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Robert Hornstein
NASA Photo |
Hornstein remembered at Dryden
The NASA family suffered a tragic and untimely loss with the recent death of Robert Michael Hornstein, a distinguished scientist and 35-year agency veteran.
Hornstein, 57, died March 11 in Lancaster.
Colleagues who worked with Hornstein throughout his NASA career at Headquarters and at Goddard and Dryden centers remember him fondly as an exacting engineer and a warm, witty individual.
Susan Miller, Director of Academic Investments at Dryden, worked with Hornstein at Goddard Space Flight Center, Dryden and NASA Headquarters.
"Robert was always the consummate NASA engineer from our earliest days at Goddard," she said. "Precision analysis down to the smallest detail. There were never enough data runs for him to be certain of the answer. Add this to his wit that was so dry that many folks couldn't tell when he wasn't being serious. Both of these attributes made for interesting meetings!
"Robert's knowledge of birds, especially owls, was remarkable and a side that many at NASA never saw," she added. "He truly was a man of diverse talents."
At the time of his death Hornstein was deputy director of research systems at Dryden. Prior to that he served as chief information officer, a post he assumed in 1996.
A native of College Park, Md., Hornstein began his career at NASA in 1968 as a mathematician at Goddard. During the heyday of NASA's Apollo manned spaceflight program, he designed computer programs for ground tracking systems, making significant contributions to Apollo 8, 11 and 17 missions in particular. In 1970, he received an Apollo Achievement Award and the "Silver Snoopy" Award for his support of Apollo 11. He also was widely recognized for helping save Apollo 9 from being aborted shortly after launch when he modified tracking software to compensate for a malfunction in the launch vehicle's computer.
In 1988, Hornstein was appointed ground networks director at Headquarters, helping to administer NASA's network tracking facilities during space shuttle orbits, the Voyager exploration of the solar system, the Galileo recovery effort and mission to Jupiter, the Magellan exploration of Venus and the international Halley's Comet tracking program. He was NASA's primary liaison for arranging cooperative tracking efforts with other countries, and in connection with that work was awarded membership in the former Soviet Union's Federation of Cosmonautics.
Among awards Hornstein received during his career was NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal for his work extending the tracking network from the North Pole to the South Pole. He also helped manage the renovation and upgrade of deep space network facilities in Australia, California and Spain. Shortly before his death, he received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal.
Hornstein was a graduate of High Point High School and the University of Maryland, where he received a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1968. He received a master's of science degree in technology of management in 1976 from American University, Washington, D.C.
Professional affiliations held by Hornstein included membership in the Senior Executive Association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His leisure-time interests included scuba diving and wildlife photography, with an avid enthusiasm for photographing owls.
Survivors include his wife of three months, Michele Bordier-Hornstein of Lancaster; his father, Irwin Hornstein of Silver Spring, Md.; and a brother, Charles David Hornstein, Adelphi, Md.
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