Charles Frankel (born 15 March 1956 in Paris) is a French geologist and science writer specialising in comparative planetology, volcanism and impact craters. As a young member of the Cosmos Club de France led by Albert Ducrocq, he became acquainted with satellite remote sensing before studying geology in the United States (Middlebury College, University of Arizona). He went on to write many popular books on planetary geology and the exploration of Mars. In À la découverte de la Terre (1974) he authored the section on the ERTS-1 remote-sensing satellite.