Robert “Bob” Bless was a leader in applications of space technologies to astronomical research. He was a member of the small team of astronomers in the early 1960s who developed one of the two science instruments for NASA’s first two Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO) satellites. Bless also played an important role in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), including during the scientific planning of the project and then as principal investigator of one of its primary science instruments. He later brought his experience in managing large astronomical projects to his role as chair of the board in directing the development of the international Gemini Observatory and in the formative stages of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Bless also played an important role as an advocate for space astronomy as well as in teaching and public outreach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he spent most of his active career (Anon 2015).