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.