Colin Pillinger | |
|---|---|
 AtJodrell Bank Observatory in 2009 | |
| Born | Colin Trevor Pillinger (1943-05-09)9 May 1943 Kingswood, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 7 May 2014(2014-05-07) (aged 70) |
| Alma mater | University College of Swansea (BSc, PhD) |
| Known for | Beagle 2 Mars lander Analyzing Apollo lunar samples[2] |
| Awards | Michael Faraday Prize (2011) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Institutions | The Open University University of Cambridge University of Bristol Gresham College |
| Thesis | Studies on the nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy (1968) |
Colin Trevor Pillinger,CBE FRS FRAS FRGS[3] (/ˈpɪlɪndʒər/; 9 May 1943 – 7 May 2014) was an Englishplanetary scientist. He was a founding member of the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute atThe Open University inMilton Keynes;[4] he was also the principal investigator for the BritishBeagle 2 Mars lander project, and worked on a group ofMartian meteorites.[5][6][7]
Pillinger was born on 9 May 1943 inKingswood, South Gloucestershire, just outsideBristol.[8] His father, Alfred, a manual worker for the Gas Board, and his mother, Florence (née Honour), also had a daughter, Doreen (the local historian D.P. Lindegaard), six years Colin's senior.[9][2][8] He attendedKingswood Grammar School, and later graduated with aBSc degree and a PhD degree in chemistry fromUniversity College of Swansea (now Swansea University).[8] He said of himself, "I was a disaster as a science student".[10]
After graduating from university, Pillinger became a senior research associate in the Department of Earth Science at the University of Cambridge, and then a senior research fellow at The Open University (1984–1990). He became a professor in interplanetary science at The Open University in 1991.[11]
Pillinger's first job was working forNASA. He was involved in the Apollo space programme and ESA'sRosetta mission,[12] and analysed the lunar samples brought back byApollo 11.[2]
Between 1996 and 2000, Pillinger was madeGresham Professor of Astronomy atGresham College, a position once held bySir Christopher Wren.[13] He said of his appointment as professor of astronomy:[14]
"As an organic chemist, turned geologist, turned astronomer who uses isotopic analyses to unravel the origins of life, our planet, the solar system and the stars, I hope I have something in common with the versatile men who were early Gresham Professors. The subjects which I research already enjoy popular interest; by combining them to produce a story of life told from the genealogy of its elements, my aim is to appeal to the widest possible audience, using an interdisciplinary approach to attempt to unravel the time-honoured puzzle, where do I come from?"
Pillinger is credited with inspiring many people to take an interest in space science, particularly in Britain. He was responsible for training and supporting a large number of experts in the field as well as helping to unite the space science and industrial communities in the UK. Pillinger worked as a conference and after-dinner speaker for the JLA agency.[15]
To demonstrate his appetite for sharing his research and promoting the public understanding of science, Pillinger laid claim to the phrase "The only thing that increases in value if you share it is knowledge".[16]
In 2000, a main belt asteroid was named15614 Pillinger after Colin Pillinger.[17] In 2003, he was appointed a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to higher education and to science.[citation needed] Pillinger played a role in thePhilae lander that was part of theRosetta mission which successfully made its rendezvous with comet67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in 2014. In particular he was an advocate of the idea of deploying the landerPhilae to conduct scientific experiments in situ, and was instrumental in getting the Ptolemy device accepted as part of the science payload.[18]
Pillinger was theprincipal investigator forBeagle 2 Mars lander project, part ofEuropean Space Agency's (ESA) 2003Mars Express mission. Initially considered a failure, it has since come to light that the space craft did successfully touch down on the surface of Mars. The UK Space Agency on 16 January 2015 indicated thatBeagle 2 had indeed reached the surface of Mars on 25 December 2003, but had failed to deploy fully.[19] Images taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA'sMars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) identified clear evidence for the lander and convincing evidence for key entry and descent components on the surface of Mars within the expected landing area of Isidis Planitia (an impact basin close to the equator).
Recent[vague] research into photographs taken of the landing site by a Mars orbiter suggest that as many as three of the four solar panels may have been successfully opened.[citation needed] As the transmitter was underneath the fourth panel, the lander failed to communicate back to Earth.
When the lander was first considered 'lost' a number of possible explanations were given byDavid Southwood, ESA's director of Science. The commission inquiring into the mission's apparent failure also apportioned blame towards Pillinger's management of the overall project as a contributing factor.[20] In response, in his autobiography, Professor Pillinger highlighted a lack of support from key figures at ESA as a factor.
It was Pillinger's wife who thought of theBeagle 2 name for the project, based onCharles Darwin's shipHMS Beagle.[2]
Pillinger enlisted British rock bandBlur to write a song to beBeagle 2's call sign back home. It was to be broadcast as soon asBeagle 2 began work on the surface of Mars. He also persuaded the artistDamien Hirst to provide a spot painting to use in calibrating the spacecraft's camera.[21]
In 2014, a science destination for the Mars roverOpportunity on the western rim ofEndeavour Crater was namedPillinger Point after Colin Pillinger, in commemoration of his enthusiasm for theBeagle 2 mission.[22]
Beagle 2 has been mentioned in Hollywood filmsThe Transformers: The Movie (and in the prequel Transformers: Beginnings comic) and Pillinger's work on asteroid impacts inJurassic Park. A missing British Mars spacecraft was the subject of the2005Doctor Who Christmas Special. Pillinger appeared inTop Gear season 3 episode 7 and won a contest based on the bestburnout.[23]Beagle 2 featured in a science fiction story by Stephen Baxter and as one of the subjects inThe Backroom Boys by Frances Spufford.[24]Colin Pillinger was one of the guests talking about the planet Mars for In Our Time, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 11 January 2007.
Chronology of qualifications, career, and awards:[8]
Pillinger's widow, Judith, is also a scientist. They met when working in the same laboratory and had two children, a son, Nicolas Joseph, and a daughter, Shusanah Jane,[2][8] who in 2015 became the first solo British woman to complete theRace Across America ultra-endurance cycle race.[28]
After experiencing difficulty with walking for two years, Pillinger was diagnosed with progressivemultiple sclerosis in May 2005.[29] He owned a dairy farm, but towards the end of his life his illness prevented him from doing physical work on the farm.[2] Pillinger died two days before his 71st birthday atAddenbrooke's Hospital inCambridge on 7 May 2014, after having abrain haemorrhage and falling into a coma.[30]
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