Hanna von Hoerner
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Hanna von Hoerner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 14 November 1942 |
| Died | 4 July 2014 (aged 71) Oftersheim, Germany |
| Education | PhD |
| Alma mater | University Heidelberg University |
| Awards | 2013 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 2009 Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg |
Hanna von Hoerner (14 November 1942 – 4 July 2014) was a German astrophysicist. She founded the company von Hoerner & Sulger which produces scientific instruments, notably cosmic dust analyzers used on space missions by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
Hanna von Hoerner was born in Görlitz in 1942.[1] Her father was the astrophysicist Sebastian von Hoerner.[2] With his help and encouragement, she repaired radios when she was six and built an oscilloscope at the age of fourteen.[3][4]
In the early 1960s, after she had graduated from her secondary school, her father moved to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the US.[4] Von Hoerner completed an electronics education in the United States and worked as a research assistant at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.[4][5]
Education
In 1965, von Hoerner returned to West Germany to study experimental physics at Heidelberg University.[6] In 1971 she earned an undergraduate degree[1] and in 1974 her PhD, both at Heidelberg University.[3]
Career
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Von Hoerner, in 1973 while still working on her PhD, founded the company von Hoerner & Sulger. Based in Schwetzingen and produces scientific instruments for use in space and medicine.[6] In 1980 von Hoerner & Sulger developed the first mass spectrometer that worked in space[6] In 1979 van Hoerner's company was commissioned by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research to design a cosmic dust detector for use in the Vega program missions to Venus.[3] In 1999 Von Hoerner & Sulger designed CIDA (Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer), a dust analysis instrument on board the NASA spacecraft Stardust, which launched in 1999.[4] The company is famous for the design of COSIMA (Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser), an instrument on board the Rosetta spacecraft that analyses the composition of dust particles[7] using secondary ion mass spectrometry.[3][8] Early data included images of dust particles collected in the environment of Comet 67P/C-G from the nucleus approach phase until along with secondary ion mass spectra for some of those particles.[8]
Reflections on Hanna von Hoerner
The interstellar dust collector is one of the prime examples of space measuring instruments with which the Baden-based small company von Hoerner & Sulger (vH & S) has made a name for itself. With just 20 employees and a turnover of 7.7 million euros last year, according to managing director Hanna von Hoerner,[4]
— Veronika Szentpetery, in Technology Review 1997
Awards and recognition
- 2009 Von Hoerner was awarded the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg[9]
- 2013 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany First Class for her contributions to space science in Germany.[1][6]
- 2016 A comet was named after her.[10]
- Member of the Space Forum in the BDLI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie / German Aerospace Industries Association)[11]
- Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research[11]
- DLR Space Program Committee[11]
