William M. Kaula
William Mason Kaula | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 19, 1926 |
| Died | April 1, 2000 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | Australian, American |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy, Ohio State University |
| Known for | Satellite geodesy |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geodesy, Geophysics, Planetary science |
| Institutions | University of California at Los Angeles, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Geodetic Survey, United States Army Corps of Engineers |
William M. Kaula (May 19, 1926 – April 1, 2000) was an Australian-born American geophysicist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Kaula was most notable for his contributions to geodesy, including using early satellites to produce maps of Earth's gravity. The National Academies Press called Kaula "the father of space-based geodesy". The Los Angeles Times called him "one of the leading planetary physicists of the last four decades".