Brian Marsden, 1937 - 2010

Astronomer Brian Marsden died today. He is being mourned around the world by those who knew him and his work, particularly his leadership of the Minor Planet Center, where he was a towering figure in the realm of asteroid and comet discovery and science.
The Planetary Society has a special reason to remember him. Our thriving and productive Gene Shoemaker NEO grant program was born in a conversation with Brian Marsden. Way back when, Lou Friedman tasked me with dreaming up a new something the Society could do about near-Earth objects, and I knew the way to start my work was by calling Brian.