William Kenneth Hartmann is a noted planetary scientist, artist, author, and writer. He was the first to convince the scientific mainstream that the Earth had once been hit by a planet sized body, creating both the moon and the Earth's 23.5� tilt. Born in Pennsylvania in 1939, he received his B.S. in physics from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.S. in geology and PhD in astronomy from the University of Arizona. His career spans over 40 years, from work in the early 1960s with Gerard Kuiper on Mare Orientale, and work on the Mariner 9 Mars mapping project, to current work on the Mars Global Surveyor imaging team. He is currently a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Strongly influenced by Chesley Bonestell, he has long been one of America's leading space artists, and has written and illustrated, often collaboratively with artist Ron Miller, numerous books on the history of Earth and the Solar System. Hartmann is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists. His written work also includes textbooks, short fiction, and novels, the most recent being published in 2002. 

June 6th, 1939 in New Kensington (Age 85)