Alberto Behar, 47, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died instantly when his single-engine plane dived shortly after takeoff Friday from Van Nuys Airport.
Scientist worked on two Mars missions and has spent years of research, like robots to work in harsh environments, such as volcanic eruptions and underwater.
According to colleagues, he was estimated to bridge the gap between scientists, trying to explore the inhospitable environment and engineers whose robots could survive there.
Views:
Shaun
There seems to be a worrying amount of top scientists being killed in air crashes over the last 12 months.
Ted T. Tedderson
So somehow this makes his death more newsworthy? Who cares? I mean, it's sad of course, but it's not somehow more sad now that we know he worked for NASA.
Ray Potter Jr.
He probably knew something. Flight instructors fly routinely, so many questions.
