Dec 23 1973
From The Space Library
Dr. Gerald P. Kuiper, astronomer and space pioneer, died of a heart attack at the age of 68, while visiting Mexico City. During his early career, Dutch-born Kuiper had discovered groups of dwarf stars, satellites of Uranus and Neptune, and an atmosphere surrounding Saturn's largest moon, Titan. In the 1950s he became the first astronomer to measure Pluto's diameter accurately and charted the equator and position of the poles of Venus. In the 1960s Dr. Kuiper became one of the foremost authorities on the moon, working in NASA'S Ranger and Surveyor projects and, as head of the Ranger scientific team, directed the photographic analysis to select landing sites for the Apollo astronauts. (McFadden, NYT, 12/25/73, 24)
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