Dr. Robert E. Huffman (1931–2008) was an American space scientist and author. He specialized in ultraviolet spectroscopy in the earth's upper atmosphere. Working for the United States Air Force, Dr. Huffman managed the Horizon Ultraviolet Program (HUP) experiments on two Space Shuttle flights: Columbia (
STS-4, 1982) and Discovery (
AFP-675
AFP-675 (Air Force Program-675) was a Space Shuttle experiment package that was carried into orbit on ''Discovery'' as part of STS-39.
AFP-675 consisted of six experiment packages mounted on a pallet in the ''Discovery's'' cargo bay. The total we ...
on
STS-39
STS-39 was the twelfth mission of the NASA Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', and the 40th orbital shuttle mission overall. The primary purpose of the mission was to conduct a variety of payload experiments for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
...
, 1991).
Dr. Huffman was also the
principal investigator
In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...
for the Auroral Ionospheric Mapper (AIM) on the HILAT Spacecraft and the Auroral/Ionospheric Remote Sensor (AIRS) on the Polar BEAR Spacecraft. In 1983 the Auroral Ionospheric Mapper produced the first pictures of
Aurora Borealis made under full daylight conditions. Although the aurora cannot be seen in the visible spectrum during daylight hours, Dr. Huffman's instrument was able to capture an image in the ultraviolet spectrum.
In the early 1970s Dr. Huffman was Program Manager for Project Chaser, a series of launches of Aerobee 170 sounding rockets from
Vandenberg AFB Probe Launch Complex C
Probe Launch Complex C or PLC-C at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States, is a launch complex which was used for six sounding rocket launches between 1971 and 1975. It was originally built as Launch Complex C or LC-C at the ...
. The purpose of Project Chaser was to measure exhaust plumes from
anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to counter ballistic missiles (missile defense). Ballistic missiles are used to deliver nuclear weapon, nuclear, Chemical weapon, chemical, Bioagent, biological, or conventiona ...
systems launched simultaneously with Project Chaser.
His memoir "Adventures of a Star Warrior: Cold War Rocket Science on the Space Frontier" was published posthumously.
Awards
*Valedictorian
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
(1953)
*The
Guenter Loeser Memorial Award
The Guenter Loeser Memorial Award was first established in 1955 at the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory. It was named after Dr. Loeser, a meteorologist who lost his life while conducting a field experiment. Over time, AFCRL became the Air Fo ...
by the
Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories (1968)
*The
Marcus O'Day Award by the
Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories (1981)
*Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory Annual Award for Outstanding Paper in an Unclassified Refereed Journal (1984)
*Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award, Department of the Air Force (1998)
Bibliography
*Huffman, Robert E., (1992),
Atmospheric Ultraviolet Remote Sensing,
Academic Press
Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier bought Harcourt in 2000, and Academic Press is now an imprint of Elsevier.
Academic Press publishes reference ...
*Huffman, Robert E., Ed., (1993)
Selected Papers on Ultraviolet Optics and Technology,
SPIE
*Huffman, Robert E.
Adventures of a Star Warrior: Cold War Rocket Science on the Space Frontier
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Huffman, Robert
1931 births
2008 deaths
Space scientists
American astronomers