Stamatios Krimigis – Explorer of the Solar System

Born on Chios on the 10th of September 1938, Stamatios (Tom) M. Krimigis emerged from the small island and became one of the leading scientist in modern space explorations of the USA and the whole world.

Where his fascination for rockets originates from is easy to imagine, considering his hometown Vrontados is famous for it's unique Rocket War. After attending the local boy's School and graduating in 1956, Krimigis moved with his father, who was often traveling between the United States and Greece as an immigrant, to Minnesota, where he studied at the University of Minnesota. In 1961 the about-to-be leading scientist earned his Bachelor of Physics and was discovered by the American space scientist James Van Allen, who saw Krimigis' potential after his publication on the diffusion of solar flare protons. This Publication today is known as the „Krimigis Diffusion Model“.

1963 Stamatios Krimigis (Greek: Σταμάτης Κριμιζής) earned his next degree with his Master of Science in the university of Iowa, and in 1965, just 4 years later, earned his Ph.d (Doctor of Philosphy, the highest degree of universities from English-speaking countries). As a result Krimigis was able to choose from a wide range of options for his future labor, but decided to work as a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa, from which he just had graduated.

After three years, in 1968, Krimigis was named as Head Emeritus of the Space Department Applied Physics Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University Laurel in Maryland, USA, a honorable title for an university professor.

Stamatios Krimigis continued with his job as a professor until the year 1980, in which he, in the age of 42, was appointed Chief Scientist of the Department of Space, of which he in 1991 became director. In this position, Krimigis had the supervision of around 600 scientists, engineers and other technical personnel and support staff, and was involved in mostly any mission or activity concerning the exploration of space and other planets. E.g. he was the Principal Investigator of the MIMI (Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument) of the spacecraft “Cassini-Huygens” launched in 1997, the Low Energy Charged Particle Experiment (LECP) on Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 (1977), and the CPME on Explorer 47. Krimigis was also working as Co-Investigator on the space probe “Ulysses”, the satellite Geotail, the Galileo spacecraft, the deep space probes Mariner 3, 4 and 5, the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) experiment for Explorer 50, the MESSENGER probe and the New Horizons programs. All these programs and probes had the purpose of exploring our sun system and its planets, granting knowledge about other planets, as well as our own, and were important steps in learning about the universe.

Today, Stamatios Krimigis is 73 years old and still lives, together with his family, in his grandfather's renovated house in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. However, he still connects with his sister's family, who he is often visiting in his birthplace Chios. Though his work is set in the stars and quite unmatched in its relevance, Krimigis remained a humble person, who shows with his down-to-earth lifestyle that he remained the boy from the Greek village with a fascination for rockets. In 2011, he states in an interview with greeknewsonline.com about the Voyager 1 probe from the year 1977:

"It is extraordinary that a spaceship initially designed to travel for four years only, is still operating after 33 entire years, providing us with data on a daily basis."

His work will never be finished it seems, but Krimigis is equally committed: Though he already has been awarded with mostly every know award in the field of space science, Krimigis continues with researches since his retirement of the Department of Space in 2004, of which he is Honorary Director. His studies encompass fields such as earth's environment, its magnetosphere, the sun, the interplanetary medium and the magnetospheres of the planets, as well as numerous other objects. On top of this all, Stamatios Krimigis is also dedicated to promote space research in his mother country Greece. E.g. in 2004 he was elected Academician in the at the time newly established Space Science of the Academy of Athens, and became President of the Class of Science in 2007. One year before, in 2006, he was appointed as National Representative of Greece to the European Space Agency (ESA), and in 2010 willingly offered services as President of the National Research and Technology Council.

Here a list of all of Stamatios Krimigis' honors:

• He is a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), American Geophysical Union (AGU), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• 1981 & 1986: “NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievment”
• 1994: “Basic Science Award” by the International Academy of Astronautics
• 1995: Order of the Phoenix Commander Gold Cross (Greek honor)
• 1996 & 2001: Aviation Week and Space Technology “Laurels in Space Award”
• 1999: Renaming of the astroid 1979 UH to 8323 Krimizis by the IAU (International Astronomical Union)
• 2002: Space Science COSPAR Award (the highest honor of the international scientific space community)
• 2002: Smithsonian Institution Trophy
• 2004: “Lifetime Achievment Award” by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
• 2004: Member of the Academy of Athens, Chair of Science of Space
• 2011: Council of European Aerospace Societies Gold Medal
• More then 40 NASA and ESA Group Achievment Awards

Source(s):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamatios_Krimigis

http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A3%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%AC%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%9A%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%B6%CE%AE%CF%82

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2012-10-24/Front_Page/Stamatios_Krimigis_Gives_Lecture_At_Panchiaki_Cent.html

http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=16202