William M. Kaula
William M. Kaula (May 19, 1926 – April 1, 2000) was an Australian-born American geophysicist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.[1][2][3][4][5] Kaula was most notable for his contributions to geodesy, including using early earth satellites to produce gravity maps of Earth.[1] He was a participant in several NASA missions, as a team leader on Apollos 15, 16 and 17.[4] The National Academies Press called Kaula "the father of space-based geodesy".[2] The Los Angeles Times called him "one of the leading planetary physicists of the last four decades".[4] He was a recipient of Whitten Medal of the American Geophysical Union and of the Brouwer Award of the American Astronomical Society.[2] He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his scientific contributions notwithstanding his not having a doctorate, a rare such instance.[2] He did graduate from West Point, the top military school in the United States and received an M.S. degree from Ohio State University. Asteroid 5485 Kaula is named after him.
References
- ^ a b William Kaula, 73, Who Drew Maps of Earth Using Satellites, JAMES GLANZ, April 13, 2000
- ^ a b c d National Academies of Science:Biographical Memoirs:William M. Kaula, By Donald L. Turcotte
- ^ University of California, IN MEMORIAM, William M. Kaula, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, Los Angeles, 1926—2000
- ^ a b c Los Angeles Times:William M. Kaula; Planetary Physicist at UCLA;April 08, 2000
- ^ West Point Eulogy:William Mason Kaula; West Point, 1948; Be Thou At Peace