Past Speakers

THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR ASTRONOMY & SPACE EXPO

PAST
SPEAKERS

For over 30 years, NEAF has brought you astronomers, researchers, scientists, and personalities that are making science history today.

Nearly 250 incredible personalities to date, here are just a few.

#59

Alex Filippenko

Astrophysicist, UC Berkeley

Appearance Dates 2001, 2010, 2011

The Runaway Universe

Well known for his regular appearances in the series Universe, How the Universe Works, Alex Filippenko received his Bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned his Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology.

Dr. Filippenko's research accomplishments, documented in over 430 published papers, are among the most highly cited in the world. He has been recognized with several major awards, including the 1992 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize of the American Astronomical Society and the 1997 Robert M. Petrie Prize of the Canadian Astronomical Society. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 2001 and a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar in 2002.

In December 1998, Science magazine credited Professor Filippenko and his international team of astronomers with the top "Science Breakthrough of 1998" for research on supernovae which shows that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, propelled by mysterious "dark energy." Moreover, he leads the world's most successful robotic search for exploding stars.

He has also won the 2004 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. Dr. Filippenko is the co-author of The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium, now in its second edition, and winner of the 2001 Texty Excellence Award for best new textbook in the physical sciences.

#113

Dotty Metcalf

NASA Astronaut

Appearance Date 2008

What lead me to look up and why I cannot stop

Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger was a science teacher at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington when she was selected in 2004 as an Educator Mission Specialist. She then became the first Space Camp alumna to become an astronaut.

Dorothy served as a Mission Specialist on STS-131, an April 2010 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The mission's primary payload was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. In 2012, Metcalf-Lindenburger would command the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory which lasted twelve days. The NEEMO 16 crew successfully "splashed down" in June 2012 and Metcalf-Lindenburger and her crewmates officially became aquanauts, having spent over 24 hours underwater.

On July 20, 2009, Metcalf-Lindenburger sang the National Anthem at the Houston Astros game against the St. Louis Cardinals in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. She has been a long-time lead singer with the all-astronaut rock band, "Max Q".

#240

Jean Wright

NASA Aerospace Composite Technician
Appearance Date 2024
Sew Sisters: The Untold Story of NASA’s Seamstresses

The white material on the outside of space shuttles was not metal or composite but actually fabric. Jean Wright was one of eighteen “Sew Sisters” who
hand crafted these thermal blankets which covered the space shuttles and protected the astronauts from deadly heat and radiation.

Jean Wright was the last “Sew Sister” hired during the space shuttle program. Capturing both the grandeur of space flight and the intimacy of a needle and thread, her new book “Sew Sister” tells the story of Jean’s childhood passion for space and sewing, and her fascinating work for NASA’s shuttle program.

A Motivational Speaker, Jean has been invited to present at many prestigious events such as the International Quilt Festival along with astronaut Karen Nyberg, in Houston, TX., The Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) in N.Y., the Keynote Speaker at MQX -Machine Quilters Exposition in N.H., Women’s History Month at KSC Visitor Complex, Family Day at the Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum and at Spacefest. Jean has done many TV, radio, and online interviews. And has been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles – often as a ‘Hidden Figure’ in the space industry.

She served as a Docent at the Kennedy Space Center, KSC Visitor Complex & Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit. Jean also does launch support, outreach events and VIP Tours at KSC and KSCVC as needed - including current NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other high-level NASA and industry officials and visitors.

#238

Bob Cabana

NASA Associate Administrator (retired), Astronaut

Appearance Date 2024

ISS: From first assembly mission to commercial LEO destinations

Bob Cabana, veteran of four Space Shuttle flights and the commander of the first International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission, STS-88/ISS 2A, will discuss the first assembly mission, the benefits of ISS, and the transition to Commercial LEO destinations and their importance.

ROBERT D. CABANA is a former NASA astronaut, and retired associate administrator, its third highest-ranking executive and highest-ranking civil servant. He was the senior advisor to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. In his role, Cabana led the agency’s 10 center directors as well as the mission directorate associate administrators at headquarters. He acted as the agency’s chief operating officer for more than 18,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $25 billion.

Before taking that position, Cabana was director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In that role, Cabana managed all NASA facilities and activities at the spaceport, including the team of civil service and contractor employees who operate and support numerous space programs and projects.

#237

Norm Knight

Director, NASA Flight Operations Directorate

Appearance Date 2024

Artemis: Moon to Mars Panel Discussion

The Flight Operations Directorate is responsible for providing trained astronaut crew members and for overall planning, directing, managing, and implementing overall mission operations for NASA human spaceflight programs. The Directorate is also responsible for all JSC aircraft operations including aircrew training.
In 2012, Norm was selected as the Chief of the Flight Director Office and then as the Deputy Director of the Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) in 2018, after serving a temporary assignment as the Assistant Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. In 2021, Norm was selected as the Director of FOD.

#236

Debbie Korth

Orion Deputy Program Manager

Appearance Date 2024

Artemis: Moon to Mars Panel Discussion

DEBBIE KORTH is the Orion Deputy Program Manager. As the Deputy PM, Debbie supports the Program Manager in leading and managing the design, development, testing, production, and operations of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis missions. Debbie brings over 30 years of experience in human spaceflight development, integration, and operations supporting Orion, ISS,
and the Space Shuttle.
Previous to her current assignment, Debbie served as the Manager of the Orion Crew and Service Module (CSM) Office, responsible for the management and engineering oversight of the design, development, production, test, verification, and certification of the crew module, service module and launch abort system hardware for the Orion spacecraft. Prior to becoming the CSM
Manager, Debbie served as the Deputy Manager of Orion Program Planning and Control (PP&C) office, responsible for strategic planning, directing, and
managing all aspects of program budget, schedule, risk, and workforce. In previous Orion assignments, she led the affordability and collaboration efforts for the program, managed response to external audits/inquiries, and directed and managed multiple contract changes as an alternate Contracting Officer Representative.

#235

Gerry Griffin

GERRY GRIFFIN served as a flight director during the Apollo program and director of Johnson Space Center, succeeding Chris Kraft in 1982. In 1964 Griffin joined NASA in Houston as a flight controller in Mission Control, specializing in guidance, navigation and control systems during Project Gemini. In 1968 he was named a Mission Control flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo Program manned missions including all manned missions to the Moon.

Apollo Flight Director

Appearance Date 2021, 2023, 2024

#234

David Levy

Astronomer, Author

Appearance Date 2024

DAVID H. LEVY is a Canadian astronomer and science writer who co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 in 1993, which collided with the planet Jupiter in 1994. Levy was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1948. He developed an interest in astronomy at an early age. However, he pursued and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature.
Levy went on to discover 22 comets, either independently or with Gene and Carolyn S. Shoemaker. He has written 34 books, mostly on astronomical subjects, such as The Quest for Comets, a biography of Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh in 2006, and his tribute to Gene Shoemaker in Shoemaker by Levy. He has provided periodic articles for Sky and Telescope magazine, as well as Parade Magazine, Sky News and, most recently, Astronomy Magazine.

#233

Chris Go

Renowned Planetary Imager

Appearance Date 2024

The Jupiter Impact after Shoemaker Levy 9

CHRISTOPHER GO lives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. He studied at the University of San Carlos where he received a BS in physics and co-founded the University’s first-ever astronomical society. In February 2006, he discovered Jupiter’s “Red Spot Jr.” Peeking through his first set of binoculars at a young age, Christopher Go had no
idea how the images being reflected back at him would change his life as he knew it. For four years, Go viewed the world through the lenses of his binoculars and, at the same time, got a closer look into his passion. In 1990, he received his first telescope and began exploring the world of astro-imaging. Christopher Go has co-authored
articles in numerous scientific journals including Nature. Go is also a current member of the American Astronomical Society and its Division for Planetary Sciences. Go uses a Celestron C14 and a Celestron Skyris camera to capture his astrophotography and the hearts of his avid followers.

#230

Jani Radebaugh

Planetary Scientist, Dragonfly Mission

Appearance Date 2023

Wind, Sand and Organics: Exploring Saturn’s Moon Titan through the Dragonfly Mission

JANI RADEBAUGH is an American planetary scientist and professor of geology at Brigham Young University who specializes in field studies of planets. Radebaugh's research focuses on Saturn's moon Titan, Jupiter's moon Io, the Earth's Moon, Mars and Pluto. Radebaugh is a Science Team member of the Dragonfly mission to Titan, the IVO Io mission proposal, and the Mars Median project. She was an Associate Team Member of the Cassini-Huygens RADAR instrument from 2008 to 2017, and was a graduate student scientist for Io for the Galileo mission.

The newly selected, $1 billion NASA mission Dragonfly, now in design, is a quadcopter-like rotorcraft lander for Titan. This capable spacecraft will image the surface up close, in the vein of Mars rover exploration, but could vastly outstrip these rovers in ground coverage, easily exceeding several hundred miles. And it will analyze samples, helping us understand if conditions are right for life in the distant reaches of our solar system.

#231

Fred Haise

NASA Astronaut, Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot

Appearance Date 2023

Never Panic Early

FRED W. HAISE JR. was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 8 and 11 missions. Haise was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 13 (April 11-17, 1970. Fred was also backup spacecraft commander for the Apollo 16 mission. He has logged 142 hours and 54 minutes in space.

Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module failed two days into the mission incapacitating the capsule. The crew instead looped around the Moon and utilized the LM as a lifeboat. Although the LM was designed to support two men on the lunar surface for two days, Mission Control improvised new procedures so it could support three men for four days. The crew experienced great hardship, caused by limited power, a chilly and wet cabin and a shortage of potable water, they returned safely to Earth on April 17.

#229

Eileen Collins

First Female Space Shuttle Pilot and Commander

Appearance Date 2023

Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars

EILEEN COLLINS was the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She is a retired NASA astronaut and United States Air Force colonel and a former military instructor and test pilot. She was awarded several medals for her work. Colonel Collins has logged 38 days 8 hours and 20 minutes in outer space. Collins retired on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests, including service as a board member of USAA.

Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force's first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot's wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force's elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base.

NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership.

#228

Holly Ridings

First Female Chief Flight Director.
Deputy program manager for NASA’s Gateway project.

Appearance Date 2023
Artemis and the Gateway Program, NASA’s pathway to the Moon

HOLLY RIDINGS began her NASA career in 1997 at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before becoming a flight controller at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, where she led teams supporting the International Space Station. Holly Ridings, the first female chief of NASA’s flight directors, will now help lead the agency’s Gateway Program, an international partnership to establish humanity’s first space station around the Moon. In her new role, Ridings will serve as the deputy program manager, where she will lead teams to build and launch NASA’s foundational infrastructure in deep space.

Based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Gateway Program is an international collaboration that is building a small, human-tended space station that will orbit the Moon as a vital component of NASA’s Artemis missions. Gateway will host many capabilities for sustained exploration and research in deep space, including docking ports for a variety of visiting spacecraft, space for crew to live and work, and on-board science investigations to study heliophysics, human health, and life sciences, among other areas. Gateway will be a critical platform for developing technology and capabilities to support future Mars exploration.

#227

Nagin Cox

JPL Systems Engineer- Mars Rover Mission Appearance Date 2023
Dare Mighty Things: Mars Rovers Paving the Way

NAGIN COX graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering and was commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force. She worked in F-16 Aircrew Training and received a masters degree in Space Operations Systems Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. As a captain, she served as an Orbital Analyst at NORAD/Space Command in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs. In 1993, Nagin joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and has since served as a systems engineer and manager on multiple interplanetary robotic missions including NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Exploration Rover Missions and the Kepler telescope mission to search for Earth-like planets around other stars Since the beginning of time, people have been entranced by the night sky and by our nearest planetary neighbor- Mars. Nagin will share stories of NASA’s “Journey to Mars” from the early rovers to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and Mars Helicopter. Percy and Ingenuity are the start of the Mars Sample Return campaign. Robotic exploration is the first step in the longer-term vision of international exploration of Mars by humans.

#236

Alyssa Pagan

Science Visuals Developer
Appearance Date 2023
Webb Imagery, The Art and Science in Translating Cosmic Infrared Light

Alyssa Pagan is a Science Visuals Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in art and design from Towson University and a second bachelor’s in Astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park. Leveraging art and science, Alyssa applies an in-depth technical understanding of image formats, image quality, resolution, color management, metadata, and photo printing, along with the principles of photography and design to the presentation of astronomical data.
The amazing visions from the Webb Space Telescope have captivated the world. However, there is a long and involved process by which the scientist's black and white observational data are transformed into dynamic color imagery for the public. Join image specialist Alyssa Pagan as she discusses the art and science of translating infrared light into amazing images.

#219

Charlie Duke

Apollo Moonwalker
Appearance Date 2021
An Interview with Charlie Duke

CHARLIE DUKE was one of nineteen men selected for NASA's fifth group of astronauts in 1966. In 1969, he was a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10. In 1969, his distinctive Southern drawl became familiar to audiences around the world as the voice of NASA’s Mission Control (CAPCOM) during mans first lunar landing- Apollo 11. He was assigned as lunar module pilot of Apollo 16 and in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the Moon at age 36.

A 1957 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Duke joined the USAF and completed advanced flight training on the F-86 Sabre at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where he was a distinguished graduate. After completion of this training, Duke served three years as a fighter pilot with the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. After graduating from the Aerospace Research Pilot School in September 1965, he stayed on as an instructor teaching control systems and flying in the F-101 Voodoo, F-104 Starfighter, and T-33 Shooting Star.

