James Westphal, Helped Build Hubble, Dies at 74

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kai_25

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) _ James A. Westphal, a California Institute of Technology scientist who helped devise geological and astronomical tools, including the Hubble Space Telescope's main camera, died Sept. 8 from complications of a neurological disorder possibly related to Alzheimer's disease. He was 74.<br /><br />Westphal died at his Altadena home, Caltech spokesman Robert Tindol said Monday.<br /><br />A self-professed tinkerer, Westphal invented everything from a tiny camera inserted into the Old Faithful geyser to gauges measuring glaciers and volcanos and high-pressure aquariums used to acquire fish from great ocean depths.<br /><br />His gift for innovation earned him a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" and led to a stint as director of Caltech's Palomar Observatory.<br /><br />He became the head investigator for developing the Hubble's Wide-Field and Planetary Camera after he and a Caltech astronomer suggested it use the same kind of light detector built for the Galileo spacecraft's mission to Jupiter. <br /><br />Image: Caltech<br />
 
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