Johan Bleeker

In 2002 Bleeker was made a Commander in the Order of the Dutch Lion. He was named an honorary member of the Koninklijk Instituut van Ingenieurs [nl] in 2007. Minor planet 9693 Bleeker is named after him.

Bleeker was involved in the setting up of the Horizon 2000 and Horizon 2000+ projects of the European Space Agency. In 1996 he criticized the budget constraints to the projects, which were imposed by the European ministers.

Bleeker was elected a member of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1988. He was elected a member of Academia Europaea in 1989.

Apart from his position at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research Bleeker was a professor of space exploration at Utrecht University. He was an extraordinary professor (Dutch: buitengewoon hoogleraar [nl]) from 1985 to 1991, and was then appointed as full professor. He took up emeritus status in 2007.

Bleeker stayed at Leiden University and worked at the Task Force Cosmic Radiation until 1983, during the final two years he was group leader. In 1983 he became director of the Utrecht Laboratory for Space Research, which later became the Netherlands Institute for Space Research. Bleeker was director until 2003, he was succeeded by Karel Wakker [nl].

Johannes Alphonsus Marie "Johan" Bleeker (born 20 July 1942) is a Dutch space technology scientist. He was director of the Netherlands Institute for Space Research from 1983 to 2003. He was involved in the setting up of the Horizon 2000 and Horizon 2000+ projects of the European Space Agency.

Bleeker was born in Leeuwarden on 20 July 1942. He attended the Hogere Burgerschool. Bleeker subsequently studied engineering physics at Delft University of Technology. He continued his studies at Leiden University, where he in 1971 he obtained his doctorate under Hendrik C. van de Hulst with a thesis titled: The diffuse X-ray sky.