James R. Houck

James Richard Houck (October 5, 1940 – September 18, 2015) was the Kenneth A. Wallace Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University.[1][2]

James R. Houck
Born(1940-10-05)October 5, 1940
Mobile, Alabama
DiedSeptember 18, 2015(2015-09-18) (aged 74)
Ithaca, New York
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCarnegie-Mellon University, Cornell University
Known forKey contributions to the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and Spitzer Space Telescope missions
AwardsNASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1984, 2005)
Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation (2008)
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics
InstitutionsCornell University

Houck pioneered infrared observational astronomy, designing detectors and spectrographs that were flown on sounding rockets in the 1960s, on airborne observatories in the 1970s, and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in 1984 and the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2003.[3] He also led development of Cornell's instrumentation for the Palomar Observatory Hale Telescope.

Houck's research outside instrumentation has focused on the mechanisms responsible for energy generation in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs), of which he was a discoverer using the IRAS satellite.[4][5] Houck has also studied the formation of dust in the early Universe.

He was married to Elaine Vezzani, with whom he had two children, until her death in 2011.[6]

Houck is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Ithaca, New York.[7]

Honors

References
  1. CU Astronomy
  2. http://www.bangsfuneralhome.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=3312249&fh_id=14255
  3. Weedman, Daniel; Barry, Donald; Soifer, Thomas (2 October 2015). "Obituary. James R. Houck". Physics Today (Daily Edition). doi:10.1063/PT.5.6176.
  4. Houck, J. R.; Soifer, B. T.; Neugebauer, G.; Beichman, C. A.; Aumann, H. H.; Clegg, P. E.; Gillett, F. C.; Habing, H. J.; Hauser, M. G. (1984-03-01). "Unidentified point sources in the IRAS minisurvey" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 278: L63–L66. Bibcode:1984ApJ...278L..63H. doi:10.1086/184224. ISSN 0004-637X.
  5. Houck, J. R.; Schneider, D. P.; Danielson, G. E.; Neugebauer, G.; Soifer, B. T.; Beichman, C. A.; Lonsdale, C. J. (1985-03-01). "Unidentified IRAS sources - Ultrahigh-luminosity galaxies" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 290: L5–L8. Bibcode:1985ApJ...290L...5H. doi:10.1086/184431. ISSN 0004-637X.
  6. "Elaine V. Houck Obituary". Ithaca Journal (Legacy.com). April 16, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152591082/james-r_-houck
  8. "Houck celebrates NASA award with colleagues". Cornell University News Service. Cornell University.
  9. "Houck receives Weber award for career of instrument development". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University.

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