William M. Kaula

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William Mason Kaula
Born(1926-05-19)May 19, 1926
Sydney, Australia
DiedApril 1, 2000(2000-04-01) (aged 73)
Los Angeles
NationalityAustralian, American
Alma materUnited States Military Academy,
Ohio State University
Known forSatellite geodesy
Scientific career
FieldsGeodesy, Geophysics, Planetary science
InstitutionsUniversity of California at Los Angeles,
Goddard Space Flight Center,
National Geodetic Survey,
United States Army Corps of Engineers

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 satellites to produce maps of Earth's gravity.[1] 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]

Education and early career[edit]

He graduated from West Point (the top military school in the United States) in 1948 with a B.S. in Military Engineering, then served in the Army Corps of Engineers, leading a topographic survey of New Britain, an island in the Pacific. Kaula received a 1953 M.S. degree from Ohio State University in geodesy. In 1958 he was named chief of the Division of Geodesy of the Army Map Service. From 1960 – 1963 Kaula was a research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.[6]

UCLA professor[edit]

Kaula was Professor of Geophysics at the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, UCLA (1963 – 1992). He was a participant in several NASA missions, including as Laser Altimeter principal investigator on Apollo 15,[7] 16, and 17.[4] Kaula was a member of the National Research Council Space Science Board on two occasions. From 1984 – 1987 he led the National Geodetic Survey in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[8]

Honors and legacy[edit]

He was a fellow (1964) and recipient of the Whitten Medal of the American Geophysical Union, the Brouwer Award of the American Astronomical Society,[2] Guggenheim fellowship (1978),[9] and NASA Medal for exceptional scientific achievement (1983). He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his scientific contributions notwithstanding his not having a doctorate, a rare such instance.[2] Asteroid 5485 Kaula is named after him.[10] The American Geophysical Union instituted the William Kaula Award (2003) in his honor.[11]

Selected publications[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b William Kaula, 73, Who Drew Maps of Earth Using Satellites, James Glanz, NY Times, April 13, 2000
  2. ^ a b c d National Academies of Science:Biographical Memoirs:William M. Kaula, By Donald L. Turcotte
  3. ^ University of California, IN MEMORIAM, William M. Kaula, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, Los Angeles, 1926—2000
  4. ^ a b c Los Angeles Times:William M. Kaula; Planetary Physicist at UCLA;April 08, 2000
  5. ^ West Point Eulogy:William Mason Kaula; West Point, 1948; Be Thou At Peace
  6. ^ biography at AIP Physics History Network
  7. ^ Laser Altimeter at NSSDC
  8. ^ biography at AIP Physics History Network
  9. ^ Kaula at gf.org
  10. ^ obituary at Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
  11. ^ honors recognition at AGU

External links[edit]

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