William K. Hartmann | |
|---|---|
 Hartmann being interviewed in 1998 | |
| Born | (1939-06-06)June 6, 1939 (age 85) |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University University of Arizona |
| Awards | G.K. Gilbert Award,Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication inPlanetary Science |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Institutions | Planetary Science Institute |
William Kenneth Hartmann (born June 6, 1939) is an Americanplanetary scientist, artist, author, and writer. He was the first to convince the scientific mainstream that theEarth had once been hit by a planet sized body (Theia), creating both theMoon and the Earth's 23.5° tilt.[1]
Hartmann was born inPennsylvania in 1939.[2] He was awarded aBachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in physics fromPennsylvania State University, and both aMaster of Science degree (M.S.) ingeology andDoctor of Philosophy (PhD) inastronomy from theUniversity of Arizona.
Hartmann's career spans over 40 years, from work in the early 1960s withGerard Kuiper onMare Orientale, and work on theMariner 9 Mars mapping project, to work on theMars Global Surveyor imaging team. He is currently a senior scientist at thePlanetary Science Institute.
He has long been one of America's leadingspace artists (strongly influenced byChesley Bonestell), and has written and illustrated numerous books on thehistory of Earth and theSolar System, often in collaboration with artistRon Miller.
Hartmann is a Fellow of theInternational Association of Astronomical Artists. His written work also includes textbooks, short fiction, and novels, the most recent being published in 2003. In 1997 he was the first recipient of theCarl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication inPlanetary Science from theAmerican Astronomical Society,Division for Planetary Sciences.
Hartmann was a member of the 1966–1968 University of Colorado UFO Project (informally known as theCondon Committee), a controversial[citation needed] public study ofUFOs sponsored by the U.S. Air Force. He primarily investigated photographic evidence, and rejected most as unreliable or inconclusive; in his studies published in the Committee's final report, he concluded two cases - Great Falls (motion pictures of two bright light sources difficult to reconcile with known aircraft) and McMinnville (two photographs of a saucer-shaped craft)[3] - were unexplained and particularly noteworthy as probative evidence of the reality of UFOs.
Asteroid3341 Hartmann is named after him.
