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The Alvin Seiff Memorial Award, presented annually at the International Planetary Probe Workshop, recognizes and honors a  scientist, engineer, technologist, or mission planner for outstanding career achievements and contributions to the understanding of planetary (including Titan) atmospheres utilizing high-speed entry probes.
NASA Ames Hall of Fame
Alvin Seiff was selected in the fall of 2008 to become a member of NASA Ames Hall of Fame, joining those like H. Julian Allen (Blunt Body Concept) and Jim Pollack (Planetary Science). This is considered to be a high honor and there are only 21 members. The purpose of Ames Hall of Fame is to recognize those people whose contributions have had the most sustained and far-reaching influence on the direction and mission of NASA Ames, and/or whose work at NASA Ames has generated fundamental advancements in either a scientific or engineering field.
Background
Alvin Seiff's contributions to the fields of planetary exploration, planetary probe technology, and mentoring a generation of world-class planetary scientists and technologists are legendary. His leadership using ballistic ranges and innovative engineering analysis played a key role in determining the aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics of the Apollo entry vehicle that was used several times to return astronauts from the Moon.
Shortly after President Kennedy told the nation we would put a man on the Moon and bring him home safely within the decade, Seiff assembled a group of young people from across the nation to contribute to this goal. Under his leadership at NASA Ames, the center made key contributions defining the aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics of the Apollo Earth return vehicle.
Later in his career, Seiff pursued his goal of inverting the entry physics "problem" into the "solution" of using the response of an entry probe to determine the structure and composition of an unknown planetary atmosphere. This powerful concept was proven with the Planetary Atmospheric Entry Test project, which demonstrated that inversion of the entry physics problem could be done in the Earth's atmosphere.
Seiff was the principal investigator on experiments utilizing the approach he pioneered to determine the structure of the atmospheres of Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. This was accomplished by the flights of the Viking, Pioneer-Venus, and Galileo entry probes. Seiff’s work on planetary atmospheres is broadly published in scientific literature and textbooks. He is broadly recognized for his contributions, both nationally and internationally. He won the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement three times and was awarded the honor of the Dryden Lectureship by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his work on planetary atmospheres. In 2008, Seiff’s accomplishments were further recognized by his selection to join the ranks of members of the NASA Ames hall of fame, joining others so honored such as H. Julian Allen (Blunt Body Concept) and Jim Pollack (Planetary Science).
Perhaps as important as his contributions to NASA's goals in science and engineering was the product of his leadership: coaching and mentoring. Scores of young engineers and scientists who worked for and with Seiff became world- class researchers, leaders, and managers for NASA and the Department of Defense, including a center director of Ames, organizational directors, division chiefs, and branch chiefs.
Seiff embodied the best of what is expect from a leader and exemplified the saying "give more than you take from the circle of life." He truly "soared to the stars," literally touching three planets with his experiments. Seiff gave his best to the international planetary science community. He died in 2000 but his inspiration continues.
The Award
The young researchers today will stand on the shoulders of the giants from the past to discover great things in the future.
An important element of the International Planetary Probe Workshops is to introduce, motivate and educate young people in the field of scientific studies of planetary atmospheres. Only by placing today's research activities in the proper historical context through recognizing, appreciating, and understanding the contributions of our predecessors and utilizing the experience and knowledge gained by past generations of explorers can we define a framework for future explorations.
As solar system explorers, we are bound by our colleagues’ achievements and are obligated to further this chain of scientific discovery to the next generation. This award and lecture is named for Seiff to celebrate his lifetime of dedication to the engineering, technology, and scientific studies of planetary atmospheres and provide young researchers who never had the chance to know him with the opportunity to learn how his work truly influences virtually every aspect of planetary exploration.
Nominations
Anyone affiliated with the ongoing IPPW series is eligible to nominate a candidate for the Al Seiff award.
The nomination form is available at this same Web location and the instructions for submission are specified on the form. It is important to provide the requested information because incomplete nominations will be returned to the nominator for re-submission. Nominations are due no later than February 28, 2011.
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