The world lost a luminary of space and planetary science and a pioneer of space exploration with the death of Thomas Michael Donahue, on 16 October 2004, from complications following heart surgery.
Tom’s work began after World War II when he first used sounding rockets to study Earth’s upper atmosphere; he continued that work for almost 60 years. His influence on space exploration through his scientific achievements and the policy positions he held continues today. Tom was an experimenter or scientist on numerous NASA missions, including Voyager, Pioneer Venus, and Galileo, and the current Cassini mission. He was one of the first scientists to argue that a substantial Martian ocean had existed, and he was involved in early studies documenting destruction of Earth’s ozone layer.
Tom was born on 23 May 1921 in Healdton, Oklahoma, but grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He brought the passion of an eternal learner to every aspect of his life, from learning about the history of his Irish family—Tom was an avid contributor to the O’Donoghue Society—to knowing how the solar system was formed, singing to his sons and granddaughters, or enjoying some good wine.
After graduating in 1942 from Rockhurst College (now University) in Kansas City, Missouri, with degrees in classics and physics, Tom began his graduate work in physics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. His studies, though, were interrupted by service in the Signal Corps of the US Army. On returning to Hopkins in 1945, he went on to obtain his PhD in atomic physics, under Gerhardt Dieke, in 1947. His thesis was entitled “An Investigation of the Spontaneous Oscillations in Glow Discharges.”
In 1951 Tom joined the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and, eight years later, became a professor of physics there. He eventually was the director of the university’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Sciences (1966–74) and the Space Research Coordination Center (1970–74).
He left Pennsylvania in 1974 for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to take the post of chairman of the department of atmospheric and oceanic science (later renamed atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences); he held that position until 1981. In 1986 he was named the Henry Russel Lecturer, the highest honor conferred by the university on a faculty member, and in 1987 was named the Edward H. White II Distinguished University Professor of Planetary Science.
When asked to describe, for the University of Michigan’s website, his work, Tom wrote:
I parlayed my training in atomic physics into a faculty position at [the University of Pittsburgh], doing research in aeronomy and laboratory studies of atomic physics. This led to rocket and satellite exploration of the upper atmosphere of Earth in the 60s and spacecraft exploration of Mars, Venus, and the Outer Planets beginning in the 70s. Along the way my students, postdocs, and I were deeply involved in the problem of anthropogenic destruction of the stratospheric ozone in the early 70s. This led to my continuing interest in global climate change.
Tom’s understated description left out the enormous impact he had as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as chair of the Space Science Board of the National Academies’ National Research Council.
Tom brought his powerful intellect and drive to a broad range of lifelong passions beyond science. Fluent in several languages, from classical Greek to modern Irish, he was also widely read in American, Irish, and French history and literature. He loved classical and folk music, and sang hundreds of songs in keys only he knew! A devotee of tennis, he continued playing weekly matches with his friend and colleague George Carignan until early in 2004. And in the spring of that year, Tom was able to attend one last ceremony honoring him when the University of Michigan and the department of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences awarded Tom’s friend Lennard Fisk, former department chair and current Space Science Board chair, with the Thomas M. Donahue Collegiate Professorship of Space Science.
Tom was a giant in the planetary atmosphere field. He was an intelligent, knowledgeable, and very interesting person. Tom’s colleagues, friends, students, and family miss him very much.