HomeDate: 2024-06-19
Honorary Academician Dr. Edward Carroll Stone passed away in the United States on June 9, 2024. He was 88 years old.
Dr. Stone was a world-renowned pioneer in space physics and planetary astronomy, having led numerous space missions. He is best known for leading NASA's Voyager mission for 50 years (1972 to 2022). During the Voyager mission, Dr. Stone served as the spokesperson, sharing its scientific discoveries with the world through clear and engaging explanations, significantly impacting astronomical science education and outreach.
Dr. Stone graduated from Burlington College in 1956 and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees in physics from the University of Chicago in 1959 and 1964, respectively. He then taught at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for 60 years, serving as its vice president and director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1991 to 2001. In 1994, he was honored as the David Morrisroe Professor of Physics, Emeritus.
Dr. Stone was elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1984 and received numerous honors throughout his outstanding career, including the National Medal of Science, the Magellanic Premium, the Carl Sagan Memorial Award, the Philip J. Klass Lifetime Achievement Award, NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Howard Hughes Memorial Award, and the Shaw Prize in Astronomy. In 2023, Caltech established a physics professorship in his name to honor his exceptional contributions to the field.
Dr. Stone was elected Academia Sinica Honorary Academician in 2022.
