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Before the International Space Station, before
the Hubble Space Telescope, before the Shuttle,

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before Skylab, before Apollo, before NASA
even, there was Lyman Spitzer.

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Seventy-five years ago, astronomer Lyman Spitzer
envisioned a future for space exploration

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that changed our understanding of the cosmos
and our place in it.

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A visionary behind the Hubble Space Telescope,
Spitzer was among the earliest astronomers

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pioneering a revolutionary way to explore
the universe through astronomical satellites.

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With the publication of his famed paper in
1946, “Astronomical Advantages of an Extra-terrestrial

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Observatory,” Spitzer explored the benefits
of launching a large reflecting telescope

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into orbit around our planet.

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His proposal placed these telescopes outside
the constraints of Earth’s atmosphere,

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enabling both greater access to wavelengths
of light not visible from the ground and higher

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quality images free of atmospheric effects.

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Spitzer made a strong case for large space
telescopes that would allow humanity to access

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unseen parts of the universe.

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Understanding the magnitude of the universe
and exploring the structures of galaxies,

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globular star clusters, and other planets
were the ultimate goals of orbiting observatories.

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Spitzer’s vision in 1946 marked a new era
for the field of astronomy; 75 years later,

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space-based telescopes, like Hubble, are our
best lens to the cosmos.

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Above Earth’s atmosphere, our unimpeded
view allows us to see billions of light-years

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back in time, helping us understand the evolution
of galaxies and the universe itself.

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We’ve seen celestial objects and phenomena
through light not visible by the human eye,

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offering us a new perspective of our place
in the universe.

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Spitzer recognized that space telescopes would
enable humanity to explore beyond our frontier

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of knowledge; “to uncover new phenomena
not yet imagined, and perhaps to modify, profoundly,

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our basic concepts of space and time."

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To this day, the Hubble Space Telescope remains
a testament to Spitzer’s vision and a reminder

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of what we may yet discover.

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[ MUSIC ]