Richard M. Goody

Richard Mead Goody (19 June 1921 – 3 August 2023) was a British-American atmospheric physicist and professor of planetary physics at Harvard University. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 1970.

Early life and education A native of Hertfordshire, Goody attended Cambridge University, from which he received a bachelor's degree in physics in 1942. He then worked at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment until October 1946, when he returned to Cambridge to receive his PhD, doing so in 1949.

Scientific career Goody was appointed the Abbott Lawrence Rotch Professor of Dynamic Meteorology and director of the Blue Hill Observatory at Harvard in 1958 He became a US citizen in 1965. His 1964 book Atmospheric Radiation has been described as "classic". and the chair of the Space Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences from 1974 to 1976.

In 1970, Goody was the co-chair of a National Academy of Sciences study of Venus entitled "Venus: Strategy for Exploration", and he was partly responsible for launching the Pioneer Venus project, which launched probes to Venus in 1978.

Death Goody died on 3 August 2023, at the age of 102.