Osobistości - wątek zbiorczy

[Orionid]

(2)

David Waters 23.06.2026
 
Todd Halvorson, a fantastic space journalist who spend 27 years covering NASA and the space program for Florida Today has died at 68 after complications from a fall last week according to fellow former space reporter Jim Banke.
He did such a beautiful job covering space in-depth, and breaking many stories during the space shuttle era.
Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut in space trusted Todd enough to be his secret source and tell him an accident board found if the damage on Space Shuttle Columbia had been known about early enough, it might have been possible to save the 7 astronauts who died on its last mission.

NASA honored him in the same place at Kennedy Space Center that Walter Cronkite is honored, on the wall of the press site listed under “The Chroniclers" https://www.nasa.gov/people/todd-halvorson/

I assumed he’d be around forever. And I loved how he had many traditions. My favorite was he’d come into the KSC Press Site building and say to public affairs “Would you say this is a great day for America?” In other words he’s jokingly asking them to give him that quote. Great man who will be sorely missed as both a journalist and person.

https://www.facebook.com/davidgwaters/posts/todd-halvorson-a-fantastic-space-journalist-who-spend-27-years-covering-nasa-and

Latest articles by Todd Halvorson
https://www.space.com/author/todd-halvorson

[Orionid]

Saverio "Sonny" Morea (23.01.1932–06.07.2026) [94]

Podczas swojej 35-letniej kariery w NASA kierował rozwojem silnika rakietowego F-1, który napędzał rakietę Saturn V.
Później kierował udanym wznowieniem programu silnika rakietowego J-2, zanim został wybrany przez von Brauna do kierowania rozwojem Lunar Roving Vehicle.

Licencję pilota turystycznego uzyskał w wieku 17.o9l lat i spędził ponad siedem dekad w powietrzu, spędzając na powietrzu ponad 7000 godzin.
https://obits.al.com/us/obituaries/huntsville/name/saverio-morea-obituary?id=61917941
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/huntsville-al/saverio-morea-12957862
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saverio_%22Sonny%22_Morea

[Orionid]

Po wystrzeleniu na orbitę Anila Menona został zaktualizowany zestaw par małżeńskich w kosmosie.

With today's (July 14) launch of Anil Menon to the International Space Station, it seemed like a good as time as any to compile and update the information so far...
Flown astronaut married couples:

Valentina Tereshkova and Andriyan Nikolayev (1963, divorced 1982)
Linda Godwin and Steve Nagel (1973)
Anna Lee Fisher and Bill Fisher (1977, divorced 2000)
Rhea Seddon and Hoot Gibson (1981)
Sally Ride and Steven Hawley (1982, divorced 1987)
Yelena Kondakova and Valeri Ryumin (1985)
Bonnie Dunbar and Ron Sega (1988, divorced)
Tammy Jernigan and Jeff Wisoff (1999)
Jan Davis and Mark Lee (1991, divorced 1999)
Claudie André-Deshays and Jean-Pierre Haigneré (2001)
Shannon Walker and Andrew Thomas (2005)
Megan McArthur and Robert Behnken (2008)
Karen Nyberg and Doug Hurley (2008)
Anna Menon and Anil Menon (2016)

There are also Marc and Sharon Hagle who became the first married couple to fly aboard a commercial suborbital spaceflight (Blue Origin's NS-20).

https://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum38/HTML/000192.html

[Orionid]

Były dyrektor CNSA Ma Xingrui został usunięty z Partii Komunistycznej w ramach operacji antykorupcyjnej.

China expels Politburo member Ma Xingrui in Xi’s anti-corruption campaign
By  KEN MORITSUGU Updated 2:55 AM CEST, July 15, 2026

(...) Ma’s downfall was confirmed in April, when it was announced he was under investigation for severe violations of party discipline and national laws, without details. Tuesday’s reports said that party authorities had concluded that he committed a long list of violations ranging from accepting gifts and money to engaging in “power-for-sex” and “power-for-money” transactions.

Other violations listed included using his position to secure contracts and job promotions for others, ignoring violations and alleged criminal conduct by close members of his staff and allowing relatives to use his influence for profit.

