David Morrison (astrophysicist)

David Morrison was an American astronomer who made important contributions to science. He worked as a senior scientist at the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

Morrison was the former director of the Carl Sagan Center for Study of Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute and of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. He also served as the past Director of Space at NASA Ames.

He is especially known for his work in studying and assessing the risks of near Earth objects, such as asteroids and comets. An asteroid, 2410 Morrison, was named in his honor. Morrison also shared his knowledge with the public through his "Ask an Astrobiologist" series on NASA's website, where he answered questions from people around the world. Throughout his career, he published 12 books and over 150 scientific papers on topics like planetary science, astrobiology, and near Earth objects.

Biography

David Morrison was born in Danville, Illinois on June 26, 1940. He grew up in Danville and graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1962. He then studied astronomy at Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1969, with Carl Sagan as his thesis advisor.

Astronomical career

David Morrison was a professor of astronomy at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from 1969 to 1988. He directed the 3-meter NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea Observatory and made many important discoveries, such as finding that Venus has a uniform surface temperature and that Neptune has a large internal heat source unlike its neighbor Uranus.

Morrison worked on several space missions including Mariner, Voyager, and Galileo. He held many important positions at NASA, including being the first Program Scientist for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the founding Director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. He was also involved in major missions like Lunar Pathfinder, Kepler, and SOFIA.

Professional activities

David Morrison has written important books for college students about astronomy and planetary science. He is also well-known for talking and writing about science in a way that helps people understand facts. He has spoken about many topics, such as why some people believe in ideas that aren't proven by science.

Morrison often talks about space myths, especially ones about mysterious planets. In interviews in 2011 and 2017, he said he gets many emails every day about a myth called the Nibiru cataclysm. He made a YouTube video in 2012 to tell people not to worry about these stories. This video was even shown at the start of the movie World War Z, which is based on a novel of the same name.

Honors

David Morrison has been recognized with many important awards and roles in science. He is a Fellow of several respected groups, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has also supported the National Center for Science Education.

Morrison has received numerous medals for his work, such as the Dryden Medal and the Carl Sagan Medal. In 2015, he was given the Education Prize by the American Astronomical Society for his efforts in teaching and inspiring others about astronomy.