Dr. George R. Carruthers [1939-2020]

George Robert Carruthers was born on October 10, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the second of seven children and his parents were both elementary school teachers. Carruthers showed an early interest in science and technology, and he often took apart and reassembled electronics in his spare time.

Carruthers received a bachelor's degree in physics from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1960. He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the same institution in 1965. During his time in graduate school, Carruthers was mentored by renowned physicist and engineer Dr. Edward E. Barnard, who encouraged his interests in space science and technology.

After completing his education, Carruthers joined the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. in 1965, where he worked as an astrophysicist. During his time at the lab, he invented the far ultraviolet spectrograph/camera, which was used on the Apollo 16 mission to study the chemical composition of the moon and the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Carruthers continued to make significant contributions to space science and technology throughout his career. He invented several other instruments that were used on NASA missions, including a deep ultraviolet imaging spectrograph that was used on the Hubble Space Telescope. He was also a key figure in the development of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, which was flown on the space shuttle Discovery in 1990.

Throughout his career, Carruthers received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to science and technology. In 2012, Dr. Carruthers was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama, the highest honor given in the United States for technological achievement. In recognition of his lifetime of achievements, Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2020.

He died on 26 December 2020.