Dr. Charles Elachi, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has been elected as a fellow in
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the
world’s leading professional society in the field.
Elachi is being honored for his international technical
leadership and pivotal contributions in the field of space-
borne synthetic aperture radar for observing Earth and
exploring other planets. To become a fellow, a candidate must
be distinguished in the field of aerospace and show strong
leadership potential.
Elachi’s work has made possible a range of investigations
of Earth geology, including its topography, oceans, sea ice,
and interactions of the wind and currents, as well as
detection below the desert surface. Elachi’s radar remote
sensing techniques have been used to study Venus and will be
used for Saturn’s moon Titan.
“I’m honored to be elected as a fellow in this most
distinguished organization,” said Elachi. “This reflects not
only on me personally but on all my colleagues at JPL who
helped me throughout my career.”
Elachi has served as JPL director since May 2001.
Previously, as JPL’s director for Space and Earth Science
Programs since 1982, he was responsible for the development of
more than 45 flight missions and instruments. As a JPL senior
research scientist, he has served as principal investigator on
such projects as the Shuttle Imaging Radar series, the
Magellan Imaging Radar, and the Cassini Titan Radar. Elachi
was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989.
He has authored more than 200 technical publications and holds
several patents. He teaches physics of remote sensing at the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, which manages
JPL for NASA.
Elachi has been a member of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics since 1988 and has been an
Associate fellow since 1993. He will officially become a
fellow during the organization’s Global Air and Space ’02
International Business Forum and Exhibition, April 23 to 25 in
Arlington, Va.
