Optical Scientist Karen Scott Honored

ANAHEIM, Calif. (11/4/05) -- Dr. Karen P. Scott of The Aerospace Corporation has been awarded the 2005 Resnik Challenger Award by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Scott, an optical scientist at the company’s Houston office, received the award Nov. 4 at SWE’s national conference held in Anaheim, Calif.

She was cited for outstanding leadership and technical contributions in developing and testing the nadir science window on the International Space Station’s Destiny module.

She also was recognized for contributions to the Window Observational Research Facility, a system that enables researchers to mount cameras, sensors, and telescopes behind the science window, providing the stability to permit advanced Earth-observing experiments.

“Dr. Scott has made extraordinary strides in optical engineering that has greatly benefited space exploration,” said SWE President Ronna Robertson. “She is a role model for all young women who share in the same pursuit to change and affect the world around us.”

The four-pane 20-inch-diameter science window was launched in February 2001, becoming the highest quality window ever flown on a crewed space vehicle.

Scott was instrumental in proposing and developing the window system, leading a team of more than 30 technicians, engineers, and scientists during the final testing and calibration. The window’s extraordinary clarity, in addition to providing great views for astronauts, provides the platform for cutting-edge remote sensing Earth science.

Scott has received three other major awards for her work on the science window and research facility: NASA’s prestigious Silver Snoopy Award (2001); The Aerospace Corporation’s President’s Award (2001); and the Rotary Stellar Team Achievement Award (2002).

According to NASA, space station crews have taken more than 13,000 images of Earth as part of the Earth Science Toward Exploration Research program, which documents natural and human-induced changes on Earth.

“Dr. Scott has brought her technical expertise to bear on several challenging projects and demonstrated unique leadership skills by applying her scientific knowledge to a variety of issues,” said Dr. Sally K. Ride, the first U.S. woman astronaut to reach space and a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. “Her efforts have had a significant impact on elements that are now flying in space.”

Currently Dr. Scott’s optical requirements, specifications, and window design methodology are being applied to NASA’s planned Crew Exploration Vehicle, which is to be used for missions to the moon and Mars. 

The Resnik Challenger Medal was established in 1986 to honor Dr. Judith A. Resnik, NASA mission specialist on the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle flight of January 26, 1986. According to SWE, the medal is awarded “only as merited for visionary contributions to space exploration.”

The Aerospace Corporation is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.