Arthur Dodd Code (August 13, 1923 – March 11, 2009) was an astronomer who designed orbiting observatories. Code served as an electronics technician in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Arthur Code was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and developed an early interest in astronomy when he was young. After military service, Code received a master's degree and doctorate in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

(without having received a bachelor's degree) advised by

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (; ) (19 October 1910 – 21 August 1995) was an Indian-American theoretical physicist who spent his professional life in the United States. He shared the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics with William A. Fowler for "... ...

. He spent the majority of his career at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, where he was also director of the

Washburn Observatory The Washburn Observatory ( obs. code: 753) is an astronomical observatory located at 1401 Observatory Drive on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Completed in 1881, it was a major research facility ...

. He had previously taught at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

. Code was one of the leaders of the

OAO-2 The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 (OAO-2, nicknamed ''Stargazer'') was the first successful space telescope (first space telescope being OAO-1, which failed to operate once in orbit), launched on December 7, 1968. An Atlas-Centaur rocket l ...

project, an orbiting satellite that had light sensors,

spectrometers A spectrometer () is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the ...

, and various other radiation detectors. Data from OAO-2 demonstrated that young stars were hotter than previously believed, and also showed the existence of ozone in Mars's atmosphere. OAO-2 continued to operate until 1973 and supported Dr. Code's contention, stating “a fully automated observatory like this is a good idea; we know it works.” Code did a number of projects for NASA throughout the years, with himself claiming that he has been involved in "Space Astronomy" since the formation of the governmental space organization. Code was a transformative figure in astronomical physics. In an biography published by the Harvard Square Library, Code says, "The thread that runs through all this research is the development of instruments that would provide quantitative measurements that could confirm or rule out theoretical predictions on the structure, formation, and evolution of stars, and to study the connection with other galaxies of stars and the space between the stars." He was the founding director of the

Space Telescope Science Institute The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is the science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), science operations and mission operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and science operations center for th ...

. The Space Telescope Science Institute was founded in 1982 and has helped guide the most famous space telescope in history, the Hubble Space Telescope. The cause of Code's death was from complications of a lung condition. He is survived by his 66 year old wife, as well as his three sons, Dr. Alan Code of New Brunswick, N.J., Dr. David Code of Portage Mich., and Douglas Code of Madison. He also has a daughter, Edith Code, and six grandchildren.

References

External links

Oral History interview transcript with Arthur Code on 30 September 1982, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Session I
Oral History interview transcript with Arthur Code on 1 October 1982, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Session II * https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/science/space/23code.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Code, Arthur 1923 births 2009 deaths Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences United States Navy sailors United States Navy personnel of World War II