James Van Allen

Space pioneer James Van Allen, now professor emeritus of physics at the University of Iowa, served as president of the American Geophysical Union from 1982 to 1984 and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He received a Gold Medal of the (U.K.) Royal Astronomical Society in 1978, a National Medal of Science from President Ronald Regan in 1987, and a Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1989.