Anyone, whether interested in astronomy or not, has heard of the Hubble Space Telescope. More so than any other instrument, it is Hubble that is equated to stunning images of deep sky objects that adorn textbooks, posters, and the Internet. Now, after a 33-year career at NASA, Ed Weiler, who was in charge of the Hubble for nearly 20 years, is retiring.
Weiler, actually Dr. Weiler, joined NASA in 1978 as a research scientist before being promoted, just 1 year later, to head of the Ultraviolet/Visible and Gravitational Astrophysics Division. The same year, Weiler started his nearly 2 decade tenure as chief scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope (then just on the drawing board). Throughout the years, Weiler also served as Director of the Astronomical Search for Origins Program, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, Director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and finally Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Science Enterprise.
During his leadership tenure at NASA, Weiler has been credited with turning many ideas into missions, which include the Chandra Observatory, NEAR, MAP, FUSE,Spitzer, Mars Odyssey, Twin Mars Rovers, and, what will probably be considered his crowning achievement: the Hubble Space Telescope.
Ever since men have turned telescopes to the sky, they have been plagued with what is termed “seeing,” which is atmospheric turbulence caused by movement of the Earth's atmosphere. Result: an image in the telescope that, when viewed at high power, will appear to bend, distort, and generally appear as though one was looking through a tank of water.
For astronomers, the solution to this problem was simple: put a telescope as high as one could (that's why so many observatories are on mountain tops. However, while mountaintops are a lot better than close to sea level observatories, they are still nowhere near as good as putting a telescope into space, an idea that remained a dream until the late 1970s. Working for the better part of a decade, NASA designed, constructed, and launched Hubble, which has not only provided the world with stunning images but has also helped us to further understand the universe and our place in it.
Speaking on Weiler's retirement, NASA chief Charles Bolden said that "Ed leaves an enduring legacy of pride and success that forever will remain a part of NASA’s science history. His leadership helped inspire the public with each new scientific discovery."
Perhaps more than anything else, the missions, the images, and the science, the public interest Weiler helped to generate for NASA and astronomy as a whole will serve as his longest-lasting legacy.
So far, Weiler has not announced any plans for his retirement.
For more info:
Universe Today
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