#218

Alan Stern

NASA Principal Investigator, New Horizons
Appearance Date 2021
An Interview with Alan Stern

DR. S. ALAN STERN is a planetary scientist, space program executive, aerospace consultant, and author. In 2007 and 2008, Dr. Stern served as NASA’s chief of space and Earth science programs, directing a $4.4B organization with 93 separate flight missions and a program of over 3,000 research grants. Dr. Stern is the Principal Investigator (PI) of NASA’s $720M New Horizon’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission. Stern has also developed eight scientific instruments for planetary and near-space research missions and has been a guest observer on numerous NASA satellite observatories, including the International Ultraviolet Explorer, the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Infrared Observer and the Extreme Ultraviolet Observer.
Stern was Executive Director before receiving his doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Colorado in 1989, Dr. Stern completed two master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and atmospheric sciences. Dr. Stern also holds two undergraduate degrees including both physics and astronomy from the University of Texas.

#217

Gerry Griffin

Fmr. Director of NASA Space Flight Center
Appearance Date 2021,2023, 2024

#215

Tom Stafford

NASA Astronaut, Gemini, Apollo

Appearance Date 2021

An Interview with Tom Stafford

THOMAS PATTEN STAFFORD is an American Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and one of 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1969 to 1971.

After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Stafford was commissioned in the United States Air Force, flying the F-86 Sabre before becoming a test pilot. He was selected to become an astronaut in 1962, and flew aboard Gemini 6A in 1965 and Gemini 9A in 1966. In 1969, he commanded Apollo 10, the second crewed mission to orbit the Moon. Here, he and Gene Cernan became the first to fly an Apollo Lunar Module in lunar orbit, descending to an altitude of nine miles (fourteen kilometers).

In 1975, Stafford was the commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) flight, the first joint U.S.-Soviet space mission. A brigadier general at the time, he became the first general officer to fly in space. He was the first member of his Naval Academy class to pin on the first, second, and third stars of a general officer. He made six rendezvous in space and logged 507 hours of space flight. After the deaths of Wally Schirra, Eugene Cernan, and John Young, he is the last surviving crew member of Gemini 6A, Gemini 9A, and Apollo 10. In 1993, the Stafford Air & Space Museum was founded in his hometown of Weatherford, Oklahoma. It is a Smithsonian affiliate and is the only museum in the world to house test-fired engines that would have been used in the Space Race: a U.S. F-1 engine and a Soviet NK-33 engine. It holds the Gemini 6 spacecraft that he and Schirra flew in a rendezvous with Gemini

#212

Samuel Hale

Exec Director Mt. Wilson, Gt. Grandson of George Ellery Hale

Appearance Date 2020

The History of Mount Wilson

The Mount Wilson Observatory located in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles contains two historically important telescopes: the 100-inch Hooker telescope, which was the largest aperture telescope in the world from its completion in 1917 to 1949, and the 60-inch telescope which was the largest operational telescope in the world when it was completed in 1908. It also contains the Snow solar telescope completed in 1905, the 60 foot solar tower completed in 1908, the 150 foot solar tower completed in 1912. Sam Hale will discuss the history of Mount Wilson, its legacy and its future along with his grandfathers amazing accomplishments.

SAMUEL D. HALE is the Chief Executive Officer of Mount Wilson Observatory and is the grandson of George Ellery Hale. George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American solar astronomer and the key figure in the planning and construction of the first modern American observatories; namely, the 40-inch refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory, 60-inch Hale reflecting telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory, 100-inch Hooker reflecting telescope at Mount Wilson, and the 200-inch Hale reflecting telescope at Palomar Observatory. He also played a key role in the foundation of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research and the National Research Council, and in developing the California Institute of Technology into a leading research university.

#213

Thomas Zurbuchen

NASA Associate Administrator

Appearance Date 2020
A Species of Explorers

THOMAS ZURBUCHEN is NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Scientific discovery is one of humanity’s most important endeavors. Using the tools of exploration, we can better understand our world and our universe and ultimately learn more about ourselves. All discovery is interconnected, and no important question stands alone. Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen is tasked with helping us answer some of humanity’s biggest questions: Where did we come from? Are we alone? How does the universe work?

During his career, Zurbuchen has authored or co-authored more than 200 articles in peer reviewed journals in solar and heliospheric phenomena. He earned his doctorate and Master of Science degrees in physics from the University of Bern in Switzerland. His honors include multiple NASA ground achievement awards, induction as a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the 2018 Heinrich-Greinacher prize, the leading science-related recognition from the University of Bern.

#211

Dianna Coleman

Pres. Yerkes Foundation

Appearance Date 2020

Saving Yerkes

In April 2018, the University of Chicago indicated they were closing the Yerkes Observatory. The observatory, often referred to as "the birthplace of modern astrophysics" was founded in 1897 by astronomer George Ellery Hale. The observatory houses a 40-inch diameter Alvin Clarke doublet refracting telescope with an equatorial mount by Warner & Swasey. It is the largest refractor to be successfully used for astronomy. In addition, the observatory houses a collection of over 170,000 photographic glass plates. Yerkes Observatory is not only an iconic symbol in astronomy’s history but also represents a major milestone in the evolution of modern astronomy and our understanding of the universe. In 2018 the Yerkes Future Foundation was formed by a group of concerned citizens to save this iconic structure from certain demise by developers. For over a year, the group has been negotiating with the University of Chicago, which owns the observatory with the intent to save the facility and reopen it for public observing. Thanks to Dianna Colman and her colleagues efforts, the University of Chicago said, in 2019, that it had reached “an agreement in principle” with the Yerkes Future Foundation to take over ownership and maintenance of the observatory.

DIANNA COLMAN is the Chair of the Yerkes Future Foundation. A Harvard graduate and resident of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the location of Yerkes Observatory. She is a master of philanthropy and fundraising. She is an excellent negotiator and an expert at planning. Her involvement with Yerkes started in April 2018 when the University of Chicago indicated they were closing the observatory. Dianna stepped up to

chair the historical preservation.

#209

Alex Young

Associate Director for Science/Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Appearance Date 2020

The Parker Solar Telescope

DR. C. ALEX YOUNG is the Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the Education and Public Outreach team for the division. He works with the EPO teams as a liaison with the NASA offices of Education and Communication. In addition, he works with the division scientists to promote and support their research.

He joined the NASA/ESA SOHO mission after graduate school at the University of New Hampshire as a Solar An astrophysicist with the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). Working in this area grew his interest in image processing, which he combined with his love of statistics and data analysis. It was this with the help of some of his colleagues that led to his establishment of the Solar Image Processing Workshops or SIPWork. Over the past 7 years, Young has helped organize and run 5 workshops and edited 3 special topic Solar Physics journal volumes on Solar Image Processing. Part of what he enjoys about data analysis topics is the sharing of knowledge with the solar and astrophysics communities. This has led to his participation with the California Harvard Astrostatistics

Collaboration (CHASC).

#209

Jani Radebaugh

Planetary Scientist, Dragonfly Mission

Appearance Date 2020

Wind, Sand and Organics: Exploring Saturn’s Moon Titan through the Dragonfly Mission

#207

Walt Cunninghan

Apollo 7 Astronaut, Lunar Module Pilot

Appearance Date 2019

The Golden Age of Space Exploration

WALT CUNNINGHAM was born in Creston, Iowa on March 16, 1932. He graduated from Venice High School in Venice, California. Cunningham joined the U.S. Navy in 1951, and began flight training in 1952. He served on active duty as a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 until 1956, flying 54 missions as a night fighter pilot in Korea. From 1956 to 1975, he served in the Marine Corps Reserve, he retired at the rank of Colonel. Cunningham received his B.A. with honors in 1960, and his M.A. with distinction in 1961, both in physics, from the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed all requirements save for the dissertation for a Ph.D. in physics at UCLA during his time at RAND Corporation, where he spent three years prior his NASA selection. In October 1963, Cunningham was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA. On October 11, 1968, he occupied the Lunar Module Pilot seat for the eleven-day flight of Apollo 7, the first launch of a manned Apollo mission. The flight carried no Lunar Module and Cunningham was responsible for all spacecraft systems except launch and navigation. In 2008, NASA awarded Cunningham the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his Apollo 7 mission. He is currently a radio talk show host and public speaker. Cunningham also works as a consultant to start-up technology companies and is chairman of the Texas Aerospace Commission.

#206

James Hanson

Neil Armstrong Biographer/Author of the First Man

Appearance Date 2019

Neil Armstrong-The Astronaut as Icon:

Myth-Busting the Life of the First Man on the Moon

JAMES HANSEN is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He received his B.A. from Indiana University. He also received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Hansen serves on the Leadership Board of For All Moonkind, Inc. a nonprofit organization committed to developing a legal framework to manage and protect human cultural heritage in space. As the world prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing made by American spacecraft Apollo 11, on July 20, 1969, the man who took those historic first steps, Neil Armstrong, becomes the subject of renewed fascination.

In this talk historian James R. Hansen, author of the only authorized biography of Armstrong, explores the many ways that the iconic Apollo 11 commander has been misunderstood. Armstrong died in 2012, but his legend--as well as the myths--live on.

#205

Dylan O'Donnell

Amateur Astronomer & Astro Imager

Appearance Date 2019

A Tour of the Southern Skies

DYLAN O’DONNELL is an amateur astronomer with a Master’s in computer science currently finishing his post graduate studies in astronomy. His work has been featured by mainstream media and NASA. He’s also worked as a commissioned photographer for ESA. He is a member of Team Celestron and the organizer of the popular Star Stuff festival in Australia. In addition to sharing astro imaging tutorials on his popular YouTube channel, Dylan shares his images copyright-free and provides STEM outreach for schools and groups looking to learn more about the Southern Skies.

“All the good stuff is in the Southern Hemisphere!” Australian astro imager Dylan O’Donnell tries to convince us to move to the Southern Hemisphere by giving us a guided tour to the other side of the planet and sharing his stunning images of deep sky objects that only 22% of the world’s population can observe. Adventurous space tourists will also learn his best tips and tricks for traveling and photographing down under.

#204

Alan Stern

NASA Principal Investigator, New Horizons
Appearance Date 2019

The Farthest Exploration of the Worlds in History:
New Horizons at Ultima Thule

#203

Don Petit

NASA Veteran Astronaut
Appearance Date 2019
Techno-Stories from Space

DONALD R. PETTIT was selected by NASA in 1996. The Silverton, Oregon native holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he worked as a staff scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.

A veteran of three spaceflights, Pettit served as NASA Science Officer for Expedition 6 in 2003, operated the robotic arm for STS-126 in 2008 and served as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 30/31 in 2012, where he lived aboard the International Space Station for more than 6 months. From November 2006 through January 2007, Pettit also joined the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET), spending six weeks in the Antarctic summer collecting meteorite samples.

#202

Jim Green

NASA Chief Scientist

Appearance Date 2019

The Importance of the Moon: Past, Present, and Future

DR. JIM GREEN is NASA’s Chief Scientist who focuses on NASA’s strategic science objectives. He was previously the director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters since 2006. During his 12 years in this role, he managed numerous successful missions from Mercury to Pluto that have ushered in a golden age of planetary exploration. These missions include: the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity; and the New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond just to mention a few. Dr. Green received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Iowa in 1979 and began working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1980. Dr. Green’s numerous awards include NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Arthur S. Flemming award, and Japan’s Kotani Prize in 1996 in recognition of his international science data management activities.

#201

Bill Ayrey

ILC Dover Test Lab Manager

Appearance Date 2019

Apollo Space Suits and Beyond

BILL AYREY is the Quality Test Lab Manager and Company Historian for ILC Dover, LP, located in Frederica, Delaware. Bill has been employed with ILC Dover since 1977. Bill has spent many hours volunteering his time to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum so that the curators and Conservators better understand the mechanics of space suit design as well as how to preserve all the space suits in their collection. This includes efforts to preserve Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 suit as well as the eleven other ILC suits that were used on the moon. BILL AYREY is the Quality Test Lab Manager and Company Historian for ILC Dover, LP, located in Frederica, Delaware. Bill has been employed with ILC Dover since 1977. Bill has spent many hours volunteering his time to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum so that the curators and Conservators better understand the mechanics of space suit design as well as how to preserve all the space suits in their collection. This includes efforts to preserve Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 suit as well as the eleven

other ILC suits that were used on the moon.

#200

Kevin Schindler

Lowell Observatory Historian

Appearance Date 2019

Lowell Observatory’s Role in the Apollo Missions

Kevin Schindler has worked at Lowell Observatory for twenty years, managing the observatory’s outreach program for much of that time. He now serves as Lowell’s historian, documenting the observatory’s outreach program for much of that time.

Kevin will explain the amazing story of the role that the Lowell Observatory played in assisting the mission astronauts during the Apollo years. An active member of the Flagstaff history and science communities, having served as Sheriff of the Flagstaff Corral of Westerners International for 13 years, an international organization devoted to western American history. He also writes an astronomy column, ‘The View from Mars Hill’, For the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper He has also written several books, some of which include Northern Arizona Space Training (Images of America), Flagstaff Memories: The Early Years, and Pluto and Lowell Observatory: A History of Discovery at Flagstaff.

#199

Christopher Go

Renowned Astro Imager

Appearance Date 2019

Updates and Support for the Juno Mission

CHRISTOPHER GO will talk about some of the recent discoveries during the Juno Mission as well as how one can contribute to the mission. It has been 2 years since the arrival of the Juno Spacecraft at Jupiter. Important discoveries have been made on the internal dynamics of Jupiter. The contribution of amateur astronomers have been critical to the success of this mission. Christopher Go lives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. He has been an amateur astronomer since 1986, the year of the return of Halley’s Comet. He studied at the University of San Carlos where he received a BS in Physics and co-founded the University’s first-ever astronomical society. In February 2006, he discovered Jupiter’s “Red Spot Jr.” He has co-authored articles in numerous scientific journals including Nature. Go is also a member of the American Astronomical Society and its Division for Planetary Sciences. Although he began his career with 10x40 binoculars, Chris Go currently uses a Celestron C14 for planetary imaging particularly of Jupiter and Saturn.