“Ma’s purge is a warning that Chinese officials may be held responsible not only for their own corruption but also for misconduct by relatives and close aides,” Thomas said.

Ma, who is 66, was the Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang region until 2025, and before that the governor of Guangdong province, the manufacturing powerhouse bordering Hong Kong in China’s south. In the Chinese system, the party leader outranks the governor in a province or region. An engineer by training, Ma worked in the aerospace industry before joining local government. (...)

https://apnews.com/article/china-ma-xingrui-politburo-xinjiang-corruption-95e5dba322ddc5bb6f2ee661ac3c2bff

[Orionid]

16.07.2026 pojawiła sie informacja o śmierci prof. Teodoro Valente, który od 05.2023 był szefem ASI.

(...) Prof. Valente former Deputy Rector for Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer of Rome University “La Sapienza”, is also President of the National Interuniversity Consortium on Material Science and Technology (INSTM) participated by 45 Italian Universities , Director of the Department “Chemical Material Environmental Engineering” of Rome University “La Sapienza”. (...)

https://www.miamisic.org/teodoro-valente-is-the-new-president-of-the-agenzia-spaziale-italiana/

In Memoriam: Prof. Teodoro Valente
Published on July 16, 2026
President, Italian Space Agency (ASI)

(...) It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to measure the true breadth of his influence. Unquestionably, he was a pioneer. For Professor Valente, space was not simply a field of innovation - it became a bridge for dialogue, for inclusion, for open-handed partnership. He was instrumental in elevating Italian leadership on the international stage, while also investing great energy in fostering openness and collaboration beyond national or institutional boundaries. (...)
https://www.iafastro.org/news/in-memoriam-prof-teodoro-valente-president-italian-space-agency-asi.html
https://www.asi.it/en/2026/07/the-italian-space-agency-announces-the-passing-of-president-teodoro-valente/

Agenzia Spaziale ITA @ASI_spazio 1:09 PM · Jul 16, 2026
L’Agenzia Spaziale Italiana annuncia la scomparsa del presidente, professor Teodoro Valente.
Ci mancherai, presidente!
Leggi la notizia https://ow.ly/Ms2e50Zofxy

https://x.com/ASI_spazio/status/2077712158545047805

Josef Aschbacher @AschbacherJosef 7:04 PM · Jul 16, 2026
🇮🇹 I am deeply saddened to learn of President Valente's passing. Teodoro’s contributions to ASI, to Italy and to Europe’s space endeavours will leave a lasting legacy. Over the years, I personally witnessed – and admired – his steadfast ambition to strengthen Italy’s role in space while also contributing to Europe’s collective success. Teodoro will be remembered with great respect and gratitude.

In questo momento di profondo dolore, il mio pensiero va a tutti coloro che lo hanno conosciuto e che hanno lavorato al suo fianco. Rivolgo le mie più sentite condoglianze alla sua famiglia e ai suoi cari.

https://x.com/AschbacherJosef/status/2077801444506308668

[Orionid]

Liu Jiyuan (刘纪原) (01.08.1933–17.08.2026) [93]

Przez prawie cztery dekady swojej kariery, od 1960, Liu pracował nad systemami sterowania dla pierwszej generacji chińskiej broni strategicznej i rakiet nośnych oraz kierował ich rozwojem.

1993-1999 kierował nowo utworzoną Narodową Agencją Kosmiczną.

Chinese Space Program Pioneer Liu Jiyuan Dies at 93
Asharq Al Awsat 10:23-19 August 2026

A pioneer of China's aerospace program, Liu Jiyuan, died in Beijing aged 93 after an illness, the main space contractor said on Wednesday.

In a career of nearly four decades from 1960, Liu worked on, and ⁠led development of, ⁠control systems for China's first generation of strategic weapons and launch vehicles.

Born in 1933, Liu died ⁠on Monday due to illness, the contractor, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said.

The expert in missile and rocket control technology was deputy commander of the manned space program in 1992 before heading the ⁠newly ⁠set-up National Space Administration from 1993 until he retired in 1999.

