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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Dr. Michael Belton is an astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. His research has focused on planetary astronomy and the study of comets and asteroids. His primary contributions have been in defining the basic composition of planetary atmospheres, including that of Jupiter’s satellite, Io. He has pursued research on small solar system bodies, working out the complex spin of comet Halley and leading the effort to acquire the images that led to the discovery of a moon orbiting an asteroid, IDA. He was imaging team leader for NASA’s Galileo Project, and participated in the Mariner Venus-Mercury Mission, Voyager, Contour, and Deep Impact missions. He received the Kuiper Prize of the American Astronomical Society and minor planet 3498 was named after him.