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Loren Acton
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Loren Acton
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Loren Wilber Acton (born 7 March 1936) is an American physicist who flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-51-F as a Payload Specialist for the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory. He is also the father of Cheryll Glotfelty, a leading ecocritic.[1]

Key Information

Early life and education

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Acton was born in Lewistown, Montana. He received a bachelor of science degree in Engineering Physics from Montana State University in 1959, and a Doctor of Philosophy in astrophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1965.[2]

Career

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Acton was a senior staff scientist with the Space Sciences Laboratory, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, California.[2] As a research scientist, his principal duties included conducting scientific studies of the Sun and other celestial objects using advanced space instruments and serving as a co-investigator on one of the Spacelab 2 solar experiments, the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter. He was selected as one of four payload specialists for Spacelab 2 on August 9, 1978, and after seven years of training he flew on STS-51-F/ Spacelab-2 in 1985. At mission conclusion, Acton had travelled over 2.8 million miles in 126 Earth orbits, logging over 190 hours in space.

Acton is married and has two children. In 2006 he ran in an election to be the state representative of Montana's District 69, as a Democratic candidate. In the event, he lost to the Republican incumbent, Jack M. Wells of Belgrade.[3]

Acton is currently a retired Research Professor of Physics at Montana State University, where he was responsible for the formation of the Solar Physics group and the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory. The MSU solar group carries on an active research program under NASA and NSF support and is actively involved in day-to-day operation and scientific utilization of satellite missions for studies of the Sun. Acton was a principal investigator for Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) experiment on the Japan/US/UK Yohkoh mission "Yohkoh Legacy Archive". The Yohkoh mission focused on the study of high-energy solar processes, such as solar flares, eruptions and the heating of the corona. The primary emission of the extremely hot outer atmosphere of the Sun, the solar corona, is at X-ray wavelengths. The extended duration, high resolution, X-ray imagery from Yohkoh contribute to the study of why the Sun has a corona at all and why it varies in intensity so strongly in response to the 11-year sunspot cycle.

Awards

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References

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Loren Acton

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Loren Acton is an American solar physicist and former payload specialist astronaut known for his research on solar phenomena and his participation as a scientist-astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS-51F mission in 1985. Born on March 7, 1936, in Lewistown, Montana, Acton is married and has two children. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University in 1959 and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Colorado in 1965. His professional memberships have included the American Astronomical Society, the International Astronomical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Acton served as a senior staff scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory of Lockheed's Palo Alto Research Laboratory in California, where he conducted studies of the Sun and other celestial objects using advanced space-based instruments. He acted as co-investigator on the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter, a key solar experiment carried aboard the Spacelab-2 mission. In this capacity, he contributed to efforts to understand solar activity through observations from space. Selected as a payload specialist, Acton flew on STS-51F/Spacelab-2, which launched on July 29, 1985, from Kennedy Space Center and landed on August 6, 1985, at Edwards Air Force Base. The mission, the first pallet-only Spacelab flight, involved 13 major experiments across astronomy, astrophysics, and life sciences, utilizing the Spacelab Instrument Pointing System for precise observations. During the flight, he logged more than 190 hours in space. Later in his career, Acton was a research professor of physics at Montana State University, where he is professor emeritus, contributing to solar physics research and education.

Early life and education

Childhood and family

Loren Acton was born on March 7, 1936, in Lewistown, Montana. He was the youngest of six children born to a rancher father. Growing up in the rural Lewistown area, Acton was raised on the family ranch, where his early life was shaped by the agricultural environment and close-knit family dynamics typical of Montana ranching communities. He attended high school in Billings, Montana, and graduated in 1954. This Montana upbringing instilled in him a foundation of self-reliance and interest in the natural world before he pursued advanced studies.

Higher education

Loren Acton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from Montana State University (then known as Montana State College) in 1959. During his time as an undergraduate at the institution, he married Evelyn Oldenburger. He subsequently pursued graduate studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, receiving a Ph.D. in Astro-Geophysics in 1965. This advanced training in astro-geophysics built directly on his undergraduate foundation in engineering physics and prepared him for specialized research in solar phenomena.

Scientific career

Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory

Loren Acton served as senior staff scientist in the Space Sciences Laboratory at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory for 29 years, approximately from 1965 after completing his PhD until 1993. His principal duties involved conducting scientific studies of the Sun and other celestial objects using advanced space-based instruments. He contributed to experiments and instruments flown on rockets, satellites, and orbiting observatories, including the Orbiting Solar Observatory 8 (OSO-8). Acton's work at Lockheed focused on solar physics and astrophysics research conducted from space platforms. This expertise formed the basis for his selection as a payload specialist by NASA.

Solar research and experiments

During his tenure at the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, Loren Acton conducted scientific studies of the Sun and other celestial objects using advanced space instruments flown on rockets and satellites. His early contributions included launching his first solar experiment aboard an Aerobee rocket in 1968, which provided brief high-altitude observations above Earth's atmosphere. Acton also participated in the Orbiting Solar Observatory 8 (OSO-8) program, contributing to solar experiments conducted via this satellite. As senior staff scientist in Lockheed's Space Sciences Laboratory, Acton focused on solar X-ray emissions, particularly from flares, to better understand their implications for Earth's upper atmosphere and communications. In the 1970s, he led efforts to propose and develop solar instrumentation for the Space Shuttle program, resulting in the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter (SOUP), an instrument designed to measure the Sun's magnetic and velocity fields and produce high-resolution observations of sunspot activity. Acton served as co-investigator on SOUP, and his team at Lockheed designed and built the instrument. These efforts advanced understanding of solar phenomena through precise space-based observations of the Sun's photosphere, magnetic structures, and dynamic processes. The SOUP experiment was prepared for flight on the STS-51-F mission.

