Robert M. Walker (physicist)

Robert M. Walker (February 6, 1929 – February 12, 2004) was an American physicist, a planetary scientist, the founder and director of McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, noted for his co-discovery of the etchability of nuclear particle tracks in solids,[1] as well as his conjecture that meteorites and lunar rocks contain a record of the ancient radiation history of various stars including the Sun.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Asteroid 6372 was named Walker in his honor by the International Astronomical Union.[4] Walker was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.[4][5] Walker was also a fellow of the American Physical Society,[5] the American Geophysical Union,[5] the Meteoritical Society[5] and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[5] He was also a founder and the first president of Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA).[5][7]