Awards

Dr. Caroline A. Kilbourne and Dr. F. Scott Porter are recognized with the 2024 John C. Lindsay Memorial Award in Space Sciences for developing and implementing pioneering low-temperature sensor technology enabling revolutionary modern astrophysical X-ray spectroscopy. The X-ray quantum calorimeter, a completely new way to measure the energies of X-rays with high precision was originally developed at Goddard, and Drs. Kilbourne and Porter have greatly advanced this technology and recently implemented and deployed it in the Resolve X-ray spectrometer, onboard the JAXA/NASA X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. The mission launched in September 2023 and has already produced spectacular spectra of a multitude of celestial X-ray sources of all types, opening a new window for the exploration of our Universe. For the first time, using Resolve’s spectral resolution that is 25 times higher than previous imaging X-ray spectrometers, astronomers now have a tool for precision chemical and dynamical analysis in the X-ray band that is comparable to what has been available for spectroscopy at longer wavelengths. This capability is already transforming what we know about black holes in our galaxy and throughout the Universe, and the matter that is captured within clusters of galaxies that is heated by gravity to 10’s of million degrees. The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission is very much a founding observatory to apply this novel X-ray sensing technology, and the performance is already forming the basis of new, even more capable X-ray observatories that will take the next steps starting in the 2030’s. Without the indefatigable hard work and attention to details of Drs. Kilbourne and Porter, getting this new technology to work in space as promised would not have been possible. Astronomers around the world are now about to enter a new age of discovery in high-energy astrophysics thanks to the pioneering work of these Goddard scientists.

Citation: For exceptional dedication to outreach, technological innovation and scientific investigation throughout his NASA career.

665/ Virtually Imaged Phased Array (VIPA) Development Team - Citation: For outstanding advancement of Goddard’s scientific and technical capability through development of the Virtually Imaged Phased Array (VIPA)

660/Astrophysics Decadal Survey Planning Team - Citation: For outstanding leadership in laying the groundwork to enable GSFC to become the lead NASA Center for the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Citation: For outstanding leadership in establishing General Observer Program for the Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer

Citation: For outstanding and rapid implementation of the data pipeline and associated tools for the XRISM mission.

Citation: For exceptional scientific achievement in forecasting the Roman Space Telescope capability to discover an order of magnitude more planets than are currently known.

Citation: For exceptional work in identifying the best exoplanet targets for NASA's newest flagship observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope

660/GSFC Athena Project Team - Citation: For outstanding effort in developing a cost-effective plan for a NASA-provided cryocooler for Athena and thereby saving the mission

Citation: For outstanding leadership throughout Goddard Astrophysics

Jane Rigby, an astronomer who grew up in Delaware, is the chief scientist of the world’s most powerful telescope. A prolific researcher, Dr. Rigby embodies the American spirit of adventure and wonder.

Tim Kallman and Javier Garcia (662) have been awarded the 2024’s AAD HEAD Innovation Prize! They share the award with Thomas Dauser “for the development of novel models to describe emission in the strong gravity regime from accreting compact objects.”

Awarded to perform a study for an optical-UV interferometry on the Moon, "A Lunar Long-Baseline Optical Imaging Interferometer: Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI)"

John Mather has been selected as the Honoree for the 2025 Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration: Every year the Franklin Birthday Committee selects a theme linked with Benjamin Franklin and honors a person who has done extraordinary work in this field. Recent honorees include Dr. Syliva Earle (Health of the Oceans), Wendell Berry (The Future of Food), and this year Frank Gehry (Craftsmanship).

For exceptional community service and scientific leadership of the JWST science teams in his role as Deputy Senior Project Scientist, leading to flight hardware exceeding all requirements.

Three SED scientists have been named 2022 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise.