The California Institute of Technology, where he worked since 1950, says he helped bring order "to that vast part of physics lying between gravity and nuclear forces. "Marvin Goldberger of Princeton called Feynman "a towering figure in 20th century physics, always curious, always modest, always ebullient."
Some on the Challenger panel complained of his "showboating" - he conducted his own experiment during hearings, plunging part of a shuttle O - ring into a glass of ice water to simulate failure of the booster joint.
Feynman blasted NASA in the panel's final report, threatening to withhold his name when others wanted language softened. One panel member describe him as a "loner," impatient with public hearings.