Frank Curtis Michel logged 1,000 flight hours as a United States Air Force pilot before transitioning to a career as a research physicist and NASA scientist-astronaut. Born in La Crosse in 1934, he spent decades exploring the physics of neutron stars, solar wind interactions, and planetary atmospheres, bridging the gap between experimental nuclear research and deep-space astrophysical theory.
Academic Foundation and Early Research
Michel graduated from C. K. McClatchy High School in 1951. He pursued his higher education at the California Institute of Technology, where he earned both his Bachelor of Science in 1955 and a doctorate in 1962. During his time at Caltech, he conducted experimental and theoretical research under the guidance of Thomas Lauritsen, Richard P. Feynman, and William Alfred Fowler. His doctoral thesis, titled Beta Spectra of the Mass 12 Nuclei, established his early focus on nuclear physics.
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Before his formal scientific career, Michel served as a junior engineer for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company's guided missile division. He joined the Air Force in 1955, completing flight training in Arizona and Texas. His service included piloting F-86D interceptors across the United States, England, and West Germany. In June 1965, NASA selected him for the fourth group of scientist-astronauts. He resigned from the agency in August 1969 without flying a space mission, though he maintained that his departure helped pressure NASA to reassign Harrison Schmitt to Apollo 17.
Contributions to Astrophysics at Rice
In 1963, Michel joined the faculty of Rice University in Houston. He held the position of Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor of Astrophysics from 1974 until his retirement in 2000. During this period, he chaired the department of space physics and astronomy and supervised numerous doctoral dissertations. His research breadth included predicting the spin optical rotation effect and examining pulsar magnetospheres. He documented these findings in his 1990 book, Theory of Neutron Star Magnetospheres, and his 2015 work, Handbook of High-Energy Astrophysics Experiments.
International Recognition and Later Career
Michel received several honors for his scientific contributions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship to the École Polytechnique in France and a Humboldt Prize for study at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in West Germany. He continued his research activity until his death in Houston on February 26, 2015.
Fast facts
- Born: 1934, La Crosse
- Died: 2015, Houston
- Education: California Institute of Technology
- NASA Group: Scientist-Astronaut Group 4
- Primary Academic Role: Professor at Rice University
- Notable Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship, Humboldt Prize
- Military Aircraft: F-86D Interceptor
Questions readers ask
Did Curt Michel ever fly in space?
No. While he was selected as a NASA scientist-astronaut in 1965, he resigned in 1969 without being assigned to a spaceflight mission.
What was the focus of his scientific research?
He focused on astrophysics, specifically neutron star magnetospheres, pulsar physics, and the interaction between solar winds and the lunar atmosphere.
Achievements
- Guggenheim Fellowship
- Humboldt Research Fellowship
- Humboldt Prize
- Recorded as aircraft pilot, physicist and astrophysicist
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