Mike Cruise

Mike Cruise
OBE FRAS
Cruise in 2019
Born
Adrian Michael Cruise

(1947-05-12)12 May 1947
Wales
Died7 February 2026(2026-02-07) (aged 78)
EducationUniversity College London (BSc, PhD)
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsX-ray astronomy, spacecraft instrumentation, gravitational-wave detectors
WorkplacesUniversity of Birmingham; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory; Mullard Space Science Laboratory

Adrian Michael Cruise OBE FRAS (12 May 1947 – 7 February 2026) was a British astronomer and astrophysicist. Initially an X-ray astronomer, he also worked on instrumentation for space missions at other wavelengths. In his later career, he worked on the design and operation of gravitational wave detectors.

Cruise held positions at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and University of Birmingham. He was President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2018 to 2020. In 2024, he received an OBE for services to space science.

Early life and education

Cruise was born in South Wales on 12 May 1947. Raised in Southern England, he showed an early interest in electronics and radio astronomy, attempting to build a radio telescope at home at age 16.

Cruise obtained his BSc from University College London (UCL). His PhD was at UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), where he worked on instrumentation for X-ray astronomy under the supervision of Peter Willmore. His PhD thesis analysed X-ray observations collected during three Skylark launches (a sounding rocket); the doctorate was awarded in 1973.

Career

Cruise remained at MSSL as a staff researcher; from 1985–1986 he briefly served as its Deputy Director. He then moved to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), initially as the head of its Astrophysics Group and later as its Associate Director for Space.

In 1995, he was appointed Professor of Astrophysics and Space Research at the University of Birmingham. He was head of department from 1997–2002 and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer from 2002–2007. He formally retired from Birmingham in 2012 but remained an honorary professor (emeritus status).

Research

Cruise developed spacecraft instrumentation, initially for X-ray astronomy, contributing to X-ray space telescopes including Ariel V, Ariel VI, ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Spektr-RG. He later worked on instruments for space telescopes at other wavelengths, particularly those of the European Space Agency (ESA), including Hipparcos, SOHO and STEREO. While at RAL, Cruise directed British contributions to the Cluster and JET-X missions. Cruise was one of four authors of the textbook Principles of Space Instrument Design.

In his later career, Cruise became involved in gravitational wave research, particularly gravitational wave detectors that could operate at high frequency. He proposed a new type of detector that would be sensitive to gravitational waves at MHz frequencies, and built several prototypes of such instruments in his laboratory at Birmingham. Cruise was part of the team that set the first experimental upper limits on gravitational waves at THz frequencies.

He was a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration, and helped to obtain grant funding for the UK's contribution to the Advanced LIGO instrument. His work led to UK involvement in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission and he helped design and build instruments on its precursor LISA Pathfinder.

Community service

Cruise was heavily involved in the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), serving as a council member, secretary, treasurer, vice president and was President of the RAS from 2018–2020. From 2003–2008, he was on the board of directors for the Thinktank, Birmingham science museum.

In 2011, as part of a collaboration with the Office of Astronomy for Development, Cruise assisted in the production of the first school astronomy textbook in the Pashto language, to support education in Afghanistan.

As of 2015, Cruise was the chair of ESA's Human Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC), a committee providing scientific advice to the ESA on the European experiments carried out on the International Space Station.

Cruise chaired space policy committees in the STFC (such as the Aerospace Growth Partnership), the UK Space Agency and ESA.

Cruise was a member of the Voyage 2050 Senior Committee, a committee of scientists working in ESA member states' institutions appointed by the ESA Director of Science, tasked with delivering the final recommendation to the ESA Director of Science for the Voyage 2050 plan of the European Space Agency Science Programme. He was co-chair of the Science Redefinition Team of NewAthena from 2023–2024.

Honours and recognition

Cruise received awards[which?] from NASA, ESA, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

In 2016, Cruise was one of approximately 1000 authors listed on the paper announcing the first observation of gravitational waves. All members of that team were jointly awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the Gruber Prize in Cosmology later that year.

Cruise was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to space sciences.

