Cho Gyeong-chul (Korean:조경철, April 4, 1929 – March 6, 2010) was a South Koreanastronomer who worked atNASA and theUS Naval Observatory.[1]
He was born inSonchon,Pyongannam-do. He finished his middle and high school courses atPyongyang and was then admitted toYonhui University. During theKorean War he served in the South Korean army, and in 1952 he was a professor at the South Korean military academy. In 1954 he graduated in physics from Yonhui University.[2]
After graduating, he went to theUnited States to study further. He studied politics atTusculum College, however he later changed his major to astronomy atUniversity of Michigan and finally received his doctorate in astronomy from theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[3]
After obtaining his doctorate, he worked for several corporations, observatories and university in the 1960s, most notably at theUnited States Naval Observatory andNASA.[3] He went back to South Korea in 1968, where he worked as a professor at Yonsei University, and opened a new department of astronomy and space.[2] He also became chairman of theKorean Astronomical Society (KAS) and Korean Amateur Astronomical Society. In 1969, he interpreted theApollo 11 Moon landing broadcast onAmerican Forces Korean Network. While he was interpreting, he became so excited that he fell out of his chair. This situation was broadcast widely in Korea, and after that he received the nickname "아폴로 박사."("Apollo baksa", which means "Dr. Apollo")
Later in life, he developedheart disease, and was hospitalized inSeverance Hospital with high fever on March 2, 2010. He later suffered aheart attack and lost consciousness. He died on March 6, 2010.
Asteroid4976 Choukyongchol, discovered by astronomerKazuro Watanabe in 1991, was named in his honor.[1] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 30 November 2001 (M.P.C. 44110).[4]
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