Quarter 4 Bio: Frank Low
Frank James Low was born in Mobile, Alabama on November 23rd, 1933. However, at a young age his family moved and he grew up in Houston, Texas. He attended graduate school at Yale University, and followed up by receiving his Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from Rice University in 1959.
After graduation, Low took a job with Texas Instruments in 1961 where his first assignment was the development of a low-temperature thermometer. In the process, he developed one of the key steps using infrared rays as we know it. To do this, he used a Germanium Semiconductor that had been doped with small quantities of gallium that would measure temperature changes based on changes in the device’s electrical resistance. Based on his previous knowledge from graduate school, he realized that the thermometer could be used as a basis for bolometer that could measure radiant energy coming from stars as infrared radiation.
After completing a task that had been unsolved for many years, he took his newly created bolometer to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia to test his invention. When testing, he came across the problem that infrared radiation was being absorbed by molecules such as water vapor in the atmosphere. To resolve this problem, he developed devices that could be placed aboard an aircraft and carried small telescopes. He later used a Learjet operated by NASA with a slightly larger telescope attached. Lear continued researching with the Learjet, even after NASA upgraded their system.
Frank later proposed and led the charge in building an Infrared Astronomy Satellite. This project was operated as a joint effort with the U.S., U.K., and Netherlands. Starting in 1983, the Satellite took the first infrared readings from space, avoiding all outside interference from the atmosphere. Based on the findings from the IRAS, researchers were able to conclude that the majority of galactic radiation is emitted in the form of infrared radiation that is generated when light from young stars is absorbed by interstellar dust and then radiated from the dust in the form of heat.
Because of his accomplishments, Frank Low was named to serve as facility scientist for NASA’s Space Infrared Telescope Facility, later renamed the Spitzer Space Telescope. Throughout his life, Low received many awards including the Rumford Prize, the Helen Warner Prize, the Joseph Weber Award, and the Bruce Medal. He later passed away at the age of 75 on June 11, 2009 in Tuscan, Arizona caused by the result of a longstanding illness.
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