Farouk El-Baz (, Pronunciation: ) (born January 2, 1938) is an Egyptian American space scientist and geologist, who worked with NASA in the scientific exploration of the Moon and the planning of the Apollo program. He was a leading geologist on the program, responsible for studying the geology of the Moon, the selection of landing sites for the Apollo missions, and the training of astronauts in lunar observations and photography. He played a key role in the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission, and later Apollo missions. He also came up with the idea of touchable Moon rocks at a museum, inspired by his childhood pilgrimage to Mecca where he touched the Black Stone (which in Islam is believed to be sent down from the heavens).
He is married, has four daughters, and has six grandchildren. He was a Senior Advisor to Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak.
Currently, El-Baz is a Research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an Adjunct Professor of Geology at the Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Geological Society of America Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, and a member of the Board of Directors of CRDF Global. He was also elected a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in Washington, DC (2002) for selecting the landing sites for the Apollo missions, and for pioneering methods of discovering subsurface freshwater from space observations.
Biography
Farouk El-Baz was born on January 2, 1938, in Zagazig, Sharqia Governorate for muslim Egyptian parents . His family is originally from the Nile Delta village of Touqh el Aklaam, El Senbellawein Centre, Dakahlia Governorate.
Education
Farouk went to many schools. In 1958, he attended Ain Shams University. From 1962-1963, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After that, in 1964, he attended Missouri University of Science and Technology. Finally, in 2002, he attended Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Achievements
In 1961, he received a Master of Science in geology from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now Missouri University of Science and Technology).
In 1964, at the age of 26, he received a Doctor of Philosophy in geology from the Missouri University of Science and Technology after conducting research from 1962 to 1963 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1978, El-Baz was appointed Science Adviser to President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. He was charged with the selection of regions for land reclamation in the desert without detrimental effects on the environment. For his distinguished service, President Sadat awarded him Egypt's Order of Merit - First Class. In 1989, he earned an Honorary Doctor of Science from New England College. In 2002, he earned a professional degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. In 2003, he received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Mansoura University. In 2004, he earned a Doctor of Laws from the American University in Cairo. Also, in 2004, he received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Post-doctorate period
El-Baz taught Geology at Assiut University, Egypt (1958–1960) and the Heidelberg University, Germany (1964–1965). He joined the Pan American - U.A.R. Oil Company in 1966, where he participated in the discovery of El-Morgan, the first offshore oil field in the Gulf of Suez.
The NASA period
The key scientist who helped NASA plan and identify the Moon landing location for Apollo 11 historic Moon landing in 1969, El-Baz is currently a leading expert in the study of deserts and how to find and sustain water in such environments in the Arab world.
From 1967 to 1972, El-Baz participated in the Apollo Program as Supervisor of Lunar Science Planning at Bellcomm Inc., a division of AT&T that conducted systems analysis for NASA. During these six years, he was Secretary of the Landing Site Selection Committee for the Apollo lunar landing missions, Principal Investigator of Visual Observations and Photography, and Chairman of the Astronaut Training Group. In addition to being the scientist who played a key role in helping NASA decide on the ideal Moon landing site for the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, El-Baz also served on the Apollo 15 rover mission in 1971. Throughout his time in the Apollo program, El-Baz joined NASA officials in briefing members of the press on the results of the lunar missions. His ability to simplify scientific jargon made his remarks on the program's scientific accomplishments often quoted by the media.
