Seventy-five years ago, astronomer Lyman Spitzer envisioned a future for space exploration that deepened humanity’s curiosity about the cosmos. A visionary behind the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer was among the earliest astronomers pioneering a revolutionary way to explore the universe through astronomical satellites.
His vision came over a decade before the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the establishment of NASA itself. While the fundamental concept of sending a large telescope into space wasn’t new, the reality of doing so was.Seventy-five years ago, astronomer Lyman Spitzer envisioned a future for space exploration that deepened humanity’s curiosity about the cosmos.
A visionary behind the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer was among the earliest astronomers pioneering a revolutionary way to explore the universe through astronomical satellites. His vision came over a decade before the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the establishment of NASA itself. While the fundamental concept of sending a large telescope into space wasn’t new, the reality of doing so was.
For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Paul Morris: Lead Producer Anisha Engineer: Lead Writer Grace Weikert: Narration
Image Credits of Dr. Spitzer: The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Don Morton Denise Applewhite
Music Credits: "Lead Train" by Sebastian Barnaby Robertson [BMI] and Tristan Calder [ASCAP] via Killer Tracks [BMI], Soundcast Music [SESAC], and Universal Production Music.