"George Robert Carruthers" (October 1,1939)

Is an African-American inventor,physicist,and space scientist.He has lived most of his life in

Washington, D.C.From a young age showed an interest in science and astronomy.He grew up in the South Side of  Chicago where at the age of 10 he built his first telescope.Despite his natural aptitude,he did not perform well in school at a young age,earning poor grades in math and physics.Despite his poor grades he won three separate science fair awards during this time.After graduating from Englewood High School he went on to get a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the University Illinois in 1961,a master's degree in nuclear engineering in 1962,and a doctorate in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in 1964.He won works with NRL'S community outreach organization,and as such helps support several educational activities in the sciences in the Washington D.C. area.His work on ultraviolet spectrum's and other types astronautical tools helped George earn the Black Engineer of the Year award,of which he was one of of the first 100 people to receive.His work has also been used NASA,and1972 he was one of two naval research laboratory persons whose work culminated in the camera/spectrograph which was put on the moon in April in 1972.George is perhaps known best known for his work with the spectrograph that showed incontrovertible proof that molecular hydrogen exists in the interstellar medium.George and grew up in South Side,Chicago.His father was a civil engineer and his mother was a homemaker.The family lived in Milford,Ohio,until George father died suddenly and his mother moved the family back to her native Chicago.At any early age George developed an interest in physics,which his daddy encouraged.Also as a child,he enjoyed visiting Chicago museums,libraries and the Adler Planetarium that caused him be an avid science-fiction reader and enjoyed constructing model rockets.Later he became a member of the Chicago Rocket Society and various science clubs.While conducting his graduate studies,worked as a research and teaching assistant studying plasma gases.By 1964,George began employment for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.,where his work focused on far ultraviolet astronomy.1969 was the year he received a patent for his invention,the "Image Converter,"which detected electromagnetic radiation short wavelengths,and in 1970,he made the first examination of molecular hydrogen in space.Two years later,George invented the first moon-based observatory,the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph,which was used in the Space Shuttle Mission.During the 1980s,George helped create a program called theScience & Engineer Apprentice Program,which allows high students to spend a summer working with scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory.Later on in 1986,one of George inventions captured an ultraviolet image of Halley's Comet. In 1991,he invented a camera that was used in the Space Shuttle Mission.During summers of 1996 &1997 he taught a course in Earth and Space Science for D.C. Public Schools Science Teachers.George also helped developed a series of videotapes on Earth &Space science for high-school students.Since 1983 he has been Chairman of the Editing and Review Committee and Editor,Journal of the National Technical Association.Since 2002 George has been teaching a two-semester course at Howard University sponsored by a NASA Aerospace Workforce Development Grant.On February 12,2009,George was honored as a Distinguished Lecturer at the Office of Naval Research for his achievements in the field space science.On February 1,2003 George was awarded the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama at the White House.