Message:
A few years now since Neil left us, but that sweet nice way he had of just taking care of everything, easily & swiftly, still gives me a good grin every time I think of it. I picture him saying "yes, I think we can do that" in such a surprising variety of circumstances! Whadda guy.
A few years now since Neil left us, but that sweet nice way he had of just taking care of everything, easily & swiftly, still gives me a good grin every time I think of it. I picture him saying "yes, I think we can do that" in such a surprising variety of circumstances! Whadda guy.
Added: February 6, 2020
Name: Patrizia Caraveo
E-mail: Contact
2017 has been a very sad year for high-energy astrophysics, since we lost two key persons who shaped our field.
To first to go was Neil but, few months later, also my husband Nanni Bignami suddenly left us. It was totally unexpected and I felt struck by a lightning.
Now, allow me to say few words on the deep friendship which linked Nanni (and myself) to Neil.
They started to work together in CGRO, Neil as a Project Scientists and Nanni as member of the users’ group.
In doing so, they built a strong relationship based on their common love for science and mountaineering.
They started climbing mountains together in the Alps and then in the Andes.
In 1991, they shared a tent in a week long adventure to climb Tupungato one of the highest summit of South America.
Later they were involved with Integral Nanni to select the scientific instruments and Neil as Mission Scientist.
This meant more occasions to meet and to ski, to hike, to climb to spend time together.
The collaboration continued with Swift and Glast ( later to become Fermi) although Nanni was not involved in these two missions.
However, being ASI science director, he was instrumental in getting them approved and financed by the Italian Space Agency.
In a trip to visit Malindi ground station (which ASI was offering as one of the Italian contribution to SWIFT) they decided to organize a quick ascent to mount Kenya.
I went along to regret it, but they enjoyed tremendously the climb, although it took longer than foreseen and they returned in complete darkness, a scary experience for them and for me (waiting at the hut).
Having shaped high-energy astrophysics, as we know it, they were worried by the lack of a long time perspective in gamma-ray astronomy.
Integral, Swift, Agile and Fermi are important and successful missions but they have passed their tenth anniversary in orbit and no replacement appears to be in sight. Thus, through COSPAR, they tried to
propose a path forward (with limited success).
After securing Athena within the ESA Science program, Nanni decided to invest on ground based gamma-ray astronomy and, while he was President of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Italy became a major contributor to CTA.
In general, Nanni and Neil were always thinking ahead, ready to grasp new opportunities for astrophysics and for space exploration.
They both believed in gravitation waves as a new window for astronomy, but, sadly, they were not with us to rejoice of the NS NS merger GW170817.