[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 9, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S609-S610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING DR. DON GURNETT

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize the 
life and memory of Dr. Donald Gurnett. Dr. Gurnett recently passed away 
following a lifetime of scientific curiosity and achievements. Dr. 
Gurnett studied, taught, and researched at the University of Iowa for 
more than 60 years.
  His career was rooted in his childhood interest in flight, where he 
built rockets and model planes, which led to studying electrical 
engineering at the University of Iowa. During his studies, he had the 
opportunity to work and learn with Dr. James Van Allen, who helped 
launch the first U.S. satellite into space and established the field of 
magnetospheric space research. Dr.

[[Page S610]]

Gurnett's success led to working on more than 30 spacecraft projects, 
including Voyager 1 and 2 flights to the outer planets, the Galileo 
mission to Jupiter, and the Cassini mission to Saturn.
  His legacy remains with the students he mentored by pushing them to 
take on important projects and work towards their own success. In 2019, 
I wrote about the importance of STEM education and the accomplishments 
by Drs. Van Allen and Gurnett. I think my words then still encompass 
the curiosity and passion that Dr. Gurnett carried with him throughout 
his life.

       For the students across Iowa heading to class in the new 
     school year, remember to dream big. Don't forget that a 
     couple of farm boys from Mount Pleasant and Fairfax reached 
     for the stars and wrote new chapters of space innovation and 
     exploration. Their odyssey took them all over the world and 
     their scientific quest took their research beyond the solar 
     system to interstellar space.

                          ____________________