Michael Freilich (oceanographer)

Michael H. Freilich (January 14, 1954 – August 5, 2020) was an American oceanographer who served as director of the NASA Earth Science division from 2006–2019.[1]

In January 2020, NASA announced that the Sentinel-6A Oceanography mission was being renamed the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in his honor.[2] Freilich played a key role in establishing the international partnership behind this mission.[3] Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), paid tribute to him as follows:

"Mike Freilich exemplified the commitment to excellence, generosity of spirit and the unmatched ability to inspire trust that made so many people across the world want to work with NASA, to advance big goals on behalf of the planet and its people".[3]

In addition to his leadership in defining the direction of Earth systems science research, Michael Freilich was committed to enhancing diversity and increasing educational opportunities for underrepresented groups in remote sensing and climate science research. To this end, Oregon State University has established the Michael Freilich Memorial Fund to support Mike's commitment in this area.

Michael Freilich was born to Arthur and Paula Freilich in Kensington, Maryland.[1] He earned his undergraduate degree in 1975 and degrees in physics and chemistry from Haverford College and a doctorate from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California at San Diego) in 1982.[4] Prior to being recruited by NASA, he served as a professor and associate dean at Oregon State University's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences.[1]

He died at home of pancreatic cancer on the 5th of August 2020 . In addition to his brother, Michael Freilich is survived by wife Shoshannah; daughter Sarah; son Daniel; mother Paula; a sister; a granddaughter; and other relatives.[1]