Walter Orr Roberts (August 20, 1915 – March 12, 1990) was an American astronomer and atmospheric physicist. He received his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University in 1943.[1] He taught online for the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in the mid-1980s, and also published an online weekly column entitled "Provocations" about climatology. He was the founding director of the High Altitude Observatory. Subsequently he was the founding president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and first director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He has the minor planet 3428 Roberts named after him.[2] NCAR's mesa is also named after Roberts.
Roberts's son is David Roberts.