Bruce Hapke Named American Astronomical Society Legacy Fellow

Bruce Hapke, a professor of planetary geology in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science, has been selected for the first class of American Astronomical Society (AAS) Legacy Fellows. AAS established its fellows’ program in 2019 to recognize extraordinary achievements in the field. Hapke, who correctly predicted the texture of the moon’s porous, sandy surface, was among the first scientists to receive materials for study from the Apollo 11 mission. He also predicted that particles of iron in the moon’s soil affected its brightness. When that particle was discovered, it was named Hapkeite in his honor.