| Authorised form of name | Clayton; Robert Norman (1930 - 2017) |
| Dates | 1930 - 2017 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Date of birth | 20 March 1930 |
| Date of death | 30 December 2017 |
| Activity | Most of Clayton's lunar research stemmed from his examination of some 300 samples collected during all six Apollo moon landings from 1969 to 1972 and during the Soviet Luna 16 and 20 robotic missions. But his laboratory also has become well known as a clearing house for the anaysis of strange meteorites.
While studying meteorites with colleagues at the Fermi Institute, Clayton discovered (1973) that the chemistry of oxygen in the early solar system was fundamentally different from that known on Earth. This led to the recognition of the importance of photochemistry (the interaction of light and chemicals) in the formation of the planets and to a new prediction of the abundances of oxygen isotopes in the sun. This prediction will be tested by analysis of the solar wind in NASA's Genesis mission.
Clayton and his colleagues also identified the first lunar meteorite in 1983. And by studying martian meteorites they showed in 1992 that Mars probably once had water on its surface or in its atmosphere. More recently he was a member of a team that in 2000 established the Tagish Lake meteorite from Canada as perhaps the most prisitne sample of the solar system ever studied.
Clayton joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1958 and served as Director of the University's Enrico Fermi Institute (1998-2001). He officially retired in 2001 but still pursues an active research programme. His honors include membership in the National Academy of Sciences, becoming a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. An Asteroid has also been named in his honour.
Enrico Fermi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Chemistry and Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago.
Received the American National Medal of Science (2004) for his leading contributions to cosmic chemistry, from pre-solar dust to planets, and for being an exemplary role model as a mentor, teacher and advocate for rigorous science. (Congress established the National Medal of Science in 1959) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 19/03/1981 |
| Age at election | 50 |
| Code | NA3984 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1981/10 | Clayton, Robert Norman: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 19 March 1981 |