#198

Jean Wright

NASA Aerospace Composite Technician
Appearance Date 2019
How Sewing Transformed the World of Flight

One of 18 seamstresses in this critical role, Jean and her co-workers dubbed their group, “The Sew Sisters,” – using machine and hand stitching to build, create and repair thermal protection flight hardware and parachutes for the space shuttle and Orion!

JEAN WRIGHT currently works as a Docent at the Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, educating and entertaining guests at the KSC Visitor Complex. She is also a member of NASA’s Speakers Bureau who represent NASA at civic, professional, educational and public events – as well as launch support and VIP Tours as needed including a recent special tour for NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Jean also gives invited lectures including as keynote speaker at the MQX Quilt Festival in 2018, Women’s History Month at KSCVC in 2018, and Family Day at the Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum in 2016. Jean has also done many radio interviews and been the subject of magazine and newspaper articles.One of the biggest thrills of her life was being asked by Mark Armstrong to cut and prepare for auction, pieces of historic muslin fabric from the Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer that his father, Neil Armstrong, carried to the moon aboard the Apollo 11 Lunar Module!

#197

Hans Koenigsmann

SpaceX Vice-President Of Flight Reliability

Appearance Date 2018

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy

Dr. Koenigsmann leads the Flight Reliability Team at SpaceX and serves as Launch Chief Engineer during the launch campaigns. The Flight Reliability team resolves anomalies, evaluates and mitigates risk and performs other functions on the vehicle system level.

He has more than 25 years of experience designing, developing and building complex avionics and guidance, navigation and control (GNC) systems for launch vehicles. Dr. Koenigsmann was the chief Avionics architect of the Falcon 1 and early Falcon 9 efforts, and he is a key member of the small, core group of SpaceX engineers responsible for operating these vehicles on the launch pad and in orbit. He served as Launch Chief Engineer for the last 3 Falcon 1 missions, and for most Falcon 9 flights up to date. Hans‘ experience includes the development of two suborbital and two orbital launchers, as well as several satellite projects and attitude control systems. He served as head of the Space Technology Division of Germany's Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen. In that role, he was responsible for the development and operation of the satellite BREMSAT. Following his experience at ZARM, Hans worked for Microcosm as Chief Scientist and Flight Systems Manager for their Scorpius suborbital launch vehicles, where he led a team that developed the vehicle's avionics, guidance and control systems, as well as supported the thrust vector control development. For their Space System Division, he developed satellite attitude control systems using a variety of control concepts for which he received a US patent.

Hans has a Ph.D. in aerospace and production technology from the University of Bremen and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

#196

Tim Walsh

NOAA System Director GOES-R Program

Appearance Date 2018

GOES-R Weather Satellites: A Game Changer for Weather Forecasting

Tim Walsh is acting System Program Director for the GOES-R Series Program. Walsh oversees the development, integration, test, and acceptance of major system elements for the GOES-R/S/T/U satellites. Walsh was manager of the NOAA Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC) in Suitland, Maryland, where he led NOAA flight operations for the GOES, POES and DMSP satellites. Walsh has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Duke University and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are a mainstay of weather forecasts and environmental monitoring in the United States. The next generation of GOES satellites, known as the GOES-R series, represents significant advancements in the near real-time observation of severe weather across the Western Hemisphere. The two newest GOES satellites, GOES-16 and GOES-17 – launched in the last 16 months, are already showing dramatic improvements in Earth, solar and in-situ science observations.

#195

John Mather

Nobel Laureate & Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope

Appearance Date 2018

The History of the Universe from the beginning to the end: where

did we come from, where can we go?

Dr. John C. Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he specializes in infrared astronomy and cosmology. He received his Bachelor’s degree in physics at Swarthmore College and his PhD in physics at the University of California at Berkeley. As an NRC postdoctoral fellow at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, he led the proposal efforts for the Cosmic Background Explorer, and came to GSFC to be the Study Scientist, Project Scientist, and the Principal Investigator for the Far IR Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) on COBE. He and his team showed that the cosmic microwave background radiation has a blackbody spectrum within 50 parts per million, confirming the Big Bang theory to extraordinary accuracy. The COBE team also discovered the cosmic anisotropy (hot and cold spots in the background radiation), now believed to be the primordial seeds that led to the structure of the universe today. It was these findings that led to Dr. Mather receiving the Nobel Prize in 2006.

#193

Mike Leinbach

Space Shuttle Launch Director

Appearance Date 2018

Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry in the skies over east Texas. Over the next three months, an unlikely coalition of NASA technicians, wildland firefighters, and local volunteers searched every square foot of an area larger than the state of Delaware to recover the remains of Columbia’s crew and 80,000 pounds of debris from the vehicle.

MICHAEL D. LEINBACH was NASA’s Launch Director during the Columbia disaster serving from Aug. 2000 to Nov. 2011. He also became the last Launch Director, giving the final shuttle launch GO call to Atlantis (STS-135) in 2011. Leinbach joined NASA in 1984 as a structural engineer in the Design Engineering Directorate. Leinbach was tapped to serve as Assistant Launch Director in May 2000 and was named Launch Director in August 2000. He also serves as the senior operations expert for NASA for all Shuttle flight elements and ground support equipment processing issues. In November 2004, Leinbach was awarded the prestigious 2004 Presidential Rank Award. He has received numerous group achievement and performance awards, including NASA's Exceptional Service Medal in 1993 for his leadership in planning and conducting Shuttle launch countdowns and NASA's Medal for Outstanding Leadership in May 2003 for significant contributions to the Space Shuttle Program. Born in Reading, Pa.,. He received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1976 and a Master of Engineering

in Civil Engineering in 1981 from the University

of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.

#192

Tom Mulder

Boeing CST Starliner, Navigation, Control, & Mission Designer

Appearance Date 2018

Boeing CST-100 Starliner

Tom Mulder is a Technical Fellow living in Temecula, California and working for the Boeing Office in Houston. During his 35-year career, Tom specialized in GN&C, mission design, and rendezvous for the Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), Commercial Crew, and dozens of Boeing concept spacecraft. Tom designed the architecture behind CST-100 Starliner autonomous flight and requirements for guiding the vehicle during ISS rendezvous, departure, and deorbit. Previously, Tom was Chief Engineer for a Boeing team that developed autonomous rendezvous technologies for advanced projects, including DARPA’s Orbital Express Program. Tom graduated with an Aerospace Engineering Degree from Iowa State University. Among his commendations are the Astronaut Office Silver Snoopy Award and Rotary Club Stellar Individual Award. Development of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft began in 2009 as a Space Shuttle replacement for crew and cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS). Vehicle design matured rapidly since award of a NASA contract in September 2014, leading to test flights later this year and operational missions beginning in 2019.

#190

Kirsten Howley

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Physicist

Appearance Date 2018

Preventing an Asteroid Extinction

Kirsten Howley is a physicist on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) planetary defense team. She derives analytic equations and leverages large-scale computing systems (supercomputers) to simulate asteroid deflection scenarios, with a focus on the effectiveness of standoff nuclear explosions to alter the speed – and thus orbital timing – of potential threats. In addition to her planetary defense work, she is involved in modeling and executing hydrodynamic experiments important to assessing the safety, security and effectiveness of explosive devices related to national security.

Kirsten holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in astronomy and astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz, and a B.A. in physics and astrophysics from UC Berkeley. She joined LLNL as a graduate student summer intern in 2007, worked as a postdoc and was hired onto the staff in 2013. She was the first of what has become numerous staff members who got their start at LLNL as postdocs and graduate interns conducting planetary defense research.

#189

Don Bruns

2018 AAS Chambliss Achievement Recipient

Appearance Date 2018

The Perfect Eclipse: Measurements of Starlight Deflections in Wyoming

Donald Bruns was awed while viewing the moon when he was 12 years old, using a department store refractor. He went on to build a 6” Newtonian in high school, and loved working on optics in college. The most fun parts of his science career were imaging lasers on a mountain top in New Mexico and using a telescope on Mt. Wilson to track GPS satellites. Since his retirement a few years ago, he has worked on developing a low-cost adaptive optics system and planning this eclipse experiment. He received the 2018 AAS Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award for his work on this project. In 1919, astronomers attempted to confirm Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity by measuring starlight deflections during a total eclipse viewed in Africa. It was a very difficult experiment, but their marginal results made Einstein famous. Ever since then, astronomers have tried to get better eclipse results, but always had some technical problems. In Wyoming in 2017, the weather was perfect and all of the commercial equipment performed flawlessly. This talk will discuss some of the historical problems and how the latest experiment succeeded in getting the best results ever

obtained.

#185

Mike Reynolds

Professor of Astronomy at Florida State College

Appearance Date 2017

The Great American Total Solar Eclipse!

Reynolds is perhaps best known for his astronomy and science education efforts, from the classroom to informal education to astronomy and space exploration outreach. Reynolds has 38 years in astronomy and space sciences in the gamut of a high school and university instructor, planetarium and museum director, researcher, writer, and lecturer. He has received numerous recognition for his work, including the 1986 Florida State Teacher of the Year, Florida Teacher-in-Space Finalist, and the G. Bruce Blair Medal. Reynolds' astronomical research has been primarily focused on Solar System objects, as well as meteoritics. He has led expeditions around the world for numerous total solar eclipses, meteorite crater research, and meteorite recoveries. He worked with Meade Instruments in 2005 to develop, curate, and create Meade’s Meteorite Kit, a special set of meteorites, tektites, and impactites. Reynolds has served as president of the Antique Telescope Society, on the Board of Directors of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), and chaired the Astronomical League’s individual Outreach Awards, which he initiated for the League. Reynolds is also a member of the American Astronomical Society, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

#184

#183

Scott Bolton

Vice president of the Southwest Research Institute Space Science and Engineering Division

Appearance Date 2017

Juno Mission to Jupiter

Bolton is the principal investigator for Juno, a mission launched in 2011 to study Jupiter's origin, atmosphere, magnetosphere and interior structure, part of NASA's New Frontiers program to explore the outer planets of the solar system. Bolton previously served on the Galileo mission as a member of the plasma spectrometer team and plasma wave instrument team. Dr. Bolton chaired the Titan science group for the Cassini-Huygens mission and was responsible for the formulation of the scientific investigation of Saturn’s moon Titan. Dr. Bolton has been a Principal Investigator with NASA on various research programs since 1988. His research includes the modeling of the Jovian and Saturnian radiation belts, atmospheric dynamics and composition, and the formation and evolution of the solar system. He has authored over 250 scientific papers, five book chapters, and consulted/appeared in five space science documentaries. He also received JPL Individual Awards for Exceptional Excellence in Leadership in 2002, 2001, and 1996, and Excellence in Management in 2000; and has received over twenty NASA Group Achievement Awards.inning in 2019.

#182

Sara Seager

Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appearance Date 2017

Mapping the Nearest Stars for Habitable Worlds

Sara held a postdoctoral research fellow position at the Institute for Advanced Study between 1999 and 2002 and a senior research staff member at the Carnegie Institution of Washington until 2006. She joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in January 2007, and was elevated to full professor in July 2010. NASA's PlanetQuest referred to her as "an astronomical Indiana Jones". Sara Seager used the term "gas dwarf" for a high-mass super-Earth-type planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium in an animation of one model of the exoplanet Gliese 581 c. Seager was awarded the 2012 Sackler Prize for "analysis of the atmospheres and internal compositions of extra-solar planets", the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2007 for developing "fundamental techniques for understanding, analyzing, and finding the atmospheres of extrasolar planets, and the 2004 Harvard Bok Prize in Astronomy. She was appointed as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012 and elected to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as an honorary member in 2013.

#181

Caleb Weiss

ULA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager

Appearance Date 2017

Bridging History: Preparing to Launch Astronauts atop ULA’s Atlas V

Caleb Weiss is mission manager of Commercial Crew missions for United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, Weiss leads a team responsible for integrating The Boeing Company’s Starliner crew capsule onto ULA’s Atlas V rocket. This ULA/Boeing partnership will return human spaceflight to American soil beginning in 2018.

Prior to his current role, Weiss managed various Air Force and commercial missions for ULA, most recently DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 mission, the highest resolution commercial imaging satellite currently on orbit. Weiss has held various systems engineering and project management roles for ULA, mostly centered around launch vehicle integration for Air Force, NASA and commercial customers. Weiss also has managed several special projects, including deployment of RocketBuilder.com, which sets a new standard of transparency for launch services pricing. Weiss earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

#180

Todd May

NASA Space Flight Center Director

Appearance Date 2017

Mars and Beyond: Enabling Deep Space Exploration and Science

May's NASA career began in 1991 in the Materials and Processes Laboratory at Marshall. He was deputy program manager of the Russian Integration Office in the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1994. May managed the successful integration, launch and commissioning of the station's Quest airlock in 1998. He also joined the team that launched the Gravity Probe B mission to test Einstein's general theory of relativity.

In 2004, May assumed management of the Discovery and New Frontiers Programs, created to explore the solar system with frequent unmanned spacecraft missions. He moved to NASA Headquarters in Washington in 2007 as a deputy associate administrator in the Science Mission Directorate. Returning to Marshall in June 2008, May was named Marshall's associate director, technical, a post he held until being named SLS program manager.

