Don Edward Wilhelms (July 5, 1930 – September 4, 2026) was an American United States Geological Survey geologist who contributed to geologic mapping of the Earth's Moon and to the geologic training of the Apollo astronauts.
Life and career Wilhelms was born July 5, 1930. He was a United States Geological Survey geologist who contributed to geologic mapping of the Earth's Moon and to the geologic training of the Apollo astronauts. He has also contributed to the study of Mars (including Mariner 9), Mercury, and Ganymede.
He was the author of To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration (1993),To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993). The geologic history of the Moon (1987),The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. (online) and he co-authored the Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon (1971) with John F. McCauley.Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon, USGS I-703, Don E. Wilhelms and John F. McCauley, 1971 (L&PI web version) Wilhelms also contributed to Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit (NASA SP-362).Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit (online version) (NASA SP-362), 1978
Wilhelms was the recipient of the G. K. Gilbert Award in 1988. He received the Shoemaker Distinguished Lunar Scientist Award in 2010 at the Ames Research Center.
The mineral Donwilhelmsite (CaAl4Si2O11) is named after Wilhelms.Donwilhelmsite at mindat.org The fact that this mineral is formed only at high shock pressure such as that created by impacts is appropriate given the focus of Wilhelms' studies.
Minor planet 4826 Wilhelms is named in his honor.
Wilhelms died at the Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California, on September 4, 2026, at the age of 96.
References
External links Interview with Donald Wilhelms for NOVA series: To the Moon WGBH Educational Foundation, raw footage, 1998 To A Rocky Moon, 1993, PDF version available from L&PI The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, PDF version available from USGS Astrogeology Science Center page on Wilhelms