James Van Allen Dead at 91

published by The New York Times
Aug 11, 2006

James A. Van Allen, the physicist who made the first major scientific discovery of the early space age, the Earth-circling radiation belts that bear his name, and sent spacecraft instruments to observe the outer reaches of the solar system, died yesterday in Iowa City. He was 91. The cause was heart failure, family members said. Dr. Van Allen was a longtime professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa. Pictured, from the left, are William H. Pickering, Edward Manning, James A. Van Allen and Wernher von Braun in 1958 after the launch of Explorer 1.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/10/science/space/10vanallen.html?ref=science