David Perry Rubincam (born February 27, 1947) is an American

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

with specialties in solid-earth geophysics, planetary

geodynamics Geodynamics is a subfield of geophysics dealing with dynamics of the Earth. It applies physics, chemistry and mathematics to the understanding of how mantle convection leads to plate tectonics and geologic phenomena such as seafloor spreading, mo ...

and

celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to ...

. He has worked as a civilian scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration since 1978. The main-belt asteroid 9921 Rubincam was named in his honor.

Education

He received a B.S. in Physics (1970), M.S. in Physics (1972), and Ph.D. in Physics (1973) from the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

Career

From 1974-1976 he served as a Resident Research Associate at the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

and

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

. From 1976-1978 he served as Lead Analyst in

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

at Wolf Research and Development Group, EG&G, Inc. From 1978 to present, he has served as a

Geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

in the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics,

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

(

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC empl ...

Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New Deal ...

. He studies secular effects in the solar system such as

tidal friction Tidal acceleration is an effect of the tidal forces between an orbiting natural satellite (e.g. the Moon) and the primary planet that it orbits (e.g. Earth). The acceleration causes a gradual recession of a satellite in a prograde orbit away f ...

, the

Yarkovsky effect The Yarkovsky effect is a force acting on a rotating body in space caused by the anisotropic emission of thermal photons, which carry momentum. It is usually considered in relation to meteoroids or small asteroids (about 10 cm to 10 km i ...

, and the

Yarkovsky–O'Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack effect The Yarkovsky–O'Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack effect, or YORP effect for short, changes the rotation state of a small astronomical body – that is, the body's spin rate and the obliquity of its pole(s) – due to the scattering of solar rad ...

(YORP) effect. One of his many contributions while at NASA was conducting research to understand the dynamics of orbital decay of artificial Earth satellites. Current interests include asteroids and asteroid pairs.

Society memberships

Rubincam is a member of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

and the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Bibliography

* 2000 "Dynamical Evolution of Main Belt

Meteoroids A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...

: Numerical Simulations Incorporating Planetary Perturbations and Yarkovsky Thermal Forces," W. F. Bottke, D. P. Rubincam, and J. A. Burns, ''Icarus'', 145, 301-331. * 1999 "Mars Secular Obliquity Change Due to Water Ice Caps," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 104, 30,765-30,771. * 1998 "The Incredible Shrinking Tropics," D. P. Rubincam, B. F. Chao, and B. G. Bills, ''Sky & Telescope'', 95, 36-38 (June). * 1998 "Yarkovsky Thermal Drag on Small

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

and Mars-Earth Delivery," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 103, 1725-1732. * 1997 "Tidal Friction," in ''ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANETARY SCIENCES'', edited by J. H. Shirley and R. W. Fairbridge, Chapman & Hall, New York, pp. 825–828. * 1995 ""Has Climate Changed the Earth's Tilt?" ''Paleoceanography'', 10, 365-372. * 1995 "America's Foremost Early Astronomer," D.P. Rubincam and M. Rubincam, ''Sky & Telescope'', 89, 38-41 (May). * 1995 "Asteroid Orbit Evolution Due to Thermal Drag," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 100, 1585- 1594. * 1994 "Isolation in Terms of Earth's Orbital Parameters," ''Theor. Appl. Climatol.'', 48, 195-20 * 1993 "The Obliquity of Mars and "Climate Friction," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 98, 10, 827-10,832. * 1993 "The Night the Titanic Went Down," D.P. Rubincam and D.D. Rowlands, ''Sky & Telescope'', 86, 79-83 (October). * 1990 "Mars: Change in Axial Tilt Due to Climate?" ''Science'', 248, 720-721. * 1989 "The Gravitational Field of Phobos," B.F. Chao and D.P. Rubincam, ''Geophys. Res. Letters'', 16, 859-862. * 1987 "LAGEOS Orbit Decay due to Infrared Radiation from Earth", ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 92, 1287-1294. * 1984 "Postglacial Rebound Observed by Lageos and the Effective Viscosity of the Lower Mantle," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 89, 1077-1087. * 1979 "Gravitational Potential Energy of the Earth: A Spherical Harmonic Approach," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 84, 6219-6225. A284, 485-494. * 1975 "Tidal Friction and the Early History of the Moon's Orbit," ''J. Geophys. Res.'', 80, 1537-1548.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubincam, David Perry 1947 births Living people American geophysicists University of Maryland, College Park alumni