Eugene M. Shoemaker 1928-1997

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Gene & Carolyn Shoemaker (384 x 500, 65 kilobytes)

Gene Shoemaker founded the Astrogeology Research Program in 1961 and was its first Chief Scientist. He established the Flagstaff Science Center in 1963, and retired from the USGS in 1993. He remained on Emeritus status with the USGS and maintained an affiliation with Lowell Observatory until his death in a car accident in Australia in 1997.

Gene was involved in the Lunar Ranger and Surveyor programs and continued with the manned Apollo programs. He culminated his lunar studies in 1994 with new data on the Moon from Project Clementine, for which he was the science-team leader. Gene collaborated closely with his wife, Carolyn, a planetary astronomer. The discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy (which impacted Jupiter in 1994) with colleague David Levy, gained them world-wide fame. This was just one of Gene's many great accomplishments.

For more on Gene Shoemaker, see the Eugene M. Shoemaker page.

Gene, with Ray Baston (right) and Elliot Morris (left), working on lunar mapping methods 656 x 500, 66 kilobytes Gene, 1990 427 x 500, 41 kilobytes Gene with Dr. Eddie McKee at Toroweap Point, Grand Canyon (1968) 698 x 500, 77 kilobytes Gene Shoemaker 622 x 500, 71 kilobytes Gene being awarded the National Medal of Science by President George Bush in a White House Rose Garden ceremony, June 23, 1992 639 x 500, 72 kilobytes

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Flagstaff Science Center | Gene Shoemaker
Astronaut Training | Harrison H. Schmitt
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