Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: MIT AeroAstro

I was saddened to learn of the passing of a great friend and leader in bioastronautics – Laurence Young.

Larry was the Apollo Program Professor Emeritus of Astronautics and professor of health sciences and technology at MIT. He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Aug. 4 after battling cancer. He was 85.

Over the decades, Larry and I had countless conversations focused on the human factors of spaceflight – particularly his thoughts on artificial gravity. Indeed, in one of my treks to MIT, a visit with Larry led me to call him a true “spin doctor,” and a “G-whizz” professor.

Here are a couple stories that noted Larry’s research:

Artificial Gravity: A New Spin on an Old Idea

https://www.space.com/558-artificial-gravity-spin-idea.html

Artificial Gravity: NASA Spins Up New Study

https://www.space.com/1089-artificial-gravity-nasa-spins-study.html

Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang tries out the new centrifuge while MIT professor Larry Young coaches him on.
Credit: Bill Litant/MIT AeroAstro

Years of mentoring

Larry was on the External Council of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, a group that was boosted by his creativity and thoughtfulness.

Dava Newman, the Apollo Professor of Astronautics and director of the MIT Media Lab, is a former Young mentee. “With all of the science we’ve learned and through all his years of mentoring, the moonshot Larry leaves with us is to never think about any constraints and boundaries, to literally always shoot for the Moon, to Mars and beyond — that’s the big dream that he inspired in me and all of his colleagues.”

Here’s Larry as he recounts working with Charles Stark (Doc) Draper at MIT AeroAstro’s “Apollo 50+50”, a March 13, 2019 symposium celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Go to this video at:

https://youtu.be/SiTG9m02xf8

Thanks for all those conversations, Larry. I’ll miss you.