Giants in History: Dilhan Eryurt

Turkish astrophysicist Dilhan Eryurt (29 November 1926 – 13 September 2012) conducted research on how the sun affects environmental conditions on the moon.  This helped NASA engineers develop the technology required for lunar missions, including the Apollo 11 moon landing. Contrary to the prior belief that the sun heated up over billions of years to reach its current temperature, Eryurt discovered that the star was brighter and hotter in the past. This finding shed light on the chemical compositions of the earth and moon, and helped engineers plan for space flights. For her contributions to the success of the moon landing, Eryurt earned the Apollo Achievement Award in 1969.