Around the world, constitutions and transnational conventions now insist that judges be “independent” from the authorities that employ them. Consider fi rst a few such statements. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 Section 165. Judicial authority . . . 2. The courts are independent and subject only to the Constitution and the law, which they must apply impartially and without fear, favour or prejudice. 3. No person or organ of state may interfere with the functioning of the courts. 4. Organs of state, through legislative and other measures, must assist and protect the courts to ensure the independence, impartiality, dignity, accessibility and effectiveness of the courts. 5. An order or decision issued by a court binds all persons to whom and organs of state to which it applies.

Born April 5, 1949, in Akron, Ohio, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. She showed exceptional intelligence early on—entering school a year early and scoring a perfect 800 on the math SAT (en.wikipedia.org, ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org).

• Earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (1970), then both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland (1977), specializing in visual pigment kinetics (en.wikipedia.org).

💼 Engineering & Research Career

• Worked at RCA on Navy missile and radar systems, designing specialized integrated circuits (en.wikipedia.org).

• Served as a staff fellow at the National Institutes of Health, conducting biomedical engineering research on visual systems (challenger.org).

🚀 NASA Astronaut

• Selected in 1978 as part of NASA’s first astronaut class to include women (en.wikipedia.org).

• Trained as a mission specialist, contributing to shuttle software, procedures, and the Remote Manipulator System (robotic arm) (challenger.org).

• STS-41‑D (Discovery) – August 1984: Second American woman (and first Jewish woman) in space. Helped deploy three satellites, operate the robotic arm, and perform ice‑busting experiments (en.wikipedia.org). Logged ~145 hours in orbit.

• STS-51‑L (Challenger) – January 1986: Served as mission specialist on the Challenger flight. Tragically lost in the explosion 73 seconds after launch (en.wikipedia.org).

🎖️ Honors & Legacy

• Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the NASA Space Flight Medal (en.wikipedia.org).

• Numerous memorials: schools, a Moon crater, a Venusian feature, asteroid 3356 Resnik, and the IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award for space-engineering excellence (en.wikipedia.org).

• The Resnik Challenger Medal by the Society of Women Engineers and the Challenger Center stem from her legacy (spacecenter.org).

🌟 Personal Traits & Perspectives

• A classically trained pianist, gourmet cook, and private individual known for her focus and intensity (jewishvirtuallibrary.org).

• Earned her private pilot’s license during the astronaut selection process and was admired as “an excellent pilot and a superb operator” (en.wikipedia.org).

• Believed “something is only dangerous if you are not prepared…or can’t think through how to get yourself out of a problem” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org).

📝 Summary

Judith Resnik was a multi-talented engineer, biomedical scientist, pilot, and NASA mission specialist whose groundbreaking achievements—especially as a woman and Jewish astronaut—reshaped expectations of what a space explorer could be. Her tragic passing during the Challenger disaster left an enduring legacy through memorials, awards, and scholarships, continuing to inspire future generations.

Would you like to explore her scientific research, space missions in detail, or the honors established in her name?