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Author
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Topic: Ewen Whitaker, moon-mapper (1922-2016)
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-15-2016 06:14 PM
   
Ewen Whitaker, the last original member of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, who mapped and named features on the moon, died Tuesday (Oct. 11). He was 94. He was hired by LPL Director Gerard Kuiper to help create an atlas of the moon, first at Yerkes Observatory at the University of Chicago and later at the UA, where Kuiper established the Lunar and Planetary Lab in 1960.When President John F. Kennedy announced in 1961 that America would land on the moon by the end of the decade, moon-mapping became critical to that effort and the lab grew exponentially. According to the Lunar and Planetary Lab's website history, Whitaker pioneered the technique of combining ultra-violet and infrared images of the moon's surface to make compositional maps. The maps were "instrumental to the selection of landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions." |
randy
Member Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-15-2016 08:04 PM
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Jurg Bolli
Member Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 10-15-2016 08:32 PM
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Headshot
Member Posts: 864
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 10-15-2016 09:52 PM
This is very sad news indeed.I corresponded with Whitaker in the mid-'70s about identifying/locating artificial impact craters (caused by Rangers, Saturn S-IVBs, etc.) on the moon. Whitaker was frank and generous with his comments. He sent me some polaroid enlargements that he had made from Apollo panoramic camera frames, which I still have. I also enjoyed his book, "Mapping and Naming the Moon," which is definitely for lunar geeks. This man will be sorely missed. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 10-15-2016 10:10 PM
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David Carey
Member Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 10-15-2016 11:24 PM
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jasonelam
Member Posts: 691
From: Monticello, KY USA
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 10-16-2016 12:34 AM
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Kite
Member Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 10-16-2016 03:50 AM
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capoetc
Member Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 10-16-2016 04:14 AM
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Jeff
Member Posts: 474
From: Fayetteville, NC, USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted 10-16-2016 07:37 AM
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East-Frisian
Member Posts: 586
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 10-16-2016 09:17 AM
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apolloprojeckt
Member Posts: 1447
From: Arnhem, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 10-16-2016 09:58 AM
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Ronpur
Member Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012
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posted 10-16-2016 11:09 AM
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dss65
Member Posts: 1156
From: Sandpoint, ID, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 10-16-2016 12:11 PM
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Panther494
Member Posts: 402
From: London UK
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 10-16-2016 06:26 PM
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star51L
Member Posts: 340
From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 10-16-2016 07:03 PM
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Spoon
Member Posts: 143
From: Cumbria, UK
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-17-2016 11:21 AM
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Philip
Member Posts: 5952
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 10-17-2016 11:32 AM
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mode1charlie
Member Posts: 1169
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 10-17-2016 02:05 PM
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mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-17-2016 07:51 PM
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oly
Member Posts: 905
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 10-17-2016 08:04 PM
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Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 10-17-2016 09:56 PM
Saddened. I worked on a lunar mapping project with a senior academic at Arizona's LPL in early-80s, sure I met Mr. Whittaker amongst the many lectures held there. Not many passings that I acknowledge which crossed my path.
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RobertB
Member Posts: 160
From: Israel
Registered: Nov 2012
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posted 10-20-2016 12:19 AM
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NJ CO
Member Posts: 23
From: Greenwich, NJ, US
Registered: Mar 2008
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posted 10-21-2016 11:46 AM
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Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 968
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 10-30-2016 07:53 PM
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LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 10-31-2016 05:29 AM
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Glint
Member Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 10-31-2016 10:39 AM
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Gilbert
Member Posts: 1328
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 11-01-2016 12:02 PM
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alcyone
Member Posts: 130
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 11-01-2016 02:16 PM
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3120
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-01-2016 05:31 PM
Ewen Whitaker was remembered today by a full-page obituary in The Times.Another giant has left the stage. |
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