NASA payload specialist role

Selection and preparation

Loren Acton was selected in 1978 as a payload specialist for NASA's STS-51F/Spacelab-2 mission, primarily due to his expertise as a senior staff scientist at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, where he conducted solar research and served as co-investigator on the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter (SOUP), one of the mission's key solar experiments. His involvement stemmed from Lockheed's proposal for a small solar telescope, which was accepted by NASA, and his expressed interest in flying to operate the instrument directly, reflecting the program's intent to include civilian scientists in shuttle missions. As a non-career astronaut and Lockheed employee, Acton represented the payload specialist category of civilian researchers chosen for their specialized scientific knowledge rather than through NASA's standard astronaut corps selection. Although originally targeted for launch in 1981, technical and funding delays extended the timeline to 1985, providing Acton with an extended preparation period focused on mastering the operation of Spacelab-2's solar instruments, particularly SOUP, which measured the Sun's magnetic and velocity fields. Training included familiarization with shuttle systems such as communications, galley, and waste management, along with parabolic flights to experience weightlessness, but emphasized scientific tasks like developing operational protocols for the instruments over engineering or physical demands. Spacelab-2 was configured as NASA's first pallet-only mission, relying on the Instrument Pointing System to orient instruments for precise solar observations without a pressurized module. Acton, alongside fellow payload specialist John-David Bartoe, was assigned to manage the solar physics experiments, leveraging his prior research experience to ensure effective data collection in orbit. He underwent this preparation as a civilian scientist, highlighting the role of payload specialists in enabling targeted scientific objectives aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

STS-51-F mission

Loren Acton flew as a payload specialist on STS-51-F, the Spacelab-2 mission aboard Space Shuttle Challenger. The flight launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 29, 1985, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on August 6, 1985. The mission lasted 7 days, 22 hours, 45 minutes, and 26 seconds, during which the orbiter completed 127 revolutions and traveled 3.3 million miles. During ascent, the number one main engine shut down prematurely 5 minutes and 45 seconds into flight, resulting in an abort-to-orbit trajectory; additional orbital maneuvers were performed to reach the planned operational orbit. Acton, drawing on his solar physics expertise from Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, operated the Spacelab instruments focused on solar observations. He and fellow payload specialist John-David Bartoe managed the solar telescopes mounted on the Instrument Pointing System (IPS), including the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter (SOUP) developed at Lockheed. This mission marked the first orbital use of the Spacelab IPS, which provided precise pointing for the solar instruments despite early tracking difficulties that were later resolved through software adjustments and crew efforts. The Spacelab-2 payload featured 13 major experiments spanning astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics, life sciences, plasma physics, and other disciplines. Acton's contributions centered on solar data collection; SOUP initially faced operational issues but restarted successfully later in the flight, yielding what scientists described as the best and longest run of solar granulation data ever obtained. Coordinated observations with other IPS-mounted telescopes produced extensive solar data during the latter mission days. The mission achieved a high degree of its scientific objectives despite the challenges.

Later career

YOHKOH collaboration

Following his NASA payload specialist experience, Loren Acton served as the U.S. principal investigator for the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) aboard the Yohkoh solar observatory satellite, a collaborative mission involving Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Launched in 1991, Yohkoh (pre-launch designation Solar-A) carried the SXT to observe high-energy solar processes, including solar flares, coronal eruptions, and coronal heating mechanisms. Acton assembled and led the American team that developed the instrument after NASA solicited proposals in 1985, enabling the capture of over 4,000 X-ray images per day during its decade-long operational life. The SXT's observations significantly advanced knowledge of solar coronal dynamics and contributed to improved predictions and mitigation of space weather effects, such as those from coronal mass ejections that can disrupt satellites and power systems. Acton maintained extensive collaboration with Japanese colleagues throughout the project, making more than 35 trips to Japan and accumulating over a year of time there while working closely on instrument development and data analysis. In 2017, the Japanese government awarded Acton the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of his contributions to the Yohkoh mission and to promoting space science in Japan while strengthening bilateral Japan-U.S. relations in the field. The decoration was conferred in a November 2017 ceremony in Tokyo. In 1993, Acton transitioned to an academic role at Montana State University.

Academic career at Montana State University

In 1993, Loren Acton returned to Bozeman, Montana, and joined Montana State University as a Research Professor in the Department of Physics. He founded the university's Solar Physics Group, which conducts research projects in collaboration with NASA and the National Science Foundation. As Research Professor, Acton oversaw the group's active research program under NASA support, with involvement in solar observations and related scientific utilization. His work at MSU continued his long-standing contributions to solar physics through institutional academic efforts. Acton retired from Montana State University with the title Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics.

Personal life

Awards and recognition

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