At 77, legendary Iranian scientist Firouz Naderi, who worked for NASA for 36 years in various scientific and managerial roles and oversaw the Mars Exploration Program, died away.
Firouz Naderi was engaged in an unexpected accident on May 29 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, according to a post by Naderi’s nephew on the scientist’s verified Instagram account.
Cause of death:
In 2023, an event changed Dr Naderi’s life, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. In addition to having a cardiac episode, he fell.
As a result, he had a severe neck injury with spinal cord damage. The ensuing paralysis required surgery, and a partial recovery was anticipated within four to five months.
Obituary details:
The officials have stated that Firouz Naderi’s funeral arrangements will be made public later. As soon as arrangements are finalized, they will inform the particulars of the funeral.
Who was Firouz Naderi?
In March 1946, Firouz Naderi was born in Shiraz. Before enrolling in the Don Bosco boarding school in Italy, he completed his primary and secondary education in the Iranian capital. Later he immigrated to the US and obtained an electrical engineering degree from Iowa State University.
He also earned his master’s and PhD at the University of South California. Naderi completed his conscription in Iran before fleeing the country permanently in 1978. The eminent scientist was a system engineer when he started working for NASA.
He concentrated on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he created and launched uncrewed spacecraft for missions outside of our solar system.
He also oversaw the Mars Program for five years, contributing to his achievement of the prestigious NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. He later became JPL’s assistant director after starting the Mars program successfully. He was also granted the role of Director of the Solar System Exploration Program.
Tributes:
The demise of Firouz Naderi, a great scientist whose life and work inspired the Iranian-American community, shocked and saddened Iranian Americans. Everyone began expressing their sympathies and homage to him on social media.
“Dear Firouz, now you are reaching your beloved stars. It is a tremendous sadness for all of us that you have left us out of a sudden. It was not much time for this.
When my dear loving aunt Jila Kashef introduced me to you and accidentally, my hotel room in Barcelona was right next to you, we started a wonderful journey of friendship, political and scientific exchange, and interesting trips, and you allowed me to organize lectures in different German universities. Hence, we all had the opportunity to meet you and learn from your great experiences at NASA.
We had plans to get together at the next football world cup in the US. Now, I am sure you have the greatest seat in the space where we can still watch those games together.
We love and miss you, ostad.
Rest in peace.”
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
