Responsible for the vision and development of the x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRFS) made Benton Clyde Clark III the first person to learn the makeup of the soil on Mars.
Benton Clyde Clark III, center, during the assembly of the Mars Phoenix lander at Lockheed Martin.
The holder of multiple patents, Clark has explored additional planetary bodies as well. He built part of a key instrument on the European Giotto spacecraft which flew to Halley’s Comet. With a British team he analyzed data from the Huygens probe as it landed on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. He led the Stardust proposal, making possible the collection of cometary particles as old as the solar system. His team designed the Genesis mission that provided for the col- lection of solar wind particle samples—the first to return samples from outside the or- bit of the moon. Clark’s extensive resume includes chair- ing the External Advisory Committee for the NASA Center for Research and Train- ing in Exobiology at the University of Cal- ifornia and the Salk Institute; co-chair of the International Academy of Astronau- tics on International Mars Exploration; service on the Space Station Science and Applications Advisory Subcommittee, the American Institute of Aeronautics and As- tronautics Space Sciences/Astronomy and Life Sciences committees and the Man-In- Space panel of the Military Space Systems Technology Model, and the Exobiology
Discipline Working Group; and has served on multiple NASA comet science working groups. He has authored more than 150 publications, reports, abstracts, and pre- sentations covering planetary missions, space science, and countless other fields of research and development. The list of missions and discoveries made by Clark are endless. The NASA Pub- lic Service Medal, Air Force Service Medal, Wright Brothers Award, induction into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame, Martin Marietta’s Inventor of the Year, and Author of the Year for Martin Marietta As- tronautics are a very small sampling of the recognitions he has received. The Interna- tional Astronomical Union even named an asteroid in his honor—the 14702 Benclark. The octogenarian scientist is not finished yet. In addition to continued research, exploration, and concept development, Clark remains one of the most sought-af- ter speakers and experts in the vast field of space and planetary exploration. To view his induction to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, learn more about his career and contributions, and hear his acceptance re- marks, visit Oklahomahof.com.
As part of testing of his asteroid sampling system, Benton Clyde Clark III floated in space on a zero-gee airplane flight.
14 BC CLARK MAGAZINE
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