Peter Noerdlinger
Peter David Noerdlinger passed in Boulder Colorado on October 9, 2024. He was 89. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Maribel B. Aguilos, and by his four children (Henry Noerdlinger, Frederick Noerdlinger, Rachel Noerdlinger, and Victor Noerdlinger) with the late Jannau Noerdlinger.
Peter was a distinguished scientist who had over 140 publications and reports on a wide range of topics, including Astrophysics, Cosmology, Geolocation, Orbital Mechanics, and Climate Change. An elected fellow of the American Physical Society and the Royal Astronomical Society, he was also recognized for his contributions to various NASA programs, including COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer), EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System, and the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data collection instrument supporting the Terra Satellite. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) also recognized his work with them in revising the ANSI Standard in 1998.
Peter received an AB in Physics (Magna Cum Laude) from Harvard University in 1956, and a PhD in Physics from California Institute of Technology in 1960. He went on to serve in various faculty positions at the Michigan State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, University of Iowa, University of Chicago, and Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada).
Beyond his successes as a scientist, Peter was a big-hearted and selfless family man who always sought to make his loved ones happy and well taken-cared of. He was also a fierce advocate for social justice causes, experiencing career setbacks on some occasions. He coached kids in soccer, loved playing Go, and spoke and read German, French, and Dutch – in addition to being a stickler for perfect English grammar and pronunciation.