Wolf V. Vishniac

Wolf V. Vishniac

Wolf V. Vishniac (April 22, 1922 – December 10, 1973) was an American microbiologist, son of Roman Vishniac. He was a professor of Biology at the University of Rochester. He died while on a research trip to the Antarctic while attempting to retrieve equipment down a crevice. The crater Vishniac on Mars is named in his honor. Wolf had three sons, David Obadiah ("Obie"), Ethan and Ephraim, the first of whom died at the age of ten, Ethan and Ephraim being an astrophysicist and software engineer respectively, with his wife Helen Vishniac, daughter of George Gaylord Simpson, who was later a professor of microbiology at Oklahoma State University.

Wolf Vishniac contributed greatly to the search for life on Mars by developing a special miniature laboratory that could be flown to that planet. This research was supported by a NASA grant, which started in 1959 and was the very first ever for the "biological sciences." The Viking 1 Mars probe contained such a device but did not find any conclusive signs of life.

He was also a friend to the late Carl Sagan. On his show "", in an episode titled "Blues for a Red Planet," Sagan talked about Vishniac's death and his microbiological sensor, nicknamed the "Wolf Trap," that was supposed to go on Viking, but did not make it due to budget cuts.

External links

* [http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/V/Vishniac.html Short bio entry]
* [http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4212/ch7-4.html NASA History of Instrumentation for Mars missions]
* [http://www.hias.org/Who_We_Are/120stories/59vishniac.pdf A Photographer of a Vanished World and his Family]
* [http://www.vishniac.com/ephraim/vishniac.html Every Vishniac]


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  • Wolf V. Vishniac — Wolf Vladimir Vishniac (* 22. April 1922 in Berlin; † 10. Dezember 1973) war ein US amerikanischer Mikrobiologe und der Sohn von Roman Vishniac. Er war Professor für Biologie an der University of Rochester. Er starb auf einer Forschungsreise in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vishniac — ist der Familienname von: Ethan T. Vishniac (Ethan Tecumseh Vishniac), US amerikanischer Astrophysiker Roman Vishniac (1897 1990), US amerikanischer Biologe und Pionier der Wissenschaftsfotografie Wolf V. Vishniac (Wolf Vladimir Vishniac, 1922… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vishniac — could refer to:*Roman Vishniac (1897 1990), a Russian American, Jewish, photographer and biologist. *Wolf V. Vishniac (1922 1973), microbiologist who died during an expedition to Antarctica. *Ethan T. Vishniac, astrophysicist, and editor of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Wolf (name) — Wolf is a name that is used as a surname, given name, and a name common among Native Americans.urname* Alice Wolf, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives * Aliya Wolf (b.1975), American model * Anne Wolf (b.1967), Belgian pianist *… …   Wikipedia

  • Vishniac (crater) — MarsGeo Crater caption=Giant s Footprint name=Vishniac latitude= 76.7 N or S=S longitude= 276.1 E or W=W diameter= 86.1 eponym=Wolf V. Vishniac discoverer=Mariner 7Vishniac is a largest crater of the Martian surface feature called the Giant s… …   Wikipedia

  • Wolf Trap — may refer to:* Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA * Wolf Trap, Virginia * A microbiology experiment of Wolf Vishniac …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Vishniac — Infobox Person name = Roman Vishniac (Роман Вишняк) image size = 300px caption = Roman Vishniac, 1977. Photo by Andrew A. Skolnick birth date = birth date|1897|8|19 birth place = Pavlovsk death date = death date and age|1990|1|22|1897|8|19 death… …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Vishniac — ██████████60  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ethan Vishniac — Ethan Tecumseh Vishniac is an American astrophysicist, son of Wolf V. Vishniac, and grandson of Roman Vishniac. He is the Editor in Chief of the Astrophysical Journal, Director of the Center for Astrophysical Sciences and a professor of Astronomy …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Vishniac — 1977 Roman Vishniac (russisch Роман Вишняк, Roman Wischnjak; * 19. August 1897 in Pawlowsk bei Sankt Petersburg; † 22. Januar 1990 in New York) war ein US amerikanischer Biologe, Fotograf und Pionie …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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