Gerard Peter Kuiper

Gerard Peter Kuiper , 1905-73, American astronomer, b. the Netherlands. Kuiper is considered to be the father of modern planetary science for his wide ranging studies of the solar system . Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Saturn 's satellite Titan (1944), the carbon dioxide atmosphere on Mars (1948), Uranus 's satellite Miranda (1948), and Neptune 's satellite Nereid (1949). He proposed (1951) the existence of a disk-shaped region of minor planets outside the orbit of Neptune (now called the Kuiper belt) as a source for short-period comets —those making complete orbits around the sun in less than 200 years (see also Oort, Jan Hendrik ). During the 1960s Kuiper served as chief scientist for the Ranger lunar-probe program, choosing crash-landing sites on the moon; by analyzing Ranger photographs, he helped to identify sites for the Surveyor and Apollo programs. A pioneer in the development of infrared astronomy , he was honored posthumously when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) named its airborne infrared telescope the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (1975). Kuiper was the editor of two encyclopedic works, The Solar System (4 vol., 1953-58) and Stars and Stellar Systems (9 vol., 1960-68).

Kuiper, Gerard Peter (1905–73) US astronomer, b. Netherlands. He discovered the satellites Miranda (of Uranus) in 1948 and Nereid (of Neptune) in 1949. He found methane in the atmospheres of Uranus, Neptune and Titan, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars.

Kuiper, GerardPeter (1905–73)Dutch‐Americanastronomer. In a search for new planetary satellites he discovered Miranda (in 1948, orbiting Uranus) and Nereid (in 1949, orbiting Neptune). His spectroscopic studies revealed methane in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. He also found methane bands in Titan's spectrum, demonstrating that the satellite has an atmosphere. He suggested the existence of the Kuiper Belt as the source of short-period comets. Kuiper was advisor on many American lunar and planetary missions, and proposed the idea of flying infrared telescopes on board high-altitude aircraft, which led to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory.