Johannes Alphonsus Marie "Johan" Bleeker (born 20 July 1942) is a Dutch space research and technology scientist. He was director of the

Netherlands Institute for Space Research SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research is the Dutch expertise institute for space research. The Institute develops and uses innovative technology for research in space, focusing on astrophysical research, Earth science and planetary resea ...

from 1983 to 2003. He was involved in the setting up of the Horizon 2000 and Horizon 2000+ long term space science programs of the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

Career

Bleeker was born in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

on 20 July 1942. He attended the Hogere Burgerschool. Bleeker subsequently studied

engineering physics Engineering physics, or engineering science, refers to the study of the combined disciplines of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, particularly computer, nuclear, electrical, electronic, aerospace, materials or mechanical en ...

Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

. He continued his studies at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

, where in 1971 he obtained his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

under

Hendrik C. van de Hulst Hendrik Christoffel "Henk" van de Hulst (19 November 1918 – 31 July 2000) was a Dutch astronomer and mathematician. In 1944, while a student in Utrecht, he predicted the existence of the 21 cm hyperfine line of neutral interstellar hydrogen. ...

with a thesis titled: ''The diffuse X-ray sky''. Bleeker stayed at Leiden University and worked at the Cosmic-Ray Working Group until 1983, during the final two years he was group leader. In 1983 he became director of the Utrecht Laboratory for Space Research, which later became the

. Bleeker was director until 2003, he was succeeded by . Apart from his position at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research Bleeker was a professor of space research and exploration at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

. He was an extraordinary professor (Dutch: ) from 1985 to 1991, and was then appointed as full professor. He took up emeritus status in 2007.

Research

The research and projects of Bleeker have covered amongst others: high energy astrophysics, cosmic-ray physics and X-ray astronomy. Bleeker chaired the Survey Committee that set up the long term space science program

Horizon 2000 The Science Programme of the European Space Agency is a long-term programme of space science and space exploration missions. Managed by the agency's Directorate of Science, The programme funds the development, launch, and operation of missions ...

of the

and also took part in establishing the follow-on program Horizon 2000+. In 1996 he publicly criticized the budget constraints on these programs, which were imposed by the European ministers.

Honors and awards

Bleeker was elected a member of

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 1988. He was elected a member of

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters, Law, and Sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europea ...

in 1989. In 2002 Bleeker was made a Commander in the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

. He was appointed honorary member of the in 2007. Minor planet 9693 Bleeker is named after him.

References

External links

Profile at Leiden University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleeker, Johan 1942 births Living people Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Delft University of Technology alumni 20th-century Dutch engineers Leiden University alumni Members of Academia Europaea Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Leeuwarden Space scientists Academic staff of Utrecht University