Harold Reitsema

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Harold James Reitsema (born January 19, 1948 in Kalamazoo , Michigan ) is an American astronomer who is particularly involved in the development of space probes and optical instruments.

Life

His Ph.D. in astronomy he acquired from New Mexico State University , where he studied and researched from 1972 to 1977. In 1980 he discovered the Saturn moon Telesto together with Bradford A. Smith , Stephen M. Larson and John W. Fountain . A year later, when evaluating the eclipse of the stars by the planet Neptune, together with William B. Hubbard , Larry A. Lebofsky and David James Tholen, he found a previously unknown object in the orbit of Neptune. Images from the Voyager 2 spacecraft confirmed the existence of the fifth innermost Neptune moon Larissa in this orbit in 1989 .

He also helped develop the false color camera for ESA 's Giotto probe , which was launched in 1985 for Comet Halley . As a member of various research teams and test committees, he oversaw various NASA space missions. He worked on the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite . He was also involved in the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kepler Space Telescope , which searched for Earth-like planets outside the solar system.

Until 2008 Reitsema worked for Ball Aerospace & Technologies in Boulder , Colorado , most recently as Director of Science Mission Development and is now Mission Director of the B612 Foundation . He has continued to work in an advisory capacity since 2008.

He is a member of the American Astronomical Society , the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Astronomical Union .

In recognition of his contributions to planetary research, a main belt asteroid bears the name (13327) Reitsema .

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personal data
SURNAME Reitsema, Harold
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reitsema, Harold James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH January 19, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Kalamazoo , Michigan