Ralph Belknap Baldwin | |
|---|---|
 Baldwin being interviewed in 1998 | |
| Born | (1912-06-06)June 6, 1912 Grand Rapids,Michigan, United States |
| Died | October 23, 2010(2010-10-23) (aged 98) Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Known for | Showed that lunar craters were the result of impacts, not volcanic in origin. Two of his books were highly influential and helped establish lunar timescales. |
| Awards | Army Chief of Ordnance Award (1945) G.K. Gilbert Award (1986) J. Lawrence Smith Medal (1979) Leonard Medal (1986) Barringer Medal (2000) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Lunar science Manufacturing |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins University Oliver Machinery Company |
Ralph Belknap Baldwin (June 6, 1912 – October 23, 2010)[1] was an Americanplanetary scientist known for his work onlunar craters, beginning in the late 1940s.[2] His book,The Face of the Moon[3] made the case for the impact nature of lunar craters.[4] He publishedThe Measure of the Moon in 1963.[5]
Prior to his lunar work he was Senior Physicist atJohns Hopkins University'sApplied Physics Laboratory duringWorld War II working on theproximity fuze.[2] In 1947 he began working for Oliver Machinery Company. In 1970 he became president of the company and chairman of the board in 1982. He retired in 1984.[6] He died on October 23, 2010.[2]
Baldwin was born inGrand Rapids,Michigan. He attended theUniversity of Michigan, receiving his B.S. in 1934, M.S. in 1935, and Ph.D. in 1937,[1] on the "spectroscopic study of novae".[7] After graduation, he taught astronomy at the University of Michigan,University of Pennsylvania, andNorthwestern University from 1935 through 1942.[6] The photographs at theAdler Planetarium, where he lectured to earn extra money, sparked his interest in lunar craters. This led to an article inPopular Astronomy in 1942 and later his bookThe Face of the Moon, in 1949.[8] DuringWorld War II Baldwin helped to develop theradar proximity fuze. He published a history of proximity fuze development in 1980 entitledThe Deadly Fuze.[9]
Baldwin has been honored for each of his three careers. During his work on the radio proximity fuze he was awarded theArmy Chief of Ordnance Award and the U.S. Naval Bureau Ordnance Award (1945).[1] In 1947 he was a recipient of the Presidential Certificate of Merit.[1] He was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1980.[10]
In planetary science he has been awarded theBarringer Medal (2000),Leonard Medal (1986),G.K. Gilbert Award (1986) and theJ. Lawrence Smith Medal (1979).[1][2]
The Ralph B. Baldwin Award by the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America was established in his honor.[11]
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