[asapmembers] Fwd: Loss of Dr. Dale Ferguson

[secretary at areciboscience.org]

Dear ASAP Members,

I am sad to report the death of Dale Ferguson. Attached is a statement 
from his colleagues at AFRL.

-Mike Nolan


 From: RALEY, JEREMY A Col USAF AFMC AFRL/RV CC Subject: Loss of Dr. Dale
Ferguson

It is with deep sadness I inform you another one of our own has passed 
away,
Dr. Dale Ferguson. Dale was admitted to the hospital over the weekend 
and
sadly passed away Monday morning, surround by his loved ones. Details 
about
the upcoming services in Dale's honor will be forthcoming in the next 
few
days.

Dale was a world-recognized expert on space environment interactions. 
His
laughter, good conversation, and invaluable mentorship will be sorely
missed.  He joined the Ionospheric Effects Branch at Hanscom in 
September of
2009 from NASA.  He arrived at AFRL/RV Kirtland with the BRAC relocation 
in
2011.  A top RV researcher in environmental effects on spacecraft 
charging
and arcing on solar arrays, he continued his contributions to the field
which include a book, 5 book chapters, over 100 conference proceedings, 
4
national space standard documents, and he received millions of dollars 
in
research grants.

Dale's scientific career started over 4 decades ago at Max-Planck 
Institute
for Radio Astronomy in Germany and continued through the Arecibo 
Observatory
in Puerto Rico followed by a short time as a Professor at Case Western
Reserve University.  He then joined NASA for over 25 years as a 
Principal
Scientist at NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park, Ohio, and served 
as a
System Engineer at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville 
Alabama.
He has been part of the Air Force and Space Force team for the last 13
years.  He was recognized numerous times throughout his career with the
latest honor being his appointment earlier this year as an AFRL Fellow.

Through his selfless lifelong service, Dale was an amazing contributor 
to
AFRL, NASA, and our Nation.  Simply put, a great scientist and an even
greater person.  Dale will be terribly missed.

Sincerely,

JEREMY A. RALEY, Col, USSF