Robert M. Walker (February 6, 1929 – February 12, 2004) was an American physicist, a planetary scientist, the founder and director of McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, noted for his co-discovery of the etchability of nuclear particle tracks in solids,[1] as well as his conjecture that meteorites and lunar rocks contain a record of the ancient radiation history of various stars including the Sun.
[2][3][4][5][6] Asteroid 6372 was named Walker in his honor by the International Astronomical Union.
[4] Walker was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
[5] He was also a founder and the first president of Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA).
[5][6] Walker was married to the cosmochemist Ghislaine Crozaz.