{"id":63664,"date":"2026-05-19T13:37:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asi.it\/?p=63664"},"modified":"2026-05-19T13:37:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:37:59","slug":"the-italian-scientific-community-mourns-martin-weisskopf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asi.it\/en\/2026\/05\/the-italian-scientific-community-mourns-martin-weisskopf\/","title":{"rendered":"The Italian scientific community mourns Martin Weisskopf"},"content":{"rendered":"Martin C. Weisskopf, born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1942 died on Saturday May 2, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe National Institute for Astrophysics, the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) want to express the most heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Italian scientific community. Martin was instrumental in the birth of X-Ray astronomy that made him\u00a0an absolutely outstanding figure in the field for more than 55 years, to eventually become AXAF, later renamed CHANDRA, Project Scientist, the most ambitious enterprise ever in the field of X-Ray Astronomy thus far. Riccardo Giacconi in a book of memoirs, acknowledges the work of MW as the reason why\u00a0Chandra avoided the disasters of HST, notwithstanding a similar organization. The very absorbing responsibility of building, testing and certifying a telescope with sub-arcsecond resolution and the not minor tasks with the telescope in orbit\u00a0 included a brilliant use as an X-ray observer himself, did not stop MW to find the energy and the time to carry on a continuous activity beside to think, to invent, to prototype to propose new instruments for balloons or satellites. In those years Martin\u2019s path crossed many times with Italian teams, for example during INTEGRAL or the technology studies for the Wide Field Telescope.\r\n\r\nTo Martin, polarimetry was not only a research subject X-Ray Astronomy, was a life passion. And the encounter with the Italian Community led to IXPE and thanks to the mission success,\u00a0his last great scientific achievement.\r\n\r\nHe had already collaborated with Italian scientist Enrico Costa and with Paolo Soffitta, then a PhD student, on the Stellar X-Ray Polarimeter (Robert Novick PI) to be flown onboard the Spectrum X-Gamma Soviet Satellite lead by Rashid Sunyaev. The Italian collaboration was extended to Ronaldo Bellazzini of Pisa INFN, who built the first prototypes of sealed, compact photoelectric polarimeters. Then Martin realized that the times were mature to propose again an X-ray polarimetry mission. Martin and the Italian scientists persisted in their proposal and eventually succeeded in 2014. Notwithstanding the tight budget and schedule, the COVID pandemic, MW was able to coordinate the development and integration of the MSFC-built optics, the Italian focal plane (detectors, calibration sources, electronics computer), under ASI leadership, and the bus provided by Ball. With a rather peculiar combination of rigor and amiability and a special attention to young scientists, Martin has contributed to the great success of IXPE. ASI, INAF, and INFN remember today a great scientist and a good friend.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Martin C. Weisskopf, born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1942 died on Saturday May 2, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-agency"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Italian scientific community mourns Martin Weisskopf - ASI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Martin C. 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