David S. McKay | |
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| Born | September 25, 1936 |
| Died | February 20, 2013 (aged 76) |
| Alma mater | Rice University (Geology) |
| Occupation(s) | Chief Scientist for astrobiology, Johnson Space Center |
| Known for | leading the team that announced the discovery of possible microfossils in a Martian meteorite from Antarctica |
David Stewart McKay (September 25, 1936 – February 20, 2013)[1] was chief scientist for astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center. During the Apollo program, McKay provided geology training to the first men to walk on the Moon in the late 1960s. McKay was the first author of a scientific paper postulating past life on Mars on the basis of evidence in Martian meteorite ALH 84001, which had been found in Antarctica.[2] This paper has become one of the most heavily cited papers in planetary science. The NASA Astrobiology Institute was founded partially as a result of community interest in this paper and related topics. He was a native of Titusville, Pennsylvania.[3]
- ^ [1] Archived 2014-02-28 at the Wayback Machine David S. McKay, NASA Scientist and Astronaut Trainer, Dies
- ^ Science, August 16, 1996
- ^ "McKay, David Stewart".