#179

James Albury & Dean Regas

Star Gazers Co-hosts

Appearance Date 2017

Star Gazers: Popularizing Astronomy

Dean and James are both co-hosts on the PBS program Star Gazers. The show educates viewers about astronomical events for the coming week and about astronomy and astronomical history in general. Viewers learn about various constellations and how to find different stars. The show is broadcast on over 200 PBS stations. It is also available on NASA's Central Operation of Resources for Educators, VOA TV and the Armed Forces Network.
Albury pursued a degree in astronomy at the university of Florida, he worked from 1993 - 2007 for UF's Office of Academic Technology and then as a manager with Lifestyle Family Fitness in Jacksonville from 2007 - 2009. In 2009, Albury was able to professionally return to his first love (Astronomy) when he became the director of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College. He has produced numerous planetarium shows in the 7 years that he has been the planetarium’s director and has been given the opportunity to speak around the country regarding the challenges and opportunities for public interest in astronomy and astronomical outreach. Dean has been the Astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory since 2000. He is a renowned educator, a national popularizer of astronomy and an expert in observational astronomy. He is a Contributing Editor to Sky and Telescope Magazine and a contributor to Astronomy Magazine, where he won 2008 “Out-of-this-World” Award for astronomy education. Dean has written over 120 astronomy articles for the Cincinnati Enquirer, blogs for the Huffington Post and is regularly featured on television and radio.

#178

Frank DeMauro

Orbital ATK Vice President & General Manager, Advanced Programs Division

Appearance Date 2017

Cygnus and Antares Program Development

Demauro graduated from Rutgers University, he was originally was a thermal engineer, until the mid-’90s when he moved into systems engineering. He began to get into business development in the commercial geosynchronous communications satellite arena at Orbital. He has been with Orbital for over 20 years.
Demauro did business development and systems engineering in the geosynchronous satellite world, as well as program management. He managed several programs, first the Optus Program, which was a development program which enhanced the capability of Orbital’s geosynchronous spacecraft bus, the StarBus. The second was a program for SES, where he managed the development project of an even larger GeoBus. He became the Vice President of Engineering for Orbital in the technical operations group after he left the geo group. He operated as Vice President of Engineering up until he took over as the Program Manager for COTS and CRS about a year later.

#177

Roberto Abraham

Professor at University of Toronto & President of the Canadian Astronomical Society

Appearance Date 2017

The Dragonfly Telephoto Array Project

Roberto Abraham is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto and President of the Canadian Astronomical Society. He obtained his BSc from University of British Columbia and his doctorate from Oxford in 1992. His work is focused on observations of galaxy formation and evolution and the development of innovative instruments. Prof. Abraham is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (the country’s National Academy) and his work has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Canadian Astronomical Society’s P. G. Martin Award, the Canada Foundation for Innovation Career Award, the NSERC Steacie Fellowship, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award, and a bunch of other nice things. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Gemini Observatory, on the Science Advisory Committee for the Thirty Meter Telescope, and is Canada’s representative on the James Webb Space Telescope Advisory Committee. He has advised NASA by serving as panel chair on the Hubble Space Telescope time allocation committee. Being keen on outreach, and has served as Honourary President of the Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for many years.

#176

Alice Bowman

New Horizons Mission Operations Manager

Appearance Date 2016

Reaching for New Horizons

Alice Bowman covers the voyage of NASA’s historic first mission to Pluto – which culminated with a flyby of the distant dwarf planet on July 14, 2015. Alice Bowman, as mission operations manager, leads the team controlling NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on its voyage to Pluto and beyond, from “mission control” at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. After studying physics and chemistry at the University of Virginia, the Richmond (Va.) native joined the California Inst. of Technology, where she developed tumor-targeting micelles (which have successfully been used to treat cancer and fungal infections); programmed computer simulations to study how explosions affect soil compression and wave propagation; and developed silicon-based semiconductors that detected infrared waves emitted by cruise missiles and stars. From there, Bowman was a satellite technical advisor to U.S. Space Command, advising the agency on various infrared-signature detections. She joined the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 1997, and has served on various spacecraft teams such as the Midcourse Space Experiment, CONTOUR and New Horizons.

#175

Hans Koenigsmann

SpaceX Vice-President Of Flight Reliability

Appearance Date 2016

SpaceX, Exploration Through Innovation

Hans has a Ph.D. in aerospace and production technology from the University of Bremen and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

#174

Marcia Bartusiak

Renowned Science History Author/ The Day We Found the Universe & Black Hole

Appearance Date 2016

Black Hole: How An Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved

Marcia Bartusiak is Professor of the Practice in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Combining her undergraduate training as a journalist with a master’s degree in physics, she has been covering the fields of astronomy and physics for more than three decades and has published in a variety of publications, including Science, Smithsonian, Discover, National Geographic, and Astronomy. The author of six books, her latest are Black Hole and The Day We Found the Universe, which received the History of Science Society’s 2010 Davis Prize for best history of science book for the public. She has also received the prestigious Gemant Award from the American Institute of Physics for her significant contributions to the cultural, artistic, and humanistic dimension of physics and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

#173

W. Lowell Putnam IV

Sole Trustee of the Lowell Observatory,
Great-grandnephew of Percival Lowell Appearance Date 2016
Lowell Observatory’s Pluto Heritage

W. LOWELL PUTNAM IV is serving as the 5th Sole Trustee of Lowell Observatory, having succeeded his father, Bill, in 2013. Putnam also serves as one of seven members of the Board of Trustees of the Lowell Observatory Foundation.

Putnam holds a BS in Psychology from American International College in Massachusetts and is a Life Member of the American Alpine Club and The Nature Conservancy. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Northern Arizona University in 2018

For the last 11 years of his life, Percival Lowell searched for a theoretical ninth planet, “Planet X”, that he believed existed beyond Neptune. Lowell was unsuccessful in this effort but inspired Clyde Tombaugh’s later search program – at Lowell’s observatory – that culminated with the discovery of Pluto in 1930. This breakthrough

enlarged the family of planets in our solar system, brought scientific credibility to Lowell Observatory, and helped spark the public’s excitement about space during the otherwise gloomy days of the Great Depression.

#172

Gerard van Belle

Lowell Observatory Astronomer / Interferometry

Appearance Date 2016

The Pluto Vote: One Astronomer’s Personal Story

The 2006 vote on the planetary status of Pluto has had a long-lasting reverberation throughout astronomy. With an outcome that remains controversial both in the public eye and within the professional community, the debate on what to call this world remains a lively one. His own accidental involvement in this question has its own tall tale, which he will recount along the way to re-examining a question: What is a planet, and why do we care? Dr. GERARD van Belle was with the European Southern Observatory in Germany and Chile from 2007 until July 2011, working as the Instrument Scientist for the PRIMA and MATISSE instruments for the VLTI interferometer. In August of 2011, he moved back to the United States as an Astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ, where he is working on the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer. Gerard began working on arrays of optical telescopes (“interferometers”) with graduate work at U. Wyoming in the mid 1990’s, working with Mel Dyck on the IOTA interferometer on Mt. Hopkins, AZ, collaborating with colleagues from lesser-known institutions such as Harvard and U. Massachusetts. Upon completion of his Ph.D. at U. of Wyoming in 1996, he joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an instrument architect for the Keck Interferometer, expanding his portfolio to include work with the largest telescopes in the world.

#171

Fred Espenak

NASA astrophysicist and eclipse specialist/GSFC

Appearance Date 2016

The Great American Total Eclipse of 2017

On August 21, 2017, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from the contiguous United States for the first time since 1979. The track of the Moon’s shadow cuts diagonally across the nation from Oregon to South Carolina. Inside the 68-mile-wide path of totality, the Moon will completely cover the Sun as the landscape is plunged into an eerie twilight, and the Sun’s glorious corona is revealed for over 2 minutes. Espenak will present a detailed preview of this exciting event with maps, photos and weather prospects along the eclipse path based on his recent book on the same subject. He will also share some some of his eclipse experiences with us through photos and video. Fred Espenak is a retired NASA astrophysicist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he worked with infrared spectrometers to probe the atmospheres of the planets. He is also known as “Mr. Eclipse” because of his work on predicting and observing solar eclipses. He has written over a dozen books on eclipses including his most recent “Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21.” Espenak also runs 3 web sites on eclipse prediction (www.EclipseWise.com), eclipse photography (www.MrEclipse.com) and astrophotography (www.AstroPixels.com). Over the past 45 years he has witnessed 26 total eclipses of the Sun. In 2003, the International Astronomical Union honored Espenak by naming asteroid 14120 after him.

#170

David Shoemaker

Senior Research Scientist at MIT and Director of the Advanced LIGO project

Appearance Date 2016

The Confirmation of Gravitational Waves

Dr. David Shoemaker works on gravitational wave detection and leads the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project, delivering the detectors that made the groundbreaking observation of gravitational waves in September 2015. He has been involved in the field for over two decades, spending most of that time at MIT where he is presently Senior Research Scientist at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. He is also a Visiting Associate at Caltech and serves as the Director of the MIT Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Laboratory. Dr. David Shoemaker, first working in the domain of Cosmic Microwave Background on the COBE satellite, he earned degrees in physics from MIT and the Université de Paris. He has undertaken research at MIT, Max Planck in Garching Germany, and Orsay France, having helped launch gravitational wave detector projects in Germany, France, and the United States. Shoemaker is now involved in data quality oversight for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the development of future gravitational wave detectors on the ground and in space. He has testified before Congress on the LIGO effort and how it is expected to benefit science and innovation in the future, and is an advocate for scientific exploration. Shoemaker is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

#169

Bernard Kutter

Manager of Advanced Programs, United Launch Alliance (ULA) Lockheed Martin/Boeing Defense

Appearance Date 2016

Transportation Enabling a Robust Cislunar Space Economy

For decades, the global space economy has been dominated by government programs and commercial telecommunications. The space hardware and launch service sectors have been relatively stagnant since the 1980’s. However, investments in space development have brought numerous industries to the cusp of transitioning from research and development to profitable businesses. Transportation is a critical foundation required by all space industries. Earth-to-orbit launch has caught most of the public’s attention with investments by wealthy entrepreneurs, new vehicles coming on line, and staunch global competition. But on-orbit transportation may be even more transformational, enabling new, thriving industries. Where are the space highways of tomorrow? What will be the impact of extraterrestrial derived propellants? What technology leaps in transportation are required to open cislunar space to commercial development?

Bernard Kutter received a B.S. in Aerospace engineering from U. of Washington in 1987. He joined GD in 1988 to pursue his passion for space utilization, providing thermodynamic support for 68 Atlas Centaur and Titan Centaur Launches. Bernard manages ULA’s Advanced Programs group where he has been responsible for concept development of ULA’s Vulcan rocket, ACES upper stage and developing new capabilities to ensure that ULA provides future space transportation services that enable customer missions.

#168

Alden & Annette Tombaugh

Daughter & Son of Clyde Tombaugh, Discoverer of Pluto
Appearance Date 2016
Remembering Clyde

Annette and Alden Tombaugh are the children of the late Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto in 1930. At an early age, Annette shared Clyde’s love of science and later his passion for teaching, accompanying her father to Astronomical Society meetings, and from 1968 to 1971, she was Clyde’s literary research assistant. Annette and her brother Alden share memories of Clyde, and images of the Universe through Clyde’s telescopes. Annette Tombaugh has been involved since 1992 with a mission to Pluto, beginning with JPL and later with the Southwest Research Institute as a member of media and educational outreach. She has appeared in TV and YouTube shows including PBS Nova’s The Pluto Files with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Chasing Pluto. In 2008, Annette represented her family’s opinion about the reclassification of Pluto by participating in ‘The Great Planet Debate’ at APL. She received a Master’s Degree in Teaching from New Mexico State University in 1975. Alden received a graduate degree from the University of Colorado School of Banking. Annette and Alden are both retired and busy documenting their family history

#167

Alan Stern

NASA Principal Investigator, New Horizons
Appearance Date 2016
The Exploration of the Pluto System by New Horizons

Stern was Executive Director before receiving his doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Colorado in 1989, Dr. Stern completed two master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and atmospheric sciences. Dr. Stern also holds two undergraduate degrees including both physics and astronomy

from the University of Texas.

#165

Jim Green

NASA Planetary Science Division Director

Appearance Date 2015

Worlds Seen for the First Time: Ceres & Pluto

Dr. Green received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Iowa in 1979 and began working in the Magnetospheric Physics Branch at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1980. At Marshall, Dr. Green developed and managed the Space Physics Analysis Network that provided scientists all over the world with rapid access to data, to other scientists, and to specific NASA computer and information resources. In addition, Dr. Green was a Safety Diver in the Neutral Buoyancy tank making over 150 dives until left MSFC in 1985. From 1985 to 1992 he was the head of the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). . He has written over 100 scientific articles in refereed journals involving various aspects of the Earth's and Jupiter's magnetospheres and over 50 technical articles on various aspects of data systems and networks. In August 2006, Dr. Green became the Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. Over his career, Dr. Green has received numerous awards. In 1988, he received the Arthur S. Flemming award given for outstanding individual performance in the federal government and was awarded Japan's Kotani Prize in 1996 in recognition of his international science data management activities.

#164

Alan Hirshfeld

Astronomer/Author/Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts

Appearance Date 2002, 2015

Adventures of Histories Best Worst Telescopes

Alan Hirshfeld is Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory. He received his undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Princeton University in 1973 and his Ph.D. in astronomy from Yale University in 1978. His widely praised book Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos, published in 2002 by Henry Holt & Co., chronicles the human stories involved in the centuries-long quest to measure the first distance to a star.

