Space Shuttle mission STS-51-F carried Loren Acton into orbit in 1985 as a payload specialist. This journey spanned 2.8 million miles over 126 Earth orbits, resulting in over 190 hours spent in space. Before and after this flight, his career focused on the academic study of solar physics and advanced space instrumentation.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1936 in Lewistown, Montana, Acton pursued higher education within his home state and neighboring Colorado. He obtained a bachelor of science degree in Engineering Physics from Montana State University in 1959. By 1965, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy in astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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Acton served as a senior staff scientist at the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory in California. His responsibilities involved studying the Sun and celestial objects through space-based instruments. He functioned as a co-investigator for the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter, an experiment included on Spacelab 2. Selection for the Spacelab 2 payload specialist role occurred in 1978, leading to his eventual participation in the 1985 STS-51-F flight.
Solar Physics at Montana State University
Following his career in spaceflight, Acton became a Research Professor of Physics at Montana State University. He founded the university's Solar Physics group and the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory. Under his guidance, the group maintained active research programs supported by NASA and the NSF, focusing on satellite missions. He served as the principal investigator for the Soft X-ray Telescope experiment on the Yohkoh mission, a collaborative project involving Japan, the US, and the UK. This mission provided long-term X-ray imagery to analyze solar flares, corona heating, and the 11-year sunspot cycle.
Awards and Public Service
The scientific community recognized his contributions through several honors. He received the George Ellery Hale Prize from the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society in 2000. In 2017, the Japanese government awarded him The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. Later, in 2020, he was named a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. Beyond science, Acton sought political office in 2006, running as a Democratic candidate for Montana's District 69 state representative seat, though he was unsuccessful against incumbent Jack M. Wells.
Fast facts
- Born: 1936, Lewistown, Montana
- Spaceflight: STS-51-F in 1985
- Education: Montana State University, University of Colorado Boulder
- Primary Field: Astrophysics and Solar Physics
- Notable Award: George Ellery Hale Prize (2000)
- International Recognition: The Order of the Rising Sun (2017)
- Professional Membership: International Astronomical Union
Questions readers ask
What specific solar mission did Loren Acton lead?
He served as the principal investigator for the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) experiment on the Yohkoh mission.
Did Loren Acton ever run for political office?
Yes, he ran as a Democratic candidate for Montana's District 69 state representative in 2006, but lost to Republican Jack M. Wells.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at Montana State University, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado
- Worked as physicist, astronaut and university teacher
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