, he was the inaugural Head of the Royal Australian Navy’s Oceanographic Group, deploying to sea on 26 cruises and qualifying as a naval ship's diver.
Scully-Power is considered a world expert in remote sensing: visible, infra-red, radar and acoustic and has earned the highest degree in science, a Doctor of Science in Applied Mathematics for his work. He has published over ninety international scientific reports and technical journal articles, including the Bakerian Lecture of the Royal Society. He has been a major contributor to the US Navy’s warfare appraisal and surveillance strategies, and was recognised by the University of Sydney in 1995 as its Distinguished Graduate. He discovered the phenomenon of ocean spiral eddies.
Scully-Power was the first President of the U.N. International Commission on Space Oceanography. He is US Air Force qualified for full pressure suit flying, and was a flight crew instructor in the Astronaut Office, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. Dr Scully-Power is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, and a Freeman of the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
He is involved in many business and community groups through his roles as Patron of the Australian Aviation Museum, the Royal Australian Navy Laboratory Association, and the League of Ancient Mariners; past Vice President of the Naval Warfare Officers’ Association; a member of the International Trade and Government Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce; and a Director of the Australia Youth Trust set up by the late Princess Diana. He is also a founding member of the advisory board of Environment Business Australia. Dr Scully-Power served for five years on the Australian Trade Commission, and for eight years on the Australian Institute of Company Directors. A larger than life-size oil painting of Dr Scully-Power hangs in the
National Portrait GalleryThe National Portrait Gallery of Australia is a collection of portraits of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest...
in Canberra.
Among his awards are the
Distinguished Service MedalThe Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919. The decoration the Navy and Marine Corps equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal...
,
NASA Space Flight MedalThe NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration . According to its statutes, it is awarded "for significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astronaut, pilot, mission specialist, payload specialist, or...
, Casey Baldwin Medallion of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, United States Presidential Letter of Commendation, US Congressional Certificate of Merit, United Nations Association Distinguished Service Award, Laureate of the Albatross (Oceanography’s ‘Nobel Prize’), Order of the Decibel (the highest award in the field of Underwater Acoustics), and Australia’s highest aviation award the
Oswald Watt Gold MedalThe Oswald Watt Gold Medal is an Australian aviation award named for Oswald Watt a decorated pilot in World War I.It originated in 1921 after the death of Oswald Watt and is awarded for "A most brilliant performance in the air or the most notable contribution to aviation by an Australian or in...
. He was appointed a Member of the
Order of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
on Australia Day 2004.
Awards and honors
- Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following federation of the Australian Colonies in 1901, the former colonial navies merged to become the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
Exchange Scientist to U.S. Navy, 1972-1974
- Order of the Decibel, 1974
- Recipient of 18 U.S. Navy Special Achievement Awards.
Organizations
- American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
- Acoustical Society of America
The Acoustical Society of America is an international scientific society dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications.-History:...
- American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation between scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for...
- U.S. Naval Institute
- Australian Marine Sciences Association
Technical papers
He has published 60 scientific articles in such fields as physical
oceanographyOceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
,
underwater acousticsUnderwater acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water and its boundaries. The water may be in the ocean, a lake or a tank. Typical frequencies associated with underwater acoustics are between 10 Hz and...
,
remote sensingRemote sensing is the small or large-scale acquisition of information of an object or phenomenon, by the use of either recording or real-time sensing device that are wireless, or not in physical or intimate contact with the object...
,
applied mathematicsApplied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the mathematical techniques typically used in the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains.-Divisions of applied mathematics:...
, space oceanography,
marine biologyMarine biology is the scientific study of living organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment...
,
meteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting . Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the eighteenth century...
, and ocean engineering.
Biography
- Oceans to Orbit: The Story of Australia's First Man in Space, Paul Scully-Power, 1995, by Colin Burgess
Colin Burgess is an Australian author and historian, specializing in space flight and military history. He is a former customer service manager for Qantas Airways, and a regular contributor to the collectSPACE online community. He lives in New South Wales...
.
- Australia's Astronauts: Three Men and a Spaceflight Dream, 1999, by Colin Burgess
Colin Burgess is an Australian author and historian, specializing in space flight and military history. He is a former customer service manager for Qantas Airways, and a regular contributor to the collectSPACE online community. He lives in New South Wales...
.
External links