David Morrison (astrophysicist)

David Morrison
David Morrison in 2022
BornJune 26, 1940 (1940-06-26) (age 84)
Danville, Illinois
Alma materHarvard University
Known forastrobiology, planetary exploration, search for extraterrestrial life, Near-Earth object detection, defense against asteroids, scientific skepticism
AwardsDryden Medal, Sagan Medal, Presidential Meritorious Senior Professional
Scientific career
FieldsPlanetary science, astrobiology
InstitutionsNASA Ames Research Center, SETI Institute, NASA Lunar Science Institute, Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

David Morrison (born June 26, 1940) is an American astronomer, a senior scientist at the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Morrison is the former director of the Carl Sagan Center for Study of Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute and of the NASA Lunar Science Institute.[1] He is the past Director of Space at NASA Ames. Morrison is credited as a founder of the multi-disciplinary field of astrobiology.[2] Morrison is best known for his work in risk assessment of near Earth objects such as asteroids and comets.[3] Asteroid 2410 Morrison was named in his honor. Morrison is also known for his "Ask an Astrobiologist" series on NASA's website where he provides answers to questions submitted by the public.[4] He has published 12 books and over 150 papers primarily on planetary science, astrobiology and near Earth objects.[5]

  1. ^ "David Morrison Joins SETI Institute". Space.com.
  2. ^ "David Morrison, Senior Scientist". NASA. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  3. ^ The Spaceguard Survey: Report of the NASA International Near-Earth-Object Detection Workshop. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Bibcode:1992STIN...9234245M.
  4. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions :: Ask an Astrobiologist :: NASA Astrobiology". NASA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-18.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nasa bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).