Carruthers’ distinguished career gifted the scientific community with bold new instruments and many firsts. He is famed for his outstanding contributions to science and technology, inventing an ultraviolet observatory that would eventually take pride of place on the Moon.
His fascination with science began at an early age, having built his first telescope at the age of ten. He earned his PhD in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1964. He then went on to work at the US Naval Research Laboratory, where he was involved in projects spanning Apollo to the Space Shuttle era and beyond.