Harold Masursky
Encyclopedia
Harold Masursky was an American
geologist
and astronomer
.
He started his career working for the US Geological Survey and later joined NASA
as a senior science member. He was responsible for investigation of planetary and lunar surfaces, being interested in finding scientifically valuable landing places. This included the Apollo and Viking
missions.
A crater
on Mars
and the asteroid
2685 Masursky
were named in his honor. The Masursky Award
and the Masursky Lecture are named after him as well.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He started his career working for the US Geological Survey and later joined NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as a senior science member. He was responsible for investigation of planetary and lunar surfaces, being interested in finding scientifically valuable landing places. This included the Apollo and Viking
Viking program
The Viking program consisted of a pair of American space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts, an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface...
missions.
A crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
2685 Masursky
2685 Masursky
The asteroid 2685 Masursky is a main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Edward Bowell in 1981. It was named after Harold Masursky , a planetary geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, who worked on numerous space missions....
were named in his honor. The Masursky Award
Masursky Award
The Harold Masursky Award for Meritorious Service to Planetary Science, usually called the Masursky Award, is awarded annually by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society...
and the Masursky Lecture are named after him as well.