Samuel Thornton Durrance | |
---|---|
![]() Durrance in 1996 | |
Born | Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | September 17, 1943
Died | May 5, 2023 Viera, Florida, U.S. | (aged 79)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Physicist |
Space career | |
JHU Payload Specialist | |
Time in space | 25d 14h 13min |
Missions | STS-35, STS-67 |
Mission insignia | ![]() ![]() |
Samuel Thornton Durrance (September 17, 1943 – May 5, 2023) was an American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.
Background
Durrance was born September 17, 1943, in Tallahassee, Florida, but grew up in Tampa, Florida.[1] He attended Wilson Junior High and graduated from Plant High School[2] in 1961, lettering in American football for three years and playing both defense and offense.[3] He received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in physics (with honors), at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), 1972 and 1974, respectively,[1] and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in astro-geophysics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, 1980.[3] In 2000, he was awarded a Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder along with eight other astronaut alums.[4]
Durrance was a principal research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.[5] He was a co-investigator for the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, one of the instruments of the Astro Observatory.[5]
Beginning in 2001, he was the executive director of the Florida Space Research Institute which was located at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.[6]
Durrance resided in Melbourne, Florida, and was a professor of physics and space sciences at Florida Institute of Technology.[7]
Durrance was a member of the American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, International Astronomical Union, Association of Space Explorers, Planetary Society, and Phi Kappa Phi.[1]
Academic career
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/S035_lesson_hoffman_durrance.jpg/240px-S035_lesson_hoffman_durrance.jpg)
Durrance had been involved in the flight hardware development, optical and mechanical design, construction, and integration of the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope and the Astro Observatory,[8] and had conducted research and directed graduate students at the Johns Hopkins University[9] He had designed and built spectrometers, detectors, and imaging systems, and made numerous spacecraft and ground-based astronomical observations. He conceived and directed a program at Johns Hopkins University to develop adaptive-optics instrumentation for ground-based astronomy. He led the team that designed and constructed the Adaptive Optics Coronagraph, which led to the discovery of the first cool brown dwarf orbiting a nearby star. He was also a co-discoverer of changes in the planet-forming disk surrounding the star beta Pictoris.
In March 1986,[10] Durrance's first mission was for STS-61-E.[11] It was canceled after the Challenger disaster.[1] Durrance logged over 615 hours in space as a payload specialist and member of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia for the STS-35/Astro-1 and Space Shuttle Endeavour for the STS-67/Astro-2 missions.[9]
Later assignment (2006)
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/STS035-49-028_-_STS-35_payload_specialists_perform_balancing_act_on_OV-102%27s_middeck_-_1990.jpg/250px-STS035-49-028_-_STS-35_payload_specialists_perform_balancing_act_on_OV-102%27s_middeck_-_1990.jpg)
Durrance was employed by the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, serving as a professor in the Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences.[12]
Illness and death
Durrance was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2021. He died at a hospice facility in Viera, Florida, on May 5, 2023, of complications from a fall, after battling dementia and Parkinson's disease. He was 79.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d "Durrance". December 28, 2016. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016.
- ^ "Lakeland Ledger". Lakeland Ledger – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Ocala Star-Banner". Ocala Star-Banner – via Google Books.
- ^ "Nine CU Astronaut-Alums To Receive Honorary Degrees At Commencement". CU Boulder Today. April 27, 2000. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "Samuel T. Durrance" (PDF). NASA.gov.
- ^ "Samuel Durrance, astronaut who flew with telescope he built, dies at 79". collectSPACE.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Schroeder, Jon (May 10, 2023). "Samuel Durrance, enterprising astronomer and space researcher, dies at 79". The Hub. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Ellis, Lee (May 12, 2004). Who's who of NASA Astronauts. Americana Group Publishing. ISBN 9780966796148 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Payload Specialist Bio: Dr. Samuel T. Durrance 5/96" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "The Vindicator". The Vindicator – via Google Books.
- ^ "Astronaut Biography: Samuel Durrance". www.spacefacts.de. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ "Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences | Florida Tech". www.fit.edu. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Sam Durrance, astronaut who flew with telescope he built, dies at 79". CollectSpace. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
External links
- "Biographical Data: SAMUEL T. DURRANCE (PH.D.) NASA PAYLOAD SPECIALIST" (PDF). NASA. May 1996. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- Spacefacts biography of Samuel T. Durrance
- Florida Tech Physics and Space Science Department Faculty