Ashesh Prosad Mitra (21 February 1927 - 3 September 2007) was a physicist who headed the National Physics Laboratory in Delhi, India. He is primarily known for his work on environmental physics. He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Physical Science in 1968. The citation read: "Dr Mitra is one of the acknowledged authorities on ionosphere and on some aspects of space research. His pioneering work on the use of cosmic radio noise for upper atmosphere studies resulted in a whole series of scientific discoveries in ionosphere, solar physics and cosmic rays. He has carried out comprehensive studies on the ionospheric effects of solar flares and has established one of the most extensive radio flare systems at the National Physical Laboratory. He developed an atmospheric model fro