A past winner of a Griffith Observatory/Hughes Aircraft Co. national science writing award, he is currently working on a popular biography of 19th-century scientists Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell, to be published by Walker and Co. Publishers in 2005. He is co-editor of Sky Catalogue 2000.0. His three-part series on the history of observational astrophysics is currently featured in Sky & Telescope magazine. Other writings have appeared numerous places, including the Astrophysical Journal, Boston Globe, BBC History magazine, The Mathematics Teacher, Isis, and American Scientist.

He currently serves on the advisory board of the American Astronomical Society's Historical Astronomy Division and was named to MIT's Distinguished Lecturer Series

#162

Dave Eicher

Editor, Astronomy Magazine

Appearance Date 2015

Does the Universe Really Care About Itself?

A native of Oxford, Ohio, Dave Eicher founded the magazine Deep Sky Monthly in 1977 which was published regularly until 1992. From Deep Sky magazine Dave moved onto Astronomy magazine where he has been for the past 24 years. Beginning there as an assistant editor and working through associate, senior, and managing positions, Dave has been the magazines Editor since 2002.

Dave has spoken widely to amateur astronomy groups, logged hundreds of hours at the eyepiece, and written seven books on astronomical observing. Among the most recognized by amateur astronomers are The Universe from Your Backyard (Cambridge University Press), Deep-Sky Observing with Small Telescopes (Enslow), and Stars and Galaxies (Kalmbach Books). Dave has appeared on CNN, CNN Headline News, WGN radio, National Public Radio, and other media outlets to promote the science and hobby of astronomy. In addition to his book writing, Dave has written or edited hundreds of articles on all facets of astronomy, science and hobby. Several years ago, the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet, 3617 Eicher, after Dave in recognition of his service to astronomy.

#161

Bill Gerstenmaier

NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations

Appearance Date 2015

The Need for Human Exploration

Gerstenmaier began his NASA career in 1977 at the then Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, performing aeronautical research. He was involved with the wind tunnel tests that were used to develop the calibration curves for the air data probes used during entry on the Space Shuttle. Beginning in 1988, Gerstenmaier headed the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) Operations Office, Systems Division at the Johnson Space Center. He was responsible for all aspects of OMV operations at Johnson, including development of a ground control center and training facility for OMV. Subsequently he headed the Space Shuttle/Space Station Freedom Assembly Operations Office, Operations Division. He was responsible for resolving technical assembly issues and developing assembly strategies. Gerstenmaier is the recipient of numerous awards, including three NASA Certificates of Commendation, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, a Senior NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award, and Distinguish Executive Presidential Rank Award. He also was honored with an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award from Purdue University. Additionally, he was twice honored by Aviation Week and Space Technology for outstanding achievement in the field of space, among many other commendations.

#157

J Kelly Beatty

S&T Senior Editor

Appearance Date 2015

Preparing for Pluto

Kelly Beatty, an S&T Senior Editor, writes many of the feature articles and news items found in Sky & Telescope and on this website. He joined the staff of Sky Publishing in 1974 and served as the editor of Night Sky, our magazine for beginning stargazers, in 2004-07. Specializing in planetary science and space exploration, Kelly conceived and edited The New Solar System, considered a standard reference among planetary scientists. He also taught astronomy for six years at the Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Kelly has been honored twice by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society. In 2005 he received the Harold Masursky Award for meritorious service, and in 2009 he was honored with the inaugural Jonathan Eberhart Journalism Award. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Astronomical League Award (in 2006) for his contributions to the science of astronomy and the American Geophysical Union's Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism (2009).

#156

Matt Greenhouse

Project Scientist for the JWST Science Instrument Payload

Appearance Date 2014

The James Webb Space Telescope

Dr. Greenhouse began work in infrared astronomy during 1979. After receiving a Bachelor's of Science degree in Geosciences from the University of Arizona, he joined the Steward Observatory as an instrument technician for balloon-borne and Kuiper Airborne Observatory science instrument development. During 1983, he joined the Wyoming Infrared Observatory as a graduate student in physics. After receiving a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Wyoming during 1989, he joined the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC as a Federal Civil Service astrophysicist. He then joined the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center during 1996. Dr Greenhouse has served on several NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) flight mission teams. He supported the NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy mission by serving on its Independent Annual Review Board as Co-Chair, and served on both its Interim Management Review Board, and Science Steering Committee. Dr. Greenhouse has been a member of the NASA Astrophysics Working Group, and has supported ground-based astronomy through membership on the National Science Foundation Committee of Visitors.

#155

Joe Rao

Meteorologist and TV Personality

Appearance Date 2014

The 2014 Comet LINEAR Meteor Shower

Joe Rao is a six-time Emmy nominated meteorologist at FiOS1 News. He has co-lead several eclipse expeditions and served as an on-board meteorologist for three eclipse cruises. He is also an Associate and Guest Lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium, a Contributing Editor for Sky & Telescope and also writes for Space.com, Natural History magazine and the Farmers' Almanac.
Joe's career spans more than 30 years in weather casting. He's also known for his research in the field of astronomy. Joe's syndicated reports were heard in over 200 radio markets across the eastern and central United State, including parts of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada. In New York, his forecasts aired on WABC, WPAT, WMCA, WPLJ, and 1010 WINS radio. For his radio work, Joe received the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Seal of Approval in 1987. He is also the recipient of the National Weather Association (NWA) Seal of Approval for excellence in television weather casting in 2002.

#153

Dave Eicher

Editor, Astronomy Magazine

Appearance Date 2014

Does the Universe Really Care About Itself?

#152

Alan Stern

NASA Principal Investigator, New Horizons
Appearance Date 2014
New Horizons Mission

from the University of Texas.

#151

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist, Director Hayden Planetarium

Appearance Dates 2000, 2014

The New Cosmos

One of the most noted personalities in astronomy, Dr. Tyson earned his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia University. Tyson's professional areas of research include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way.

With the reconstruction and dedication of the new Hayden Planetarium in February of 2000, Dr. Tyson assumed the role as the first Frederick P. Rose Director. In Tyson’s words: “More than a space theater or a building, New York City's Hayden Planetarium enjoys a proud legacy that has blended scientific scholarship with innovative public outreach for much of the past century.”

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a 12-member commission to study the future of the US Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations for Congress and for the major agencies of the government that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

Tyson's contributions to the academics of astrophysics have recently been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid "13123 Tyson".

In addition to his impressive list of television appearances, Dr. Tyson is currently the host of the new Cosmos TV Series following in the legendary footsteps of Carl Sagan.

#156

Mike Brown

Planetary Astronomer, Caltech

Appearance Date 2013

How I Killed Pluto and Why it had it Coming

Mike Brown is famous for his extraordinary discovery of the “10th Planet” Eris yet more infamous for the resulting debate leading to the downgrading of Pluto by the IAU to Dwarf Planet status. In 2010, Mike published his book How I Killed Pluto and Why it had it Coming.

Mike Brown is the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. He specializes in the discovery and study of bodies at the edge of the solar system. Feature articles about Brown and his work have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Discover, and his discoveries have been covered on front pages of countless newspapers worldwide. In 2006 he was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People as well as one of Los Angeles magazine's Most Powerful Angelinos. He has authored over 100 scientific paper.

Brown received his AB from Princeton in 1987, and then his MA and PhD from University of California, Berkeley, in 1990 and 1994, respectively. He has won many awards and honors for his scholarship, including the Urey Prize for best young planetary scientist from the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Sciences; a Presidential Early Career Award; a Sloan Fellowship; the Kavli in Astrophysics, and, of course, the one that started his career, an honorable mention in his fifth-grade science fair.

#150

Garik Israelyan

Astrophysicist & Spectroscopist, Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands, Co-creator of STARMUS International Conference
Appearance Date 2014
Stars with Extrasolar Planets: Are They Different?

The vast majority of stars in our Milky Way galaxy host planets, many of which may be capable of supporting life. Most of the planets form around stars, which influence planets and vice versa! What have we learned about “star-planet” relationships since the
first exoplanet was discovered in 1995?

GARIK ISRAELIAN is a renowned Astrophysicist & Spectroscopist who’s work at Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands, has led to high-profile discoveries including the first evidence that supernova explosions make black holes. His work involves the study of the spectral signatures of stars and other bodies at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, home of the world’s largest optical-infrared telescope mirror. Garik and Queen guitarist Brian May, collaborated in 2011, which eventually led to their co-creation of the STARMUS Festival.

#148

Monica Young

S&T Web Editor, Astrophysicist
Appearance Date 2014
Black Holes, Quasars, and Object G2 at the
Center of the Galaxy

Black holes capture the imagination. These rents in the fabric of spacetime let nothing, not even light, escape. Yet when they feast, black holes can become powerful beacons – as gas flows into their gaping maws, it heats up, glowing brightly enough to be seen from the early universe. How do we find black holes even when they’re not gorging on gas? Dr. Young will speak to the most commonly asked questions about black holes.

DR. MONICA YOUNG earned her Ph.D. researching the behavior of supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. She held a predoctoral fellowship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and graduated in 2010 from Boston University. After completing a postdoc at Penn State University, Young left the academic world for her dream job at S&T where she commissions, edits, and writes web news stories and magazine articles.

#143

John Grunsfeld

Veteran NASA Astronaut, Chief Scientist

Appearance Dates 2002, 2013

Repairing the Hubble Space Telescope

John Grunsfeld received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from MIT in 1980; a Master of Science degree and a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

Dr. Grunsfeld’s research has covered x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, high-energy cosmic ray studies, and development of new detectors and instrumentation. Dr. Grunsfeld studied binary pulsars and energetic x-ray and gamma ray sources using the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, x-ray astronomy satellites, radio telescopes, and optical telescopes including the NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr. Grunsfeld was selected by NASA in 1992. Following STS-103, he served as Chief of the EVA Branch in the Astronaut Office and following STS-109 Grunsfeld worked on the Orbital Space Plane, exploration concepts, and technologies for use beyond low earth orbit in the Advanced Programs Branch. He is currently the NASA Chief Scientist detailed to NASA Headquarters. A veteran of four space flights, STS-67 (1995), STS-81 (1997), STS-103 (1999) and STS-109 (2002), Dr. Grunsfeld has logged over 45 days in space, including 5 space walks totaling 37 hours and 32 minutes.

#141

John Davis

Oscar Nominated Writer/Director & Astrophotographer

Appearance Date 2013

Getting Started in Today’s Astrophotography

John Davis is an Oscar and Emmy nominated writer/director/producer, responsible for such animated films as Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (creator), The Ant Bully, and many other movies and TV shows.

In addition to writing and directing, John is a published Astrophotographer (photographing distant celestial objects with specialized cameras and telescopes). His images have appeared in numerous astronomy magazines, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, and are included in the Starstruck Exhibition at the Bates Museum in Maine. John became interested in astrophotography soon after purchasing his first telescope in 2007 – a Celestron CPC 800. For the last 5 years, John has constantly evolved his imaging and processing techniques, as well as his equipment. Specializing in “Wide Field” images of sprawling complexes of dusty nebulosity, John’s workhorse rig has been the Takahashi FSQ 106EDX and SBIG STL-11000M camera, riding on the Takahashi EM200 mount.

John has accepted that he is slowly turning into his nerdy creation Jimmy Neutron.

John graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1984 with a BFA in film production.

#117

Derrick Pitts

Astronomer and Science Communicator
The Franklin Institute
Appearance Date 2009
The International Year of Astronomy

Derrick Pitts is an astronomer and science communicator working at the Franklin Institute since 1978 where he is chief astronomer and director of the institute's Fels Planetarium. Pitts is a frequent guest on radio and television to explain the science of astronomy and share his enthusiasm for science in general. Pitts is an alumni of St. Lawrence University in NY.

The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) is a year-long celebration of astronomy which took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th century. The Year was declared by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations and a global scheme, laid out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was also endorsed by UNESCO, the UN body responsible for educational, scientific, and cultural matters.

The IAU coordinated the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. This initiative was an opportunity for the citizens of Earth to gain a deeper insight into astronomy's role in enriching all human cultures.

#96 Jeff Kanipe & Dennis Webb

#95 Alan MacRobert

#93 Mike Reynolds

#92 Roger Sinnott

#90 Gary Palmer

#89 Sue French

#86 Robert Naeya

#98

Stephen O'Meara

Author and Contributing Editor to

Sky and Telescope Magazine

Appearance Date 2007

Comets and the Witch Histeria of 1692

Steve James O’Meara earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University and has spent most of his career on the staff of Sky & Telescope, where he is a contributing editor. An accomplished observational astronomer, writer, and photographer, Steve O'Meara is known in the astronomical community worldwide for his precise drawings of solar-system objects as may be seen through the telescope. His remarkable skills continually reset the standard of quality for other visual observers. Steve was the first to sight Halley's Comet on its return in 1985. He noticed the dark "spokes" in Saturn's B ring before the Voyager spacecraft imaged them. And he was the first to determine the rotation period of the distant planet Uranus.

The Texas Star Party presented to him its Omega Centauri Award for his "efforts in advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and for sharing his love of the sky". The International Astronomical Union named asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his honor.

In addition to his astronomical work, he travels the world to research volcanic eruptions. National Geographic Explorer produced a movie "Volcano Hunters" about O'Mearas' work. Steve O’Mearas’ books include Deep-Sky Companions: The Messier Objects, Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects, Deep-Sky Wonders, and Mars: The Lure of the Red Planet.

#85

Wil Tirion

Preeminent Celestial Cartographer

Appearance Date 2005

Charting the Heavens

Will Tirion is regarded as the world’s preeminent celestial cartographer. A resident of the Dutch Netherlands, Mr. Tirion was interested in stars and star maps for most of his life, yet began his professional career as a graphic designer and artist. It was not until 1977, working strictly as a hobby, that Wil started his first real star atlas. Five large maps, showing the whole sky, with stars to magnitude 6.5. It was published in the Encyclopedia of Astronomy, and later as a separate set of star maps by the British Astronomical Association (B.A.A.). The title: B.A.A. Star Charts 1950.0.

