Robert W. Farquhar, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland, died suddenly of a respiratory problem at the age of 83. He was the creator of innovative, cost-effective, and spectacular NASA missions, competing with the more established, consolidated, and well-known JPL in California. The first mission was the NEAR probe, costing an order of magnitude less than JPL’s proposals. It first reached one asteroid, Mathilda, and then continued on to another, Eros. Finally, Farquhar even calculated and ventured an unscheduled landing on Eros, which succeeded perfectly, without damaging the probe, which continued to transmit for days, until winter arrived on Eros. NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, amazed and astonished, also wanted to attend the event in person.
