Desmond King-Hele

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Desmond George King-Hele

Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle
.

Life and career

He was born in Seaford, Sussex, the son of Sidney G. and Bessie (née Sayer) King-Hele and was educated at Epsom College[1] and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]

He joined the

Bakerian lecture in 1974 and the Wilkins Lecture in 1997.[4] 2019 he was awarded a Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Derby.[5]

He is considered "one of the pioneers of space geodesy".[6] Based on

Earth's pear shape, finding a 45 m difference between north and south polar radii.[7][8]

He married Marie Newman in 1954; they had two daughters.[9]

He won the

Chree medal and prize
in 1971.

In 1973, he correctly predicted that Skylab would re-enter Earth's atmosphere in 1979.

King-Hele died on 25 December 2019.[10]

Publications

  • Satellites and Scientific Research 1962
  • Shelley: His Thought and Work 1962
  • Erasmus Darwin 1963
  • Theory of Satellite Orbits in an Atmosphere 1964
  • Doctor of Revolution 1977
  • Observing Earth Satellites 1983
  • Shelley: His Thought and Work 1984
  • Erasmus Darwin and the Romantic Poets 1986
  • A Tapestry of Orbits 1992, 2005
  • Erasmus Darwin: A Life of Unequalled Achievement 1999
  • Erasmus Darwin and Evolution 2014

He is also the author of two books of poetry, and of various articles published in journals, such as "Shelley and Science", Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Jul., 1992), pp. 253-265.

References

  1. ^ a b Merchant, Paul (15 March 2010). "NATIONAL LIFE STORIES AN ORAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SCIENCE Desmond King-Hele Interviewed by Dr Paul Merchant" (PDF). British Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012. recommended me for a special scholarship to Epsom College, the large public school on the eastern outskirts of Epsom, and the college headmaster had agreed this.
  2. ^ "Desmond King-Hele - Voices of Science". The British Library. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Search past Fellows". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. .
  5. ^ "Commendation". derby.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  6. .
  7. .
  8. .
  9. ^ "King-Hele, Desmond (Part 5 of 21). An Oral History of British Science. - Oral history of British science - Oral history". sounds.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  10. ^ "King-Hele". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020.

External links