Peter H. Schultz is Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 specializing in the study of planetary geology, impact cratering on the Earth and other objects in the Solar System

Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...

, and volcanic modifications of planetary surfaces. He was co-investigator to the NASA Science Mission Directorate

Science Mission Directorate

The Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration engages the United States’ science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions...

 spacecraft Deep Impact and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS

LCROSS

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the moon. The main LCROSS mission objective was to explore the presence of water ice...

). He was awarded the Barringer Medal

Barringer Medal

The Barringer Medal recognizes outstanding work in the field of impact cratering and/or work that has led to a better understanding of impact phenomena. The Barringer Medal and Award were established to honor the memory of D. Moreau Barringer Sr. and his son D. Moreau Barringer Jr. and are...

 of the Meteoritical Society

Meteoritical Society

The Meteoritical Society is a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin and history of the solar system.The...

 in 2004 for his theoretical and experimental studies of impact craters.

Education

Schultz earned a BA degree from Carleton College in Minnesota in 1966. He received a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

 in 1972.

Career

He was a research associate at the NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Ames Research Center

The Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...

. In 1976 he joined the Lunar and Planetary Institute

Lunar and Planetary Institute

The Lunar and Planetary Institute is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the solar system, its formation, evolution, and current state. The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National...

 (LPI) as a Staff Scientist and Regional Planetary Image Facility

Regional Planetary Image Facility

NASA Regional Planetary Image Facilities are planetary image and data libraries located throughout the United States and overseas and are funded by both NASA and the host institutions. A network of these facilities was established in 1977 to “maintain photographic and digital data as well as...

 (RPIF) director. In 1984 Schultz was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at Brown University and was named Professor in 1994. He serves as the Science Coordinator for the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range, Chair for NASA Regional Planetary Image Facilities board, Director of NASA Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 Space Grant Consortium, and Director of the Northeast Planetary Data Center.

Schultz is the author of the 1976 book Moon Morphology: Interpretations Based on Lunar Orbiter Photography. He was co-editor for A Primer in Lunar Geology, Multi-Ring Basins, and Geological Implications of Impacts of Large Asteroids and Comets on the Earth.

Awards and honors

At the Meteoritical Society in 2004, Schultz was awarded the Barringer Medal for his theoretical and experimental studies of impact craters, which have helped to elucidate cratering processes on the Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

, Moon

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

, Mercury

Mercury (planet)

Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...

, Venus

Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...

, and Mars

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

.

His contribution to cratering phenomena experimentally and in the field was recognized with the naming of the asteroid 16592 PeteSchultz in his honor.

External links

• Brown University: Peter H. Schultz
• Profile from NASA Deep Impact mission
• Biographical sketch from NASA Deep Impact mission

See also

Impact crater

Impact crater

In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...