Sir Robert WilsonCBE FRS^[1] (16 April 1927 – 2 September 2002) was a British astronomer and physicist. He studied physics atKing's College, Durham and obtained his PhD at theUniversity of Edinburgh, where he worked at theRoyal Observatory onstellar spectra. His works laid the groundwork for the development of theGreat Space Observatories, such as theHubble Space Telescope.^[2]

In 1959 Wilson joined the Plasma Spectroscopy Group atHarwell Laboratory where he was responsible for measuring the temperature in theZeta experiment, confirming that it had not been hot enough to have producedthermonuclear fusion. As head of the Plasma Spectroscopy Group atCulham, he led a programme of rocket observations ofultraviolet spectra of theSun andstars. By placing telescopes on rockets andsatellites it was possible to avoid the absorption of the ultraviolet light by the Earth's atmosphere and gain a great deal of information about the hot plasmas especially in the Sun'schromosphere andcorona.

Wilson then became involved in theEuropean Space Research Organization's first astronomy satellite, theTD-1A mission, and led the British collaboration withBelgium in the S2/68 experiment which in 1972 conducted the first all sky survey in the ultraviolet.

Wilson was best known for his role as "father" of theInternational Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite. This had started life in 1964 as a proposal to ESRO for a Large Astronomical Satellite, which proved too expensive and studies were abandoned in 1967. Wilson, however, convinced the UK authorities to continue the study, and achieved a radical redesign which at the same time had greater capability and was simpler and therefore cheaper. This concept was called the Ultraviolet Astronomical Satellite (UVAS). It was again submitted to ESRO in November 1968 but despite a favourable assessment report was not accepted. Convinced of the soundness of the concept, Wilson offered the design work to NASA and this ultimately led to IUE, an international project between NASA, ESA and the UK.

In 1972 he relinquished his post as Director, Science Research Council's Astrophysics Research Unit, Culham to become Perren Professor of Astronomy at University College London. He was theGeorge Darwin Lecturer of theRoyal Astronomical Society in 1985. He wasknighted in 1989.^[3]

He was President of Commission 44 of theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU) (for astronomical observations outside the terrestrial atmosphere) from 1967 to 1970, a Vice-President of the IAU from 1979 to 1985 and a member of the bureau of theCommittee on Space Research (COSPAR) from 1986 to 1990.^[4]

• Exploring the Universe with the IUE Satellite Ed Y. Kondo 1987,1989ISBN 90-277-2380-X
• A. Dalgarno,Sir Robert Wilson, Biographical Memoir, Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., p 119 Vol 142 March 2003.[1]
• I. Howarth & A. WillisSir Robert Wilson 1927–2002 Astr. & Geophys. Vol 44 (1) Page 1.34, Feb 2003[2]

• 1927 births
• 2002 deaths
• People from Durham, England
• Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
• Academics of University College London
• 20th-century British astronomers
• Fellows of the Royal Society
• Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
• Knights Bachelor
• Alumni of King's College, Newcastle

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