Farouk El-Baz is a geologist who worked with NASA on the selection of landing sites on the moon and the training of Apollo astronauts in visual observations and photography. He is well known for applying satellite images to groundwater exploration in arid lands. The Geological Society of America established two awards in his honour: the Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research (1999); and the Farouk El-Baz Student Research Award (2007). He has received numerous honours and awards, including Egypt’s Order of Merit (First Class). El-Baz ranked number 51 in the Power 100 of Arabian Business. In 2019, the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after Farouk El-Baz in recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions.