Dr. Bruce C. Murray (1931-2013)

Bruce C. Murray predicted that missions would become smaller, faster and cheaper in the 1970s before "faster, better, cheaper" became a NASA slogan. As JPL Director, he was an ambitious visionary dedicated to planetary science and exploration. Born in New York City, on November 30, 1931, he earned his Ph.D. in Geology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1955. He was geologist for Standard Oil from 1955-1958, served in the US Air Force, and joined the Caltech faculty in 1960.

During his time at Caltech, Murray was a member of the Mars Television Teams on Mariner 4 (1965), Mariners 6 and 7 (1969), and Mariner 9 (1971-72). He was the Television Team leader for the Mariner 10 flyby of Venus and Mercury (1973-75).

He succeeded William H. Pickering in April 1976 as JPL Director. During his tenure as JPL Director, Viking landed on Mars and the Voyager spacecraft encountered Jupiter, Saturn and nearby moons. In 1979, Murray, Carl Sagan, and Louis Friedman founded The Planetary Society (TPS). Murray retired as Director in 1982 and returned to Caltech.

He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of TPS and was Professor Emeritus of Planetary Science and Geology at Caltech, where he taught courses in Planetary Surfaces and supervised graduate student research. He was a member of the scientific teams for the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 microprobes that were lost in December of 1999, and for the very successful Mars Global Surveyor mission. He died August 29, 2013 at the age of 81.

Publications

Earthlike Planets : Surfaces of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Murray, B., M. C. Malin, and R. Greeley, San Francisco : W. H. Freeman, c1981.
Extraterrestrial Intelligence: An Observational Approach, Murray, B. C., S. Gulkis, and R. E. Edelson, Science, Vol. 199, pp. 485-492, February 3, 1978.
Flight to Mercury, Murray, B. and E. Burgess, New York : Columbia University Press, 1977.
Global Environmental Monitoring : Pathways to Responsible Planetary Management : Results of a Workshop Exploring the Technical Means to Meet the Information Needs of Decisionmakers Early in the Next Century, June 15-16, 1993, Murray, B., A. Hammond, E. Rodenburg, Pasadena, Calif. : California Institute of Technology, 1994.
Interview, Dr. Bruce Murray for CBS News, unidentified issue – unedited sound track. 1968.
Journey into Space : the First Three Decades of Space Exploration, Murray, b., 1st ed., New York : Norton, c1989.
The Mariner 6 and 7 Pictures of Mars : One Year's Processing and Interpretation – An Overview, Leighton, R. B. and B. C. Murray, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 293-296, January 10, 1971.
Mars, Murray, B., M. C. Malin, R. Greeley, San Francisco : W. H. Freeman, c1981.
Mercury's Surface: Preliminary Description and Interpretation From Mariner 10 Pictures, Murray, B. C., M. J. S. Belton, G. E. Danielson, Jr., M. E. Davies, D. E. Gault, B. Hapke, B. O'Leary, R. G. Strom, V. Suomi, and N. Trask. Science, Vol. 185, No. 4146, July 12, 1974, pp. 169-179.
Navigating the Future, Murray, B.C., 1st ed., New York : Harper & Row, 1975.
The Planets : Readings from Scientific American, selected and introduced by Murray, B., foreword by C. Sagan, sponsored by the Planetary Society, San Francisco : Freeman, c1983.
Spacecraft Studies of Phobos and Mars : Final Technical Report to National Aeronautics and Space Administration from California Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Murray, B. C., Washington, DC : National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Springfield, Va.: National Technical Information Service, distributor, Series title: NASA contractor report, NASA CR-193298, 1990.
The Surface of Mars : Pt. 1. Cratered Terrains, Murray, B. C., L. A. Soderblom, R. P. Sharp, and J. A. Cutts, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 313-330, January 10, 1971.
The Surface of Mars : Pt. 2. Uncratered Terrains, Sharp, R. P., L. A. Soderblom, B. C. Murray, and J. A. Cutts, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 331-342, January 10, 1971.
The Surface of Mars : Pt. 3. Light and Dark Markings, Cutts, J. A., L. A. Soderblom, R. P. Sharp, B. A. Smith, and B. C. Murray, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 343-356, January 10, 1971.
The Surface of Mars : Pt. 4. South Polar Cap, Sharp, R. P., B. C. Murray, R. B. Leighton, L. A. Soderblom, and J. A. Cutts, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 357-368, January 10, 1971.
Venus : Atmospheric Motion and Structure From Mariner 10 Pictures, Murray, B. C., M. J. S. Belton, G. E. Danielson, Jr., M. E. Davies, D. E. Gault, B. Hapke, B. O'Leary, R. G. Strom, V. Suomi, and N. Trask, Science, Vol. 183, No. 4131, pp. 1307-1315, March 29, 1974.
The View from Space : Photographic Exploration of the Planets, Davies, M. E., B. C. Murray, New York : Columbia University Press, 1971.

Murray and his friend, Carl Sagan, look at a map of Mars. The picture was taken in 1976 in Murray's office while Sagan was living in Pasadena and working on the Viking mission.

On October 27, 1977, Prince Charles of Wales visited JPL and was given a tour by Director Bruce Murray. Prince Charles sent a direct command to one of the Voyager spacecraft, millions of miles away from Earth, on its journey to Jupiter.

Andrew Stofan, NASA Acting Administrator for Space Science, and Anthony Calio, NASA Acting Deputy Administrator, joined Dr. Murray at an awards presentation ceremony on the JPL mall in 1981.