Anton Mavretič facts for kids
Anton Mavretič (born December 11, 1934 – died November 21, 2019) was a talented electrical engineer from Slovenia. He spent many years working in the United States. He passed away in 2019 when he was 84 years old. Mavretič was born in a town called Metlika, which is in Slovenia.
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Anton Mavretič: A Space Engineer
Anton Mavretič was a very important scientist who helped us learn more about space. He was known for his work on special instruments that traveled far into our solar system.
Early Life and Beginnings
Anton Mavretič was born in Metlika, Slovenia, in 1934. From a young age, he was interested in how things work, especially with electricity. This interest led him to become an electrical engineer, a job where you design and build electrical systems.
Exploring Space with NASA
From 1972 to 1979, Mavretič worked for the MIT Center for Space Research. This work was part of a contract with NASA, the United States' space agency. His main job was to help create special tools called plasma spectrometers.
What are Plasma Spectrometers?
Plasma spectrometers are scientific instruments that can measure tiny, charged particles in space. These particles are part of what scientists call "plasma," which is a super-hot gas found almost everywhere in space. By studying plasma, scientists can learn about the environment around planets and stars.
The Voyager Missions
Anton Mavretič's plasma spectrometers were used on two very famous spacecraft: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. These missions were launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets of our solar system, like Jupiter and Saturn. The Voyager probes have traveled billions of miles and are now in interstellar space, which is the space between stars. The instruments Mavretič helped build sent back important information about these distant places.
Teaching and Research
After his work on the Voyager missions, Anton Mavretič became a professor and researcher. He worked at the Center for Space Physics at Boston University in the United States. Here, he continued to study space and teach new students. He also became a special member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2007, which is a big honor for scientists in Slovenia.
Starting His Own Company
In 1985, Anton Mavretič decided to start his own company. It was called SIAT of Boston LLC. This company allowed him to use his engineering skills to help other organizations with their projects.