Shortly thereafter, still considering it as a hobby, Mr. Tirion began working on Sky Atlas 2000.0, depicting stars to magnitude 8.0. After it's publication in 1981 (Sky Publishing Corporation / Cambridge University Press), Mr. Tirion’s magnificent map designs become in high demand, and in 1983, he quit his work as a graphic artist and designer, and starting as a full-time celestial cartographer (uranographer).

Since then, Mr. Tirion has created a large number of star maps for atlases as well as countless books and magazines for publications worldwide resulting in him becoming the worlds most recognized and respected celestial cartographer.

On November, 7, 1987 Mr. Tirion received the ‘Dr. J. van der Bilt-prize’; an award from the respected Dutch organization for weather and astronomy amateurs. On September 1, 1993, Wil Tirion was honored by the naming of an asteroid- (4648) Tirion.

#84 Richard Talcott

#83 Mel Bartels

#81 Craig Waff

#80 Anthony Flanders

#77 Michael Bakisch

#76 Barbara Wilson

#76

Barbara Wilson

Director of the George Observatory
Appearance Date 2004
Going Deep, Visual Observing at the Very Edge

BARBARA WILSON is the director of the George Observatory in Houston, Texas, where she fosters an interest in the night sky for thousands of children and adults. Barbara is best known for always wanting to push the limits of what could be seen, as in the title of her talk Visual Observing at the Very Edge. In the professional community, she collaborates with researchers and is the coauthor of a paper on the globular cluster IC 1257. Several books feature her observations, including Star Clusters by Brent A. Archinal and Stephen J. Hynes, and Mark Allison’s Star Clusters and How to Observe Them. Timothy Ferris interviewed Barbara for his 2007 film and book Seeing in the Dark about the lives and work of amateurs exploring the universe.

Barbara is a member of the Fort Bend and Houston astronomical societies, and she has been a fixture at the Texas Star Party since the mid-1980s. During her tenure as the Texas Star Party’s speaker chairperson, she invited prominent and famous astronomers who entertained and educated fortunate attendees deep in the West Texas mountains. These speakers included Gene Shoemaker, Harold Corwin, David Levy, and, during an incredible four nights in 1995, Paul Hickson, Timothy Ferris, Robert Williams, and Halton Arp. Fortunate souls were enthralled to listen to Arp describe his interactions with his mentor, Edwin Hubble, and how he spent one year of his life in the observing cage of the Palomar Observatory 200-inch telescope.

#64

John Grunsfeld

Veteran NASA Astronaut, Chief Scientist

Appearance Dates 2002, 2013

Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope

John Grunsfeld received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from MIT in 1980; a Master of Science degree and a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

#63

Alan Hirshfeld

Astronomer/Author/Professor of Physics, University of Massachusetts

Appearance Date 2002

Parallax: Measuring the Universe

He currently serves on the advisory board of the American Astronomical Society's Historical Astronomy Division and was named to MIT's Distinguished Lecturer Series

#62 Rob Gendler

#61 Richard Berry

#60 Ted Williams

#57 Gary Seronik

#56 Bob Berman

#55

Tim Pucket

Supernova Hunter/Puckett Observatory

Appearance Date 2001

Puckett Observatory Supernova Search

A pioneer in the field of amateur CCD astro-imaging, Tim Puckett has built several robotic telescopes and is the discoverer of 24 supernovae to date. His spectacular comet photos have graced the pages of many magazines world wide.

His work has been featured on air at: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, BBC, Good Morning America, Discovery, and The Learning Channel. He's been published in 17 countries, and is a co-Author of The Art & Science of CCD Astronomy. Puckett is a 21-year veteran amateur astronomer, 20 years of which he's been an avid astrophotographer.

Since 1989 he's owned and operated numerous CCD cameras. Currently Puckett is operating the automated Super Nova patrol and Comet Astrometry program with 60-cm. and 35-cm. robotic telescopes out of the Puckett Observatory in the Appalachian Mountains. Tim is also currently working as a robotic telescope consultant to many professional institutions.

#54

Dave Eicher

Editor, Astronomy Magazine

Appearance Date 2014

Cosmic Orphans: Finding our Place in the Universe

#53

Seth Shostak

Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

Appearance Date 2000

The Search for Extraterrestrials

Seth Shostak holds a degree in physics from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, he has conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately forty papers in professional journals. For more than a decade, he worked at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, in Groningen, The Netherlands, using the Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope.

He has also written several hundred popular articles on various topics in astronomy, technology, film and television. For more than thirty years, Seth has been producing his own films, many of them popular among science pieces used for television. He founded and ran a computer animation firm in Holland that made leaders and short films for networks and other video producers, and now lectures on astronomy and other subjects at the California Academy of Sciences.

Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California.

#52 Rick Fienberg

#51 Sarah K. Kennedy

#50 Ed Ting

#49 Robert Naeye

#48

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist, Director Hayden Planetarium

Appearance Dates 2000, 2014

The New Hayden Planetarium

Tyson's contributions to the academics of astrophysics have recently been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid "13123 Tyson".

In addition to his impressive list of television appearances, Dr. Tyson is currently the host of the new Cosmos TV Series following in the legendary footsteps of Carl Sagan.

#47 Matthew Marulla

#45

Leif Robinson

Editor Emeritus Sky & Telescope Magazine

Appearance Date 1999

Frontiers of Amateur Astronomy

Leif J. Robinson joined Sky & Telescope magazine in 1962. To celebrate the start of the new millennium, he retired as the magazine’s Editor in Chief after 20 years at the helm. He is the founding Editor of S&T’s Observer’s Guide series and its SkyWatch annual and remains Editor Emeritus of S&T.

Leif is an elected member of all major professional astronomical organizations and an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He was a founding member of Commission 51 (Bioastronomy) of the International Astronomical Union. He has served on the American Astronomical Society’s Publications Board and its Working Group for Amateur-Professional Cooperation.

Leif received the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Dorthea Klumpke-Roberts Award for astronomy popularization and has served on its Board of Directors. In 1990 he was honored by having Asteroid 3819 named after him. In 2001 he received the American Association of Variable Star Observer’s William Tyler Olcott Distinguished Service Award.

Leif has traveled to all the continents, in search of total solar eclipses but also in search of birds and other wildlife.

#44 Richard Berry

#43 Todd Gross

#42

Douglas Duncan

Astronomer/Researcher,

University of Colorado

Appearance Date 1999

Cosmic Origins: From the Big Bang to Us

Dr. Douglas Duncan received his B.S. in Astronomy from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph. D. in Astrophysics from the University of California Santa Cruz/Lick Observatory.

Mr. Duncan is the current Director of the Astronomical Laboratories of the University of Colorado and has served in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Chicago and Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, where he helped begin a trend of modernizing planetariums which has spread to New York, Denver, and beyond. He served as national Education Coordinator for the American Astronomical Society, representing 6,000 professional astronomers in the US. In that capacity he led efforts for better teaching and public communication for astronomers throughout the United States. Dr. Duncan has also been an astronomer on the staff of the Space Telescope Science Institute. There he was responsible for one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s original instruments. He and his research team currently study the composition of the oldest known stars - "fossil stars" - which date back almost to the time of the Big Bang. Their discoveries have provided direct evidence of the explosive birth of our Milky Way galaxy, and shed light on conditions at the time of the Big Bang which began the universe itself.

Dr. Duncan has been involved in research at the Lick Observatory in California, Mt. Wilson Observatory, Palomar Observatory and at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

#41

Joe Rao

Meteorologist and TV Personality

Appearance Date 1999

The Leonids were Dead, They Said

#40

Terrance Dickinson

Noted Astronomy Author, Astrophotographer

Appearance Date 1998

Comets and Craters: Beginning and End

The author of fourteen books, Dickenson has received numerous national and international awards for his work, among them the New York Academy of Sciences book of the year award and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Klumpke-Roberts Award for outstanding contributions in communicating astronomy to the public. In 1994, asteroid 5272 Dickinson was named after him. In 1995, he received the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian achievement award. A former editor of Astronomy magazine, Dickinson was an instructor at several science museums and planetariums in Canada and in the United States before turning to science writing full time in 1976. His articles have appeared in many magazines, and he writes a weekly astronomy column for The Toronto Star and a consultant for the Canadian Discovery Channel. He also teaches astronomy part-time at St. Lawrence College, Kingston, Ontario.

His most popular publications include the beginners ‘must read’ guide Nightwatch, Firefly Books 1998, The Backyard Astronomers Guide, Firefly Books 1994, Exploring the Night Sky, Camden House 1994 and The Universe and Beyond, Camden House 1998.

#29 David Crawford

#28 Bob Berman

#27 Joseph Keane

#26 Stuart Goldman

#25 John Bortle

#24 Brian Marsden

#12

Fred Hess

Instructor of Astronomy and Navigation, Hayden Planetarium

Appearance Date 1994

Total Solar Eclipses

FRED HESS, legendary astronomer and popular lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium, had a status worthy of Joe DiMaggio. Fred Hess was the "evangelist of astronomy" and the dean of New York amateur stargazers. His title at Hayden was Instructor of Astronomy and Navigation, though he was well versed in all aspects of science. He was a longtime professor of physical science at SUNY Maritime College and authored a very popular book, Chemistry Made Simple, in 1955. For four years during the late '60s and early '70s he also served as the science editor and on-camera weathercaster for WPIX Channel 11.

Fred was one of the most dynamic and powerful speakers you could ever hear. It wasn't only Fred's resonant voice that made him a popular raconteur. When asked for his secret on how he was always able to hold an audience. He answered, "Just tell a story.“ As a testimony to his abilities as a lecturer, in 1975 he received the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Richard Berry

Astronomy Author/CCD Pioneer

Appearance Date 1992

CCD Astrophotography

RICHARD BERRY developed the homemade CCD camera in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Designed to make digital astrophotography available to anyone with an interest and skill for tinkering. His book, The CCD Camera Cookbook was a step by step “recipe” to building your own astronomical CCD camera. A huge innovation for its time incorporating a complete liquid cooling system for eliminating noise from the chip. This book was followed by The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing, the companion book, complete with software to control your camera and process the images to obtain the best results.

Berry, originally from Stamford, Connecticut, lives in Lyons, Oregon and studied physics at the University of Virginia. He is also the author of several books on building your own telescopes including Build Your Own Telescope, a classic in its field detailing instructions on building five different kinds of telescopes, The Dobsonian Telescope, a Practical Manual for Construction of Large Aperture Telescopes; Telescope Optics: Evaluation and Design, a book for amateurs who want to know how telescopes work as well as abook on the introduction to astronomy, Discover the Stars, containing monthly sky charts and detailed star maps.

#4 Tom Lorentzin

Phil Harrington

Astronomy Author

Appearance Date 1992

The Messier Marathon

A lifelong amateur astronomer, Phil Harrington was bitten by the "astronomical bug" when he was assigned to watch the total lunar eclipse of April 1968 as a homework assignment. Since then , Phil has spent countless hours touring the universe through telescopes and binoculars. He is a former staff member of New York City's Hayden Planetarium and instructor at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport, New York. Phil is an adjunct professor at both Dowling College, Oakdale, NY, and Suffolk County Community College's Eastern Campus in Riverhead, New York, where he teaches courses in stellar and planetary astronomy. He is a member of Custer Institute, a founding member of the Westport (CT) Astronomical Society, and is also one of the coordinators of the annual Astronomer's Conjunction, held every summer in Northfield, MA. Phil is also a contributing editor for Astronomy Magazine, where he writes the monthly Phil Harrington's Binocular Universe as well as frequently reviews telescopes, binoculars, and other astronomical equipment. Phil is best known for his books: Touring the Universe Through Binoculars, Star Ware, and Astronomy for All Ages plus a host of others.

Bill Gutsch

Chairman Hayden Planetarium

Appearance Date 1992

The Hayden Planetarium

BILL GUTSCH was the very first guest speaker to take the NEAF stage in April of 1992. He served as the director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium from 1981 until 1996 when Neil deGrasse Tyson stepped in as acting chair.

Gutsch, Ph.D., is a graduate of Saint Peter’s College, class of 1967, with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. He received his Master of Science in astrophysics, as well as his doctoral degree from the University of Virginia. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1995 from St. Peter’s. Since 1995, Dr. Gutsch has served as the president of Great Ideas, providing services for NASA, various local and national governments, as well as major universities and science museums around the world. He has also served as the chief executive officer of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.

Dr. Gutsch previously worked for ABC’s Good Morning America and World News This Morning as a science correspondent. Additionally, he has written, produced, and appeared on programs for PBS, NBC, CNN, The Learning Channel, and NASA-TV; he was nominated for an Emmy in 1986. Dr. Gutsch has also worked with film production companies such as Paramount, Lucasfilm Ltd., and The Children’s Television Workshop.

Gutsch currently serves as president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). The ASP, founded in 1889, is the largest astronomy society in the world. Past presidents of the ASP include Edwin Hubble, who discovered the expanding universe and for whom the Hubble Space Telescope is named.

#241

Ken Kremer

Journalist / Photographer
Appearance Date 2024
Eyewitness to NASA Human & Robotic Explorers

DR. KEN KREMER is a Pharmaceutical Research Scientist and Space Journalist, and Founder & Managing Editor for Space UpClose website – based nearby the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, FL. He is active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.

Dr. Kremer offers independent analysis about space topics. He lectures about both human and robotic spaceflight especially Mars.

