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Weisskopf (NASA)

Release: 01-252

Martin Weisskopf named fellow in optical engineering society

Dr. Martin Weisskopf, has been selected as a fellow in the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). Chief of X-ray Astronomy at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., Weisskopf is project scientist for the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

SPIE is an international technical society for engineering and scientific applications of technologies related to optics, imaging and photonics, the electronic technology behind optical devices such as lasers or video cameras.

The largest professional optics engineering society of its kind, SPIE serves the global technical and business communities, with more than 15,000 individual, 320 corporate and 3,000 technical group members in more than 80 countries.

Fellows -- distinguished individuals who have made significant scientific and technical contributions in these areas -- are recognized for their service to the general optics community and SPIE.

Weisskopf, who earned his doctorate in physics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., has held numerous special appointments during his career. He is a senior co-investigator of the European Space Agency's international X-ray imaging experiment, called IBIS.

He is principal investigator of a major experimental research program initiated in 1978 that currently concentrates on the development of X-ray optics.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is NASA's lead center for development of advanced large optics manufacturing technology and space transportation and propulsion systems, and microgravity research as well as being responsible for the design, development and operation of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.