Harald Schenk

Who is Harald Schenk?

Harald Schenk was born in Berlin, Germany on January 16, 1944, the son of Kurt and Ellie Drost Schenk. He has lived in the United States since 1954. Schenk served the City of Sheboygan as a Civil Engineer as well as a Professor of Astronomy at both Lakeland Technical College and University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan in recent years. He was currently on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Sheboygan.

Between 1966 and 1969, he served during the Vietnam War in the United States Army with the Strategic Command. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, he was selected as a finalist in the 'Competition for Amateur Use of the Hubble Space Telescope'. He and his international team conducted a study on "Transition Comets -- UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids."

Since that time, he has done research on select asteroids with the Hubble Space Telescope five times. Schenk is currently JPL Solar System Ambassador, and is on a committee to place an amateur telescope on the International Space Station.

On August 17, 2014, Schenk passed away peacefully at his home.