MG 6 · 1991
Minoru Oda
Minoru Oda was a Japanese astrophysicist and leader in X-ray astronomy and space science.
Born
1923, Japan
Affiliation at the Time of the Award
RIKEN, Wako, Japan
Prize Motivation
“For participating in the pioneering work of the early sixties in X-ray astronomy and for his subsequent molding of an agile and diversified Japanese scientific space program investigating the deepest aspects of relativistic astrophysics.”
Meeting
MG VI, Kyoto, Japan
Work
X-ray astronomy required new space instrumentation because Earth's atmosphere blocks cosmic X-rays.
Oda helped pioneer early X-ray astronomy and later guided Japanese space-science missions and instrumentation.
His work helped establish Japan as a major contributor to high-energy astrophysics and compact-object observations.