author
Elbert A. King
1935–1998
A geologist and lunar scientist with a front-row view of the Apollo era, he wrote with the clarity of a teacher and the curiosity of a field researcher. His books connect Earth science, meteorites, and Moon exploration in a way that still feels vivid and approachable.
1 Audiobook
Texas Gemstones
by Elbert A. King
About the author
Born in Austin, Texas, in 1935, he studied at the University of Texas at Austin and later earned a doctorate from Harvard. He built a career as a geologist, lunar scientist, and professor, and was closely involved with NASA during the Apollo years.
He is especially remembered for work tied to lunar science and meteorites. Sources describe him as instrumental in the design of NASA's Lunar Receiving Laboratory, and he was also among the first scientists to collect samples from the Allende meteorite fall in Mexico in 1969. As a teacher, he taught subjects including mineralogy, petrology, meteoritics, and space geology.
As an author, he wrote books including Texas Gemstones, Space Geology, and Moon Trip: A Personal Account of the Apollo Program and its Science. He died on December 12, 1998, after a prolonged illness, and is remembered for combining scientific rigor with an infectious enthusiasm for geology and planetary science.