Gordon Hemenway Pettengill ’48, MIT professor emeritus of planetary physics in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), former director of the MIT Center for Space Research, and pioneer in radio astronomy, died peacefully at his home in Concord, Massachusetts, on May 8 of congestive heart failure. He was 95. Pettengill pioneered the use of radar for planetary astronomy applications, making groundbreaking observations of the moon, the inner planets, and other solar system objects. His work was instrumental in the development of multiple NASA missions including the Apollo…
