NASA Honors Distinguished Astronomer With Medal

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin awarded the agency’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal posthumously to acclaimed American astronomer and astrophysicist John Bahcall. His lifetime of achievement included work on development of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Griffin presented the medal today to Bahcall’s widow, Neta Bahcall, during a ceremony at the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington. In addition to work on the Hubble, Bahcall was honored for extraordinary service to NASA’s space astronomy program and leadership of the National Research Council’s Decadal Survey. The Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal recognizes significant scientific contributions toward achieving NASA’s missions of exploration and discovery.

“In his 70 years, John Bahcall was a legend in this community,” Griffin said. “I have followed the career of John Bahcall and long admired his scientific accomplishments and passionate advocacy for space-based astronomy.”

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