A.E. Douglass — Scouted Arizona for observatory sites, choosing Flagstaff for Lowell Observatory but later coming to Tucson and establishing the UA's Tree Ring Lab and Steward Observatory.
Percival Lowell — Boston citizen scientist; established Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff in 1894 to aid his fascination with Mars.
Clyde Tombaugh — Lowell Observatory astronomer; discovered Pluto in 1930.
Eugene Shoemaker — First chief of USGS Astrogeology Branch, in 1965; trainer of Apollo astronauts in craters near Flagstaff.
Gerard P. Kuiper — Renowned astronomer came to the UA in 1960 to start the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory; lead scientist on early robotic lunar missions.
Aden Meinel — Selected Kitt Peak as the first national observatory and became its founding director in 1958; founding director of the UA's Optical Sciences Center in 1964.
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Charles P. Sonett — In 1972 became the first person to direct both the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and the department of planetary sciences at the UA.
Frank Low — Pioneer in infrared astronomy at the UA; in 1961 he invented the germanium bolometer, the highly sensitive detector that spurred modern infrared astronomy.
Robert Strom — UA emeritus professor of lunar and planetary surfaces; helped map the moon for the Apollo program in 1960s, Mariner 10 and Voyager 1 and 2 teams; co-investigator on NASA's ongoing Messenger mission to Mercury.
Richard A. Harvill — President of the UA from 1951 to 1971; credited with putting emphasis on science and recruiting key optics, astronomy and space sciences figures.
John P. Schaefer — UA president from 1971 to 1982; strengthened the university's emphasis on research and technology spinoffs; went on to head Research Corp. and LSST Corp., later raising funds for giant sky survey telescope.
Japanese company invests in mine near Mount Lemmon
