Perek Luboš

Assoc. Prof., RNDr., DrSc., dr. h.c.
Born on July 26, 1919, † 2020

• Astronomy, galactic dynamics and space activities
• Member of Learned Society since 1999

Employment and academic positions:

• 1945, assistant lecturer, Institute of Mathematics, Czech Technical University, Prague;
• 1952-1956, Associate  Professor,  Masaryk  University (MU), Brno;
• 1955-1967, Head, stellar department, Astronomical Institute, CSAS, Prague;
• 1959, Visiting astronomer, Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories, California, USA;
• 1964, Visiting Professor, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA;
• 1968-1975, Director, Astronomical Institute, CSAS, Prague;
• 1975-1980, Chief, Outer Space Affairs Division, United Nations Secretariat, New York;
• 1980-present, head scientific worker, consultant, emeritus, Astronomical Institute AS CR.

Membership in selected domestic scientific bodies:

• 1983, Honorary member, Czechoslovak Astronomical Society
• 1989-1992, Chairman, Czech Astronomical Society

Membership and positions in international organizations and societies:

• 1954, Member, 1967-1970 secretary general, International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• 1973-1976, President, IAU Commission on Galactic Structure and Dynamics
• 1968-1970, Vice-President, International Council of Scientific Unions
• 1970-1979, Chairman, ICSU Panel on World Data Centres
• 1970, Associate Member, Royal Astronomical Society, London
• 1975, Member, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
• 1977, Member, International Institute of Space Law (from 1996 member, Board of Directors
• 1977, Member, International Academy of Astronautics (member Board of Trustees 1978-1982)
• 1980-1982, President, International Astronautical Federation (IAF) (1990-1992 Co-chairman International Program Committee; since 2003 consultant to IAF President)
• 1986, Member (1994 honorary member) Academie Nationale de l’Air et de l’Espace, Toulouse, France
• 1992, founding member, European Astronomical Society

Notable awards:

• 1969, Medal, Université de Liege
• 1971, Kepler Medal, Czechoslovak Astronomical Society
• 1980, T. Hagecius de Hajek Medal, CS Astronomical Society
• 1981, Nagy Ernö Medal, Hungarian Astronomical Society
• 1982, Medal, University of Zagreb
• 1982, Medal, City of Paris
• 1986, Medal, College de Paris
• 1992, Prix Janssen, Société Astronomique de France
• 1999, Doctor honoris causa, MU
• 1999, Nušl Award, Czech Astronomical Society.

Selected publications:

• Distribution of Mass in the Galactic System. Comm. Astr. Inst. Masaryk Univ. 1, No. 6, 1948
• Untersuchung von Sternen mit hyperbolischen Geschwindigkeiten. Astron. Nachrichten, Vol. 283, 213, 1956
• Distribution of Mass in Oblate Stellar Systems. Adv. in Astronomy and Astroph. 11, 165, 1961
• Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae (with L. Kohoutek). Academia, Prague 1967
• Physics, Uses and Regulation of the Geostationary Orbit. Proc. 20th Coll. on the Law of Outer Space, Amer. Inst of Astronomy and Astronautics, 1978
• Delimitation of Air Space and Outer Space. Proc. Symp. on Earth Oriented Act and their Legal Implications, McGill University Montreal, Canada, Oct. 1981, p. 275
• Traffic Rules for Outer Space. Proc. 25th Coll. on the Law of Outer Space, AIAA, 1983, p. 37
• Space Debris as an Issue for the International Community. 8th ISTS Tokyo, 1992
• Space Debris at the United Nations, Space Debris, Vol. 2, p.123-136, 2002
• Basic Problems in Space Traffic. Proc. 46th Coll. on the Law of Outer Space, AIAA p. 322-331, 2004
• Space Debris Mitigation and Prevention: How to build a stronger international regime, Astropolitics 2, 215-226, 2004