Ralph Belknap Baldwin
Ralph Belknap Baldwin | |
|---|---|
Baldwin being interviewed in 1998 | |
| Born | June 6, 1912 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States |
| Died | October 23, 2010 (aged 98) Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| 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) was an American planetary scientist known for his work on lunar craters, beginning in the late 1940s. His book, The Face of the Moon made the case for the impact nature of lunar craters. He published The Measure of the Moon in 1963.
Prior to his lunar work he was Senior Physicist at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory during World War II working on the proximity fuze. 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. He died on October 23, 2010.