(1945- ) American Planetary Geologist, Petrologist
One of the wildest discoveries in the past 20 years in all of science, much less geoscience, is that we may have meteorites here on Earth that originated from Mars. If that is not enough, they may contain evidence of primitive life on Mars. Harry McSween has found himself firmly enmeshed in this controversy. He is one of the main proponents of the Martian origin of the meteorites based upon convincing geochemical and isotopic evidence, which he helped collect. However, he is the voice of caution in the evidence for Martian life within a group of scientists who have been quick to support this high-profile topic. Ironically, his reluctance has resulted in McSween being interviewed in newspapers and on radio and television more often than many of his colleagues. Many in the profession are comforted to have a scientist like McSween who awaits compelling data before accepting new theories.
Harry McSween has been studying meteorites since graduate school and is considered one of their foremost authorities. Meteorites are leftover material from the formation of the solar system so they have profound implications for the processes of this formation as well as a starting point for its evolution. He has received continuous NASA funding for his research and has written some of the seminal works on meteorites. His interest in extraterrestrial rocks led him to an interest in Mars. He was a member of many NASA teams studying Mars for years that culminated in his pivotal role on the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft mission of 1997. He has continued his role on further missions like the Mars Global Surveyor, which involved mapping the Martian surface from orbit and the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, as well as the ongoing design of Mars Exploration rovers. When any news is released on Martian discoveries, they are sure to have been made at least in part by Harry McSween.
If this extraterrestrial interest is not enough, McSween also conducts petrologic and geochemi-cal research on plutonic igneous rocks and meta-morphic rocks of the southeastern United States. Although not as high profile as the extraterrestrial work, it is still well respected in the profession as being of impeccable quality and a contribution to the field.
Harry “Hap” McSween was born on September 29, 1945, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1967 as a Daniel Scholar. He then attended the University of Georgia in Athens as a NASA graduate fellow and earned a master of science degree in geology in 1969. From 1969 to 1974, McSween was a pilot and an officer in the United States Air Force in Vietnam. He earned his Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University, Massachusetts, in 1977. Upon graduation, he joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he has remained ever since. During that time, he served as acting associate dean for research and development in 1985 to 1987 and the department head from 1987 to 1997. He was named distinguished professor of science in 1998, a title which he still holds. Also during that time, he was a guest or visiting scientist at the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the California Institute of Technology. Harry McSween is married to Susan P. McSween, and they have one child.
Hap McSween has been very productive throughout his career. He is an author of more than 100 articles in international journals and professional volumes.He wrote the three books Stardust to Planets: A Geological Tour of the Solar System, Fanfare for Earth: The Origin of our Planet and Life, and Meteorites and their Parent Planets to spread his enthusiasm for science to the general public. His research has been well received by the profession, as shown by his numerous honors and awards. He received the Nininger Award for Meteorite Studies (1977), a National Science Foundation Antarctic Service Medal (1982), the Bradley Prize from the Geological Society of Washington (1985) and two NASA Group Achievement Awards (1983 and 1998). From the University of Tennessee, he received the Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creative Achievement (1990) and a Senior Research Award (1998), in addition to several teaching awards. The state of South Carolina gave him several awards, including the LeConte Medallion of the South Carolina Science Council (1999), the Order of the Silver Crescent Award from the governor of South Carolina (2001), and he was inducted as the 21st member of the South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology (1999).
Hap McSween has performed extraordinary service to the profession. He served on 14 NASA teams and panels of critical importance, on several of which he was chief. He also served on several committees for the National Research Council. For the Meteoritical Society, he served as president (1995-1996), vice president (1993-1994), secretary, and councilor. For the Geological Society of America he was chair and vice chair of the Planetary Geology Division and chair and vice chair of the southeastern section, among many other committees. He was an associate editor for international journals Icarus, Meteoritics, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and the Proceedings of the 10th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. He has also given numerous distinguished lectures and keynote addresses.
Hap McSween at a petrographic microscope with a video monitor attachment showing a microscopic view of a Martian meteorite
