William M. Kaula (May 19, 1926 – April 1, 2000) was an Australian-born American geophysicist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
[1][2][3][4][5] Kaula was most notable for his contributions to geodesy, including using early satellites to produce maps of Earth's gravity.
He was a participant in several NASA missions, including as Laser Altimeter principal investigator on Apollo 15,[7] 16, and 17.
[4] Kaula was a member of the National Research Council Space Science Board on two occasions.
He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his scientific contributions notwithstanding his not having a doctorate, a rare such instance.