His death follows the August 12 demise of Wang Xiji, who led the development of China's first sounding rocket.

https://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5308710-chinese-space-program-pioneer-liu-jiyuan-dies-93
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https://www.arise.tv/china-space-programme-pioneer-liu-jiyuan-dies-at-93-after-illness/
https://www.internazionale.it/ultime-notizie-reuters/2026/08/19/chinese-space-programme-pioneer-liu-jiyuan-dies-at-93
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Jiyuan_(engineer)

[Orionid]

Don Edward Wilhelms (05.07.1930-04.09.2026) [96]

Geolog planetarny.
Szkolił astronautów programu Apollo.
Autor książki z 1993 „To a Rocky Moon. A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration”.

In 1962, the space program was really getting started. A friend told him that someone-Gene Shoemaker-was over at Caltech interviewing people for jobs in lunar geology with the USGS. Don got an interview with Gene. During the interview, Gene and Don discovered mutual interests in astronomy, Quaternary geology, geologic processes, and non-uniformitarianism, but Don did not receive a follow-up letter. This job, combining his old love of astronomy with his new immersion in geology was the only thing in life that Don really knew for certain that he wanted. He wrote Gene, restating his interest. Gene started the paperwork to hire Don in 1962. When Don was hired by the USGS, he was still writing his dissertation. Friday, November 30, he turned in his dissertation, and drove to Menlo Park to begin work on Monday, December 3rd, 1962. He was awarded his Ph.D. degree from UCLA in 1963.

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/astrogeology-science-center/don-wilhelms

NASA Honors Lunar Science Trailblazer Don Wilhelms
by SpaceRef July 21, 2010

Don Edward Wilhelms received the Shoemaker Distinguished Lunar Scientist Award last night during a ceremony of the Lunar Science Forum at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The award is given annually to a scientist who has significantly contributed to the field of lunar science. (...)
https://spacenews.com/nasa-honors-lunar-science-trailblazer-don-wilhelms/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Wilhelms

[Orionid]

Garry Aleksiejewicz Popow (Га́рри Алексе́евич Попо́в) (18.12.1934—03.10.2026) [91]

Członek Rosyjskiej Akademii Nauk (RAN), doktor nauk technicznych.

Głównym obszarem zainteresowania Popowa były elektryczne silniki rakietowe (EPE).
Pod jego kierownictwem opracowano nową generację EPE, a wtryskiwacze plazmowe oparte na impulsowych silnikach plazmowych z powodzeniem działały na stacji orbitalnej Mir i ISS.

1987-2024 był dyrektorem Instytutu Badawczego Elektrodynamiki Stosowanej.

2024 rozpoczął pełnienie funkcji pierwszego zastępcy dyrektora Instytutu Badawczego Mechaniki Stosowanej i Elektrodynamiki.

Умер академик РАН и разработчик ракетных двигателей Гарри Попов
Общество 04 октября, 17:57
https://www.rbc.ru/society/04/10/2026/6ac276a698f45e2fae5d52b0

Жизнь и наследие Гарри Попова: вклад в развитие электроракетных двигателей
5 октября 2026 года, 14:30 Дарина Житова, Игорь Афанасьев

Особенно важен вклад Попова в применение электроракетных двигателей для довыведения спутников на геостационарную орбиту. Здесь двигатель не просто удерживает аппарат в нужной точке, а помогает ему добраться до рабочей орбиты после отделения от ракеты. Совместные работы МАИ, АО «Решетнёв» и «Факела» позволили увеличить массу доставляемых туда аппаратов; в 2021 году Гарри Попов в составе коллектива разработчиков получил за это премию Правительства Российской Федерации имени Ю. А. Гагарина в области космической деятельности. Экономия рабочего тела стала способом увеличить полезную нагрузку доставляемых на нужную орбиту спутников

https://prokosmos.ru/2026/10/05/zhizn-i-nasledie-garri-popova-vklad-v-razvitie-elektroraketnikh-dvigatelei

https://www.dp.ru/a/2026/10/04/sozdatel-sovremennih-raketnih

Попов, Гарри Алексеевич