The Earth Observation Center laments the death of Dr. Hans-Dietrich Bettac, who died much too early end of October this year.
From 1992 until his retirement from DLR in 2002 Hans-Dietrich Bettac was head of the Neustrelitz remote sensing station and the subsequent National Ground Segment, a DFD technical department.
Under Hans-Dietrich Bettac the Neustrelitz remote sensing station was integrated into DLR’s German Remote Sensing Data Center in 1992.
The amalgamation of the technical expertise at the two institutions in Oberpfaffenhofen and Neustrelitz is one of the first success stories of German reunification. Since 1992 the Neustrelitz facility with its national ground station and Maritime Safety Research Department has been one of the technology pillars of DFD.
Dr. Bettac’s committed and resolute action after the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe laid the foundation for the continuation and further development of the Neustrelitz facility and its current standing in DLR.
We have lost a friend and colleague. At this time our deepest sympathy goes to his family.
Stefan Dech and Richard Bamler and the EOC staff in Neustrelitz, Berlin-Adlershof, Bremen and Oberpfaffenhofen