Ken is a scientist, journalist, photographer and speaker and often appears as an expert space commentator on major national, international and local TV News outlets: ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC TV and Radio News, Fox News, News Nation, Spectrum, ARD, TRT World Turkish TV, i24, the American Space Museum and other major news outlets, representing Space UpClose.

His Mars and Space imagery and articles have been widely published on TV, magazines, books and websites.

#191

Tim Gasparrini

Lockheed-inSite, Osiris Rex and Juno

Appearance Date 2018

INSIGHT, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno and GOES – An Overview

Tim started his career at Lockheed Martin in 1985 where he has held various mechanical engineering assignments on the Mars Global Surveyor, STARDUST, GRAIL and Mars Odyssey Programs. In 2001, Tim was selected as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Mechanical Engineering Manager. After the launch of MRO, in 2005 he was designated as the Phoenix Deputy Program Manager with responsibility for Mars Entry, Descent and Landing. After Phoenix landing, Tim was assigned asthe Program Manager for the Juno Program. After the Juno Launch in 2011, Tim was selected as the Director of Space Exploration Systems with oversight for the development of the MAVEN And OSIRIS-Rex and Insight spacecraft as well as the flight operations for 6 planetary spacecraft. In 2014 Tim was assigned as the GOES-R Vice President and Program Manager. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from The Florida Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Robert Reeves

Writer/Imager

Appearance Date 2017

The Moonlover’s Guide to the Bright Sky

Robert Reeves will demonstrate how it is possible for the amateur astronomer to use modest, affordable equipment to take lunar photographs that exceed the resolution achieved by professional earth-based telescopes during the Apollo era.

Robert Reeves has been exploring the moon since 1958 and took his first lunar photograph in 1959. In 1975, he acquired a Celestron 8 telescope, which he still uses today in addition to his newer Celestron 11 Edge HD. Since 1984, Reeves has published over 250 magazine articles and 150 newspaper columns about astronomy in publications including Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Amateur Astronomy and others. In 1994, he published his first book, The Superpower Space Race. He has also published three books on various aspects of astrophotography. Reeves’ current passion is re-popularizing the moon within the amateur astronomy community and inspiring others to capture their own impressive lunar images with modest equipment.

Alphabetical Index

87 Michael A’Hearn 2005
177 Roberto Abraham 2017
179 James Albury &
Dean Regas 2017
201 Bill Ayrey 2019
103 Neta Bahcall 2008
70 Michael Bakisch 2003
77 Michael Bakisch 2004
83 Mel Bartels 2005

174 Marcia Bartusiak 2016

157 J Kelly Beatty 2015

208 J Kelly Beaty 2020

145 Yuri Beletsky 2013

74 Jim Bell 2003

172 Gerard van Belle 2016

136 Marni Berendsen 2012

28 Bob Berman 1996

56 Bob Berman 2001

146 Bob Berman 2013

128 Bob Berman 2011

5 Richard Berry 1992

44 Richard Berry 1999

61 Richard Berry 2002

183 Scott Bolton 2017

2 John Bortal 1992

25 John Bortle 1996

176 Alice Bowman 2016

147 Mike Brown 2013

189 Don Bruns 2018

238 Robert Cabana 2024

110 Roland Christen 2008

134 Mark Clampin 2012

229 Eileen Collins 2023

211 Dianna Colman 2020

97 Guy Consolmagno 2007

188 Vince Coulehan 2018

227 Nagin Cox 2023

29 David Crawford 1996

207 Walt Cunningham 2019

122 Attilla Danko 2010

69 Ron Dantowitz 2003

141 John Davis 2013 178 Frank DeMauro 2017

109 Pascale Demy and

Gernot Meiser 2008

65 Dennis Di Cicco 2002

41 Terrance Dickinson 1998

72 John Dobson 2003

219 Charlie Duke 2021

43 Douglas Duncan 1999

54 David Eicher 2001

67 David Eicher 2002

138 David Eicher 2012

144 Dave Eicher 2013

153 Dave Eicher 2014

162 Dave Eicher 2015 71 Carter Emmart 2003

171 Fred Espenak 2016

149 Rick Feinberg 2014

52 Rick Fienberg 2000

106 Rick Fienberg 2008

59 Alex Filippenkco 2001

124 Alex Filippenko 2010

127 Alex Filippenko 2011

80 Anthony Flanders 2003

139 Tony Flanders 2012

89 Sue French 2006

191 Tim Gasparrini 2018

114 Pamela Gay 2009

62 Rob Gendler 2002

161 Bill Gerstenmaier 2015

166 Christopher Go 2016

158 Christopher Go 2015

199 Christopher Go 2019

233 Christopher Go 2024

26 Stuart Goldman 1996

118 Philip Goode 2010

112 Albert Grauer 2009

165 Jim Green 2015

202 Jim Green 2019

156 Matt Greenhouse 2014

217 Gerry Griffin 2021

232 Gerry Griffin 2023

235 Gerry Griffin 2024

44 Todd Gross 1999

143 John Grunsfeld 2013

64 John Grunsfield 2002

1 Bill Gutsch 1992

231 Fred Haise 2023

212 Samuel Hale 2020

105 Heidi Hammel 2008

129 Heidi Hammel 2011

206 James Hansen 2019

3 Phil Harrington 1992

119 Jennifer

Lynne Heldmann 2010

12 Fred Hess 1994

133 Steele Hill 2012

164 Alan Hirshfeld 2015

63 Alan Hirshfield 2002

130 Steve Howell 2011

190 Kirsten Howley 2018

194 Pranvera Hyseni,

Grant Regen &

Will Clodfelder 2018

150 Garik Israelyan 2014

79 Michiro Kaku 2004

96 Jeff Kanipe &

Dennis Webb 2007

27 Joseph Keane 1996

51 Sarah Kennedy 2000

237 Norm Knight 2024

175 Hans Koenigsman 2016

197 Hans Koenigsmann 2018

236 Debbie Korth 2024

142 Ken Kremer

241 Ken Kremer 2024

169 Bernard Kutter 2016

82 Sun Kwok 2004

107 Thierry Legault 2008

193 Mike Leinbach 2018

68 David Levy 2002

234 David Levy 2024

121 Chris Lintott 2010

125 Chris Lintott 2011

135 Joseph Liske 2012

4 Tom Lorentzin 1992

95 Alan MacRobert 2007

140 Alan MacRobert 2013

120 Amy Mainzer 2010

113 Alan Marscher 2009

24 Brian Marsden 1996

47 Matthew Marulla 2000

195 John Mather 2018

180 Todd May 2017

100 Fulvio Melia 2007

123 Meteorite Men

Steve Arnold and

Geoff Notkin 2010

131 Meteorite Men 2011

137 Meteorite Men 2012

104 Dorothy Metcalf 2008

192 Tom Mulder 2018

75 Story Musgrave 2003

49 Robert Naeye 2000

86 Robert Naeye 2005

111 Robert Naeye 2009

132 Robert Naeye 2012

205 Dylan O’Donnell 2019

73 Steve O’Mera 2003

98 Stephen O'Meara 2007

91 Ben Oppenheimer 2006

226 Alyssa Pagen 2023

90 Gary Palmer 2006

108 Damian Peach 2008

159 Matt Penn 2015

203 Don Pettit 2019

99 Greg Piepol 2007

117 Derrick Pitts 2009

88 Phil Platt 2005

78 Carolyn Porco 2004

55 Tim Puckett 2001

173 W. Lowell Putnam IV &

Kevin Schindler, 2016

209 Jani Radebaugh 2020

230 Jani Radebaugh 2023

154 Stephen Ramsden 2014

163 Stephen Ramsden 2015

214 Stephen Ramsden 2020

42 Joe Rao 1999

155 Joe Rao 2014

186 Joe Rao 2017

239 Joe Rao 2024

184 Robert Reeves 2017

225 Robert Reeves 2023

93 Mike Reynolds 2006

185 Mike Reynolds 2017

228 Holly Ridings 2023

45 Leif Robinson 1999

160 Peter Saulson 2015

200 Kevin Schindler 2019

182 Sara Seager 2017

57 Gary Seronik 2001

94 Chuck Shaw 2006

170 David Shoemaker 2016

46 Carolyn Shoemaker 1999

53 Seth Shostak 2000

92 Roger Sinnott 2006

215 Tom Stafford 2021

204 Alan Stern 2019 152 Alan Stern 2014

167 Alan Stern 2016

218 Alan Stern 2021

116 Ronald Stoyan 2009

84 Richard Talcott 2005

115 Richard Talcott 2009

50 Ed Ting 2000

85 Wil Tirion 2005

168 Alden & Annette

Tombaugh 2016

48 Neil deGrasse Tyson 2000 151 Neil deGrasse Tyson 2014

81 Craig Waff 2004

196 Tim Walsh 2018 181 Caleb Weiss 2017

66 Mary Lou West 2002

101 Mary Lou West 2008

60 Ted Williams 2002

76 Barbara Wilson 2004

102 Barbara Wilson 2008

58 H. John Wood 2001

198 Jean Wright 2019

240 Jean Wright 2024

148 Monica Young 2014

210 Alex Young 2020

213 Thomas Zurbuchen 2020

#166

Christopher Go

Renowned Astrophotographer

Appearance Date 2016

Supporting the JUNO Spacecraft JunoCam: Image, Discuss, Vote and Process...

Christopher Go is an astronomer from Banilad, Cebu. He is a Physics graduate from University of San Carlos in 1991. His biggest discovery in February 24, 2006 was when he saw Jupiter’s white spot Oval Ba turn into Red. Now it is called the Red Spot Jr. He’s always with his telescope to monitor any changes in the image. Every latest images of Jupiter’s Red Jr is being featured at different websites in international astronomy. In January 24, 2008 he co-authored with Agustin Sanchez-Lavega in the Journal Nature on the NEB revival. In February 24, 2009, Go and Mike Wong joined the Hubble Heritage Team to image the Quad Transit in Saturn by using the Hubble Space Telescope.

He organized the University of San Carlos Astronomical Society in 1988. In 2006 he became a member of the American Astronomical Society and its Division for Planetary Science (DPS).Christopher Go was given the Presidential Order for Lakandula for his contribution to astronomy. He also received the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) Walter Haas Award.

#160

Peter Saulson

Martin A. Pomerantz ’37 Professor of Physics at Syracuse University

Appearance Date 2015

‘Listening in on Black Holes: What Advanced LIGO is About to Hear

After decades of development, the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave detectors will commence observations in the fall of 2015. By the time they reach design sensitivity before the end of the decade, we expect that they will be detecting signals from orbiting pairs of neutron stars and black holes. Gravitational waves will then be providing a whole new way of exploring the universe by “listening in” on the vibrations of space time. A key advantage of gravitational wave astronomy is its ability to target black holes and explore their dynamics. The talk will explain what gravitational waves are, what kind of technology is needed to detect them, and objects Advanced LIGO is likely to detect.

DR. PETER R. SAULSON is the Martin A. Pomerantz ’37 Professor of Physics at Syracuse University. He earned an A.B. in Physics at Harvard and a Ph.D. in Physics at Princeton. He has been involved in the development of the LIGO gravitational wave detectors since the first design studies in the early 1980s. His research has focused on key hardware systems for gravitational wave detectors, and on the development of methods to distinguish genuine gravitational wave signals from noise in the detectors. He served two terms as the Spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and now serves as the Chair of the LIGO Detection Committee, the future of the US Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations for the U.S. government that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space

exploration, and national security

#159

Matt Penn

Astronomer at National Solar Observatory

Appearance Date 2015

Living in the Atmosphere of the Sun

Matt Penn is a scientific leader with more than 20 years of experience in the field of infrared solar physics. Publication record with 60 peer-reviewed international journal articles. Proven record of funding development, with successful proposals totaling more than $6.2M. Student research mentoring for more than 30 students, and three years of research, instructional and curriculum development experience as a Physics Department faculty member. Research project experience from brainstorming to design and development through funding development to published scientific results. Management experience from hiring search committee through interviews and hiring through job supervision. Matt’s specific technical skills include Infrared arrays, Visible and IR spectropolarimetry, Image reconstruction, Telescopes and optics, Gaussian and non-parametric statistics, Fourier analysis, HVAC / cryogenics, Non-linear least-squares fitting, Analysis of large data. Scientific programming in c++, Fortran, JAVA, IDL and MatLab in Linux, Windows and Mac environments.

#137

The Meteorite Men

Steve Arnold and Geoffrey Notkin

Meteorite Hunters / TV Personalities

Appearance Date 2011, 2012

Behind the Scenes of the Hit TV Series

Steve Arnold and Geoffrey Notkin are the Meteorite Men. Real-life meteorite hunters, they transformed their global search for space rocks into a TV series on The Science Channel. The show documented their exploits over barren and isolated locations in the U.S., South America, Europe, and other far-flung locales.

Steve and Geoff both visit areas around the world where meteorites have impacted with the Earth's surface. Steve handles the business end while Geoff focuses on his passion for collecting and writing. They sell meteorites from the show and other finds through their appearances and online store. The TV show has also spawned a modern day "gold rush" as thousands of amateur meteorite hunters now scour the globe each year in search of meteorites that can be resold. In 2010, right as NEAF was being held, a meteorite exploded over Wisconsin and while Geoff made the presentation to the astronomical community at RCC, Steve hunted down parts of the meteor, arriving back with ‘hot’ specimens before the show ended.

Speaking at NEAF is a coming home event for Geoff, who lived a few miles from RCC in the 1980’s.

