Don Wilhelms: key obituary facts
Is Don Wilhelms dead? Yes. Don Wilhelms died on September 4, 2026, at age 96.
Cause of death: Don Wilhelms's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Don Wilhelms known for?
He was an U.S. lunar geologist.
More about Don Wilhelms
Born: 5 July 1930.
Place of birth: Los Angeles.
Gender: male.
Occupation: geologist.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Pomona College.
Awards: G. K. Gilbert Award, Eugene Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal.
Also known as: Don E Wilhelms, Don E. Wilhelms, D. E. Wilhelms, D.E. Wilhelms, D E Wilhelms, Don Edward Wilhelms.
Don Wilhelms, an American geologist who helped map the Moon and train Apollo astronauts, died on September 4, 2026, aged 96.
Born Don Edward Wilhelms in Los Angeles on July 5, 1930, he became a United States Geological Survey geologist and focused much of his career on lunar geology. His work extended to studies of Mars, including data from Mariner 9, as well as Mercury and Ganymede.
Wilhelms also wrote To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist’s History of Lunar Exploration and The Geologic History of the Moon, and co-authored the Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon with John F. McCauley. Among his honors were the G. K. Gilbert Award and the Eugene Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal.