"Dr Tom Van Flandern's Mysterious Mars Lecture"

Thomas C Van Flandern (June 26, 1940 -- January 9, 2009) He attended Yale University on a scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO),joining USNO in 1963. In 1969 he received a PhD in Astronomy from Yale, with a dissertation on lunar occultations. he was an American astronomer and author specializing in celestial mechanics. Van Flandern had a career as a professional scientist, but was noted as an outspoken proponent of non-mainstream views related to astronomy, physics, and extra-terrestrial life.