Mario Acuña

Who was Mario Acuña?

Mario Acuña, born in Córdoba, Argentina, was a research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Space Plasmas and Planetary Magnetospheres Branches, and then as a Senior Astrophysicist. He was a major pioneer in the field of planetary magnetism.

Acuña became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 1994. He earned a B.A. degree from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in 1962, an MSEE degree from the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán in 1967, and a Ph.D. in Space Physics from the Catholic University of America in 1974.

Acuña was a principal investigator on magnetometer experiments flown on numerous missions over the years, from the Pioneer 11 Fluxgate Magnetometer Experiment in 1973 to the Mars Global Surveyor Magnetic Field Experiment in 1994, and the MESSENGER magnetometer. He was also the recipient of many professional awards, including election to the National Academy of Science, the Moe Schneebaum Memorial Award, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

Dr. Acuña died March 5, 2009, aged 68, of multiple myeloma at his home in Bowie, Maryland.