#127

Alex Filippenko

Astrophysicist, UC Berkeley

Appearance Dates 2001, 2010, 2011

The Runaway Universe

#125

Chris Lintott

Astrophysicist and TV Personality

Appearance Date 2010, 2011

What ,When and Who … Progress in Astronomy’s Big Question

Chris Lintott is the host of the long-running BBC astronomy feature The Sky At Night. Lintott is involved in a number of popular science projects aimed at bringing astronomy to a wider audience. He became the primary presenter of the BBC series after previously acting as a co-presenter alongside the legendary Sir Patrick Moore until Moore's death in 2012. Lintott is also a co-author of the book Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe with Patrick Moore and Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May. The book has been translated into 13 languages.

Lintott studied at the University of Cambridge where he was a student of Magdalene College. He received a Ph.D in astrophysics from University College London, where his thesis was on the subject of star formation. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and is presently a researcher at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on galaxies, galaxy evolution, and on the application of astrochemical models of star formation to galaxies beyond the Milky Way; particularly the use of sulphur compounds as a signature of stars that are in the process of forming.

#120

Amy Manzer

Astronomer, NASA JPL

Appearance Date 2010

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)

Amy Mainzer is an American astronomer specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy. She is the Deputy Project Scientist for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Principal Investigator for the NEOWISE project to study minor planets, as well as the proposed Near Earth Object Camera space telescope mission. NASA's NEOWISE discovered numerous previously unknown objects including 20 comets, more than 33,000 asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and 134 near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOs are asteroids and comets with orbits that come within 45 million kilometers of Earth's path around the sun. .

Amy Mainzer has appeared a number of times in The History Channel series “The Universe” and she also appears in the documentary short "Stellar Cartography: On Earth" included on the Star Trek Generations home video release. Her research interests include asteroids, brown dwarfs, planetary atmospheres, debris disks, star formation and the design and construction of new ground- and space-based instrumentation. Dr. Mainzer received a B.Sc. in Physics from Stanford University, an M.Sc. in Astronomy from California Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Astronomy from the UCLA.

#113

Dotty Metcalf

NASA Astronaut

Appearance Date 2008

What lead me to look up and why I cannot stop

#101

Mary Lou West

Professor Mathematical Sciences, Montclair State University

Appearance Date 2008

A Woman's Place is in the Dome

For more than 30 years (as of 2002) Mary Lou West has been inspiring and mentoring students in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and sharing her passion for scientific education, and especially for physics and astronomy.

As the driving force behind the University’s popular Public Telescope Nights, where anyone interested in looking at the night sky through a telescope is welcome, West is a familiar figure at both the University and in the surrounding communities. She is active in the New Jersey branch of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Astronomical Society and in the local astronomy club, the North Jersey Astronomical Group, which helps support the Public Telescope Nights.

To her students, however, West is better known as an inspirational teacher and guide who involves them in her research and helps them with their own. A graduate of Cornell University (BA and MS) and Columbia University (PhD), West’s research interests included topics such as meteorite composition and structure; cosmic rays; galactic structure; and physics education. She regularly works with students on research projects and serves as an advisor and mentor to many, even arranging for some students to accompany her to national conferences.

#97

Br. Guy Consolmagno

Research Astronomer/Planetary Scientist Appearance Appearance Date 2007

The Vatican Observatory

Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, is an American research astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory. He is the author of the acclaimed book “Brother Astronomer: Adventures Of A Vatican Scientist.”

He obtained his B.A. and M.A. at MIT and his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, all in planetary science. In 1983 he joined the U.S. Peace Corps to serve in Kenya for two years, teaching astronomy and physics. In 1989 he entered the Society of Jesus, and took vows as a brother in 1991.

He was assigned to the Vatican Observatory where he also serves as curator of the Vatican Meteorite collection, positions he has held since then. His research is centered on the connections between meteorites and asteroids, and the origin and evolution of small bodies in the solar system.

During 1996, he took part in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites. An asteroid was named in his honor by the IAU, IAU in 2000: 4597 Consolmagno, also known as "Little Guy." He appeared on The Colbert Report in December 2009 to promote his book, “The Heavens Proclaim.”

#94

Chuck Shaw

NASA Mission Director

Appearance Date 2006

The Final HST Servicing Mission

Chuck Shaw is an ex-NASA Flight Director who has overseen 32 Shuttle Missions from Houston’s Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center. Chuck’s experience in the United States Air Force and knowledge of flight simulation enabled him to rise to the position of Flight Director for the entire program.

After the Shuttle program, Chuck worked on the Astronaut Office, the Crew Escape System for the Orbital Space Plane, and later the Space Shuttle Program office, coordinating the impact testing program as part of the return to flight effort. Later Chuck moved to his current position as Mission Director for the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 (final Shuttle repair mission to the HST). Chuck most recently coordinated the efforts in support of the decision process for adding the servicing mission back into the Shuttle manifest. Chuck has been Past President of the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society, and is an avid observer and amateur telescope maker (ATM) and astro-imager.

#88

Phil Platt

Astronomer, Author, and TV Personality

Appearance Date 2005

Bad Astronomy and the Face on Mars

Dr. Phil Plaitt is an astronomer, writer and TV personality best known for his book Bad Astronomy and his companion website which clears up widespread public misconceptions about astronomy and space science in movies, the news, print, and on the Internet. Subjects deal with the Apollo Moon landing, The Face on Mars, and visual effects in the Star Wars movies.
Phil Plait's Bad Universe has aired on the Discovery Channel and he has also appeared as a frequent contributor in the joint Discovery Channel/Science Channel series How The Universe Works.
Before his time as a celebrated author and TV personality, Dr. Plait worked with the COBE satellite and later was part of the Hubble Space Telescope team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, working largely on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.
Dr. Plait received his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and his doctorate from the University of Virginia.

#87

Michael A'Hearn

Principle Investigator, JPL/NASA’s Deep Impact Mission

Appearance Date 2005

Why a Simple Experiment is Important

Dr. Michael F. A'Hearn is the distinguished professor of astronomy at the University of Maryland. He is the Principle Investigator for the NASA/JPL Deep Impact Mission in NASA’s Discovery Program as well as the Principle Investigator for the Small Bodies Node of NASA's Planetary Data System.

Dr. A’Hearn’s research, has for many years, emphasized the study of comets, supplemented with studies of asteroids. A’Hearn’s observational studies have encompassed all wavelength regions, from EUV to radio, and makes use of facilities around the world as well as those in orbit. His theoretical studies are focused on the physical and chemical properties of comets.

A’Hearn is currently engaged in solving the mystery of what conditions were like in the early solar system through the in-depth molecular study of the elements found in both comets and asteroids.

He is currently authoring a paper showing how the mixture of elements composing a comet change as the comet's gases expand.

#82

Sun Kwok

Director and Distinguished Research Fellow Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics Academia, Sinica

Appearance Date 2004

Cosmic Butterflies: The Colorful Mysteries of Planetary Nebula

Sun Kwok received his B.Sc. in Physics from McMaster University, Ontario in 1970, his M.S. and Ph D.in Physics from the University of Minnesota in 1972 and 1974 respectively.

Dr. Kwok's main area of research has been on the effects of mass loss on the late stages of stellar evolution. He has proposed that radiation pressure on grains is the mechanism of mass loss in AGB type stars. He promoted the idea that the AGB is terminated by the complete removal of the hydrogen envelope through mass loss, before carbon can be ignited. The exposure of the core and the initiation of a fast wind, lead to a "snow-plow" effect that creates a planetary nebula. This "interacting-winds" theory has become the standard model of planetary nebulae formation, and has led to a new understanding of the dynamical evolution of planetary nebulae. His book The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae was published by the Cambridge University Press in 2000 as well as Cosmic Butterflies in 2002.

Sun Kwok was Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary in Canada before taking the role of Director at the Institute of Astronomy and Physics in Sinica in 2003.

#79

Michiro Kaku

Theoretical Physicist/Co-Founder of the String Field Theory

Appearance Date 2004

Hyperspace, Time Travel and the Theory of Everything

Michio Kaku is arguably one of the most recognizable television spokesmen for all subjects relating to science and astronomy with appearances on science programs too numerous to mention here.

He graduated from Harvard in 1968, summa cum laude. He received his Ph.D. from Berkeley at the University of California in 1972, and in 1973 held a lectureship at Princeton University.

Dr. Kaku is a professor of theoretical physics and is the co-founder of the String Field Theory and holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at City College of New York where he has taught for more than 25 years. Additionally, he is a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, as well as at New York University.

Dr. Kaku’s popular books include Hyperspace, Visions and Parallel Worlds, an international best seller, as well as many Ph.D. level books and more than 70 published articles on superstring theory, supergravity, supersymmetry, and hadronic physics. Dr. Kaku is presently engaged in working on Einstein's "Theory of Everything," seeking to unify the four fundamental forces of the universe: the strong force, the weak force, gravity and electromagnetism.

#78

Carolyn Porco

NASA/JPL Team Leader: Cassini Mission to Saturn

Appearance Date 2004

Encounter with Saturn

Dr. Carolyn C. Porco received her PhD degree in 1983 from the California Institute of Technology in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, having completed her doctoral dissertation on Voyager discoveries in the rings of Saturn. In the fall of 1983, she joined the faculty in the Department of Planetary Sciences within the University of Arizona; the same year she was made a member of the Voyager Imaging Team. In the latter capacity, she participated heavily in the Voyager encounters with Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, leading the Rings Working Group within the Voyager Imaging Team during the latter encounter.

In November 1990, she was selected as the leader of the Imaging Team for the Cassini mission to Saturn, an international mission that has successfully placed a spacecraft in orbit around Saturn, and deployed an atmospheric probe to Saturn's largest satellite, Titan. She is also an imaging scientist on the Pluto/Kuiper Belt mission, New Horizons, which will launch to Pluto in 2006.

She is currently a Sr. Research Scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. Her contributions to the exploration of the outer solar system were recently recognized with the naming of Asteroid (7231) Porco.

#75

Story Musgrave

Decorated Veteran Astronaut

Appearance Date 2003

Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope

STORY MUSGRAVE entered the United States Marine Corps in 1953 and completed duty assignments in Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and aboard the carrier USS WASP. He has earned FAA ratings for instructor, instrument instructor, airline transport pilot, and U.S. Air Force Wings.

He served a surgical internship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington from 1964 to 1965, and continued there as a U.S. Air Force post-doctoral fellow (‘65-’66), working in aerospace medicine and physiology, and as a National Heart Institute post-doctoral fellow (‘66-’67).

Dr. Musgrave was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August 1967 and worked during the Apollo years as well as on the design and development of the Skylab Program. He participated in the design and development of all Space Shuttle extra-vehicular activity equipment. He served as CAPCOM communicator for STS-31, STS-35, STS-36, STS-38 and STS-41, and subsequent flights. He was a mission specialist on STS-6 in 1983, STS-5F/Spacelab-2 in 1985, STS-33 in 1989 and STS-44 in 1991, was the payload commander on STS-61 in 1993, and a mission specialist on STS-80 in 1996. A veteran of six space flights, Dr. Musgrave has spent a total of 1,281 hours 59 minutes, 22 seconds in space. Dr. Musgrave left NASA in 1997 to pursue private interests.

#74

Jim Bell

Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University

Appearance Date 2003

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission

Jim Bell is Adjunct Professor at the Cornell University Astronomy Department. Dr. Bell holds a PhD in Planetary Geosciences from the University of Hawaii. He received his B.S. from Caltech in 1987.
Dr. Bell’s main areas of research have focused on Mars surface mineralogy and climate variations using infrared and optical telescopes at Mauna Kea Observatory. He spent 3 years as a National Research Council postdoctoral research fellow at NASA's Ames Research Center in California prior to coming to Cornell. His studies primarily focus on the geology, chemistry, and mineralogy of planets, asteroids, and comets using data obtained from telescopes and spacecraft missions. He has published more than 70 research papers and more than 250 abstracts. Recent publications include the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission by Cambridge University Press, fall 2002. He is a member of the science teams of the NASA Mars Pathfinder, NEAR, Comet Nucleus Tour 2 (CONTOUR 2), Mars '01 Odyssey Orbiter, Mars '05 Reconnaissance Orbiter, and 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (Athena) missions.

#72

John Dobson

Father of the Dobsonion Telescope, Sidewalk Astronomer
Appearance Date 1999
An Afternoon with John Dobson

He is arguably one of the most influential people in amateur astronomy in the last 30 years. John Dobson is revered for revolutionizing backyard astronomy by making it accessible to everyone with an interest.
John was born in Peking, China, in 1915, his grandfather was the founder of the Peking University. After completing a degree in Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley in 1943, John joined the Vedanta Monastery in 1944, becoming a monk. There he spent the next 23 years where he was given the assignment of reconciling the teachings of religion with those of science. A degree in chemistry, and a curiosity in science lead him to the desire to “see” the Universe. Yet as a monk with no money, he had to find a way to build a telescope using scrap materials. Utilizing discarded items and scrap wood, this was the humble origin of what has come to be known as the "Dobsonian" mount. John built his first telescope in 1956 and with his first look his thoughts were, "Everybody must see this." So began John's long commitment to public-service in astronomy.
John Dobson's scientific musings are very thought provoking and, like Einstein's Relativity, require us to re-examine many of our long-held views. His theories in physics and cosmology boldly break new ground and significantly challenge the scientific orthodoxy.
John Dobson passed away Jan 15th 2014 at the age of 98.

#73

Stephen O'Meara

Author and Contributing Editor to

Sky and Telescope Magazine

Appearance Date 2007

Why is the Double Cluster Missing from the Messier Catalogue?

#69

Ron Dantowitz

Astronomical Video Imaging Pioneer

Appearance Date 2003

Sharper Skies through Video Eyes

Ron Dantowitz is director of the Clay