John R. Winckler

Who was John R. Winckler?

John Randolph Winckler was an American experimental physicist notable for his discovery of sprites in 1989 and other discoveries in the fields of solar, magnetospheric, auroral, and atmospheric physics.

He was also notable for designing new methods and apparatus to collect scientific data from high altitude flying objects such as balloons, rockets, and spacecraft. This data collection led Winckler and his staff to major discoveries, such as: discovering that high-energy electrons accompany auroras. Winckler was an advisor to NASA, a member of the National Academy of Sciences.