After I founded a student organization called the “MIT Space Habitat Study Group”, an early, surprising participant was Arthur Kantrowitz, then an MIT Institute Professor (visiting), and CEO of the Avco Everett Research Laboratory. He was a physicist and engineer with wide-ranging accomplishments. In the 1950s, his inventions helped solve the problem of atmospheric re-entry for spacecraft, and the New York Times describes him as “one of the first technological heroes of the space program”. He went on to pioneer a range of technologies that included high-power lasers, supersonic molecular beams, magnetohydrodynamic generators, and heart-assist pumps.
Arthur became my advisor and mentor. Over the years, he shaped my understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge, of duty to society, and of the secrecy, corruption, and possibilities for reform of the political processes that operate at the junction of policy and technology, processes that can bend the direction of history for better or worse. These concerns are deeply important to me and helped set the direction of my life.
Many years later, Arthur moved north to become a semi-retired professor at Dartmouth, where we met for dinner five years ago. Last week, I wrote to tell him about this blog. He won’t be reading it.
Arthur was born in 1913. Today I read a message from his wife, Lee, informing me of his death. He suffered a heart attack while in New York visiting family members. His heart was sustained for a few final hours of farewells by an intra-aortic assist pump of his own invention. I miss him terribly.
The New York Times says more here.
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