Personal life

Cruise died on 7 February 2026, at the age of 78, following a long illness.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Tonkin, Sam (11 February 2026). "Professor Mike Cruise, OBE, 1947–2026". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N12.
  3. 1 2 "Awards for New Year 2024" (PDF). GOV.UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "University of Birmingham staff profile: Adrian (Mike) Cruise". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zarnecki, John (1 August 2026). "Mike Cruise OBE". Astronomy & Geophysics. 67 (4). Oxford Academic: 4.11. doi:10.1093/astrogeo/atag032. ISSN 1366-8781. Retrieved 7 September 2026. (Subscription or UK public library membership required)
  6. ↑ "Cruise, Prof. Adrian Michael, (Mike), (born 12 May 1947), Professor of Astrophysics and Space Research, University of Birmingham, 1995–2012, now Emeritus; President, Royal Astronomical Society, 2018–20". Who's Who & Who Was Who 2026. Who's Who. A & C Black. 1 December 2024 [1 December 2019]. Retrieved 13 February 2026 – via Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required)
  7. 1 2 Cruise, A.M. (1973). Rocket studies of cosmic X-ray sources (PhD thesis). Bibcode:1973PhDT.......138C. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 Symes, Tony (4 October 2024). "Friday 4th October 2024 The Discovery of Gravitational Waves". Herschel Society. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  9. ↑ Cruise, A.M.; Bowles, J.A.; Patrick, T.J.; Goodall, C.V. (2006). Principles of Space Instrument Design. Cambridge Aerospace Series. Vol. 9. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521025942.
  10. ↑ Cruise, A. M. (7 July 2000). "An electromagnetic detector for very-high-frequency gravitational waves". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 17 (13): 2525–2530. Bibcode:2000CQGra..17.2525C. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/17/13/305.
  11. ↑ Cruise, A. M.; Ingley, R. M. J. (21 May 2005). "A correlation detector for very high frequency gravitational waves". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 22 (10): S479–S481. Bibcode:2005CQGra..22S.479C. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/22/10/046.
  12. ↑ Cruise, A. M.; Ingley, R. M. J. (21 November 2006). "A prototype gravitational wave detector for 100 MHz". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 23 (22): 6185–6193. Bibcode:2006CQGra..23.6185C. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/23/22/007.
  13. ↑ Ejlli, A.; Ejlli, D.; Cruise, A. M.; Pisano, G.; Grote, H. (December 2019). "Upper limits on the amplitude of ultra-high-frequency gravitational waves from graviton to photon conversion". The European Physical Journal C. 79 (12) 1032. arXiv:1908.00232. Bibcode:2019EPJC...79.1032E. doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-7542-5.
  14. ↑ "Mike Cruise". The Conversation. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  15. ↑ Robertson, D. I.; Fitzsimons, E. D.; Killow, C. J.; Perreur-Lloyd, M.; Ward, H.; Bryant, J.; Cruise, A. M.; Dixon, G.; Hoyland, D.; Smith, D.; Bogenstahl, J. (21 April 2013). "Construction and testing of the optical bench for LISA Pathfinder". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 30 (8) 085006. Bibcode:2013CQGra..30h5006R. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/30/8/085006. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0015-16FE-2.
  16. ↑ Tonkin, Sam (30 December 2023). "New Year Honours for two ex-RAS presidents, space scientist and astronomer". Royal Astronomical Society. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Adrian Michael CRUISE personal appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  18. ↑ "MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING 14 OCTOBER 2011 AT 1100 IN THE COUNCIL ROOM" (PDF). Royal Astronomical Society. 14 October 2011. p. 1. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "My week at the Baikonur Cosmodrome – with Professor Mike Cruise". University of Birmingham. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  20. ↑ Aylward, Alan D. (30 April 2008). "House of Commons – Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills – Written Evidence". Parliament UK. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "Senior Committee – Voyage 2050 – Cosmos". Voyage 2050. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Tribute to Professor Mike Cruise". Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  23. ↑ Abbott, Benjamin P.; et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration) (2016). "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger". Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 (6) 061102. arXiv:1602.03837. Bibcode:2016PhRvL.116f1102A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102. PMID 26918975. S2CID 124959784.