The Resume

(April 28, 1928-July 18, 1997)
Born in Los Angeles, California
Pioneer of planetary science
Founded the Astrogeology Research Program of the US Geological Survey (1961)
Co-discoverer (with wife Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy) of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (March 24, 1993)
Shoemaker-Levy 9 later broke up and collided with Jupiter (July 16-22, 1994)
Recipient of the National Medal of Science (1992)
Died in a car accident while studying meteor craters in Australia

Why he might be annoying:

He was considered as a candidate for the Apollo missions, but was disqualified due to Addison's disease.
He later left NASA 'out of deep concern for its direction,' complaining that the scientific results of the Apollo program could have been obtained at a fifth the cost by using unmanned probes. (Anyone else detecting more than a hint of sour grapes?)
He and his team discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9 by accident while studying near-Earth objects.
The capsule that took his ashes to space was engraved with an image of Comet Hale-Bopp. (Wouldn't an image of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 have been a more logical tribute?)

Why he might not be annoying:

He provided training in geology for the Apollo astronauts.
He sat beside Walter Cronkite providing scientific commentary during the moon landings.
He reached the Moon posthumously when a capsule containing some of his cremated remains was included in the Lunar Prospector probe, which crashed into the Moon at the end of its mission (1999).
NASA called it 'a special honor for a special human being.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Scientists
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 34]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [April] (Ranked: 4281928)
• I Attended Caltech (California Institute of Technology)
• I Attended Princeton
• I Died in 1997 (Ranked: 69)
• I Died in a Car
• I Earned a Doctorate
• I Have Addison's Disease
• I was Cremated
• I was Involved in a Car Accident in 1997
• My Ashes Were Sent Into Space
• Profiles 30501-30750 (Ranked: 30620)
• Scientists
• Sixty-Nine

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 10.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 21 Votes: 33.33% Annoying