ONR Honors Dr. George R. Carruthers Video Transcript - 2 Minutes

Narrator: In order to move toward future innovations, we should look to the great people and great ideas of the past as a way to embolden our achievements and inspire what we think about today. One of those great people is Dr. George Carruthers of the Naval Research Laboratory.

Narrator: Dr. Carruthers grew up during the space race and was intrigued with space science. From a young age, he began building telescopes and model rockets and read avidly in local libraries. His love for space science extended through his youth and eventually led him to pursue degrees in Aeronautical, Nuclear, and Astronomical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Narrator: Following his graduate studies, he accepted a position at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC after receiving a fellowship in Rocket Astronomy from the National Science Foundation. Throughout his tenure at the Naval Research Laboratory, Dr. Carruthers has focused his attention on far ultraviolet astronomy. In 1969 he received a patent for his pioneering instrumentation, “Image Converter for Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation Especially in Short Wave Lengths.”

Narrator: In 1972, Dr. Carruthers’ Far Ultraviolet Camera Spectrograph was sent to the moon with the Apollo 16 mission. This device allowed us to take readings of and understand objects and elements in space that are unrecognizable to the naked eye and gave us views of stars and the solar systems thousands of miles away. His camera still sits on the surface of the moon. A second version of this camera was sent on the 1974 Skylab space flight to study comets and was used to observe Halley’s Comet, among others.

Narrator: Throughout his storied career, Dr. Carruthers has never lost focus of the importance of science and engineering and has used his experience and excitement to drive these disciplines to our youth. He has worked with several community outreach organizations including the Naval Research Laboratory’s Community Outreach Program, and has been teaching at Howard University since 2002.

Narrator: The Office of Naval Research and the Naval Research Laboratory would like to thank Dr. George Caruthers for his numerous contributions to Naval Science and Technology during his 45-year career, and for his continued work in the community to inspire the next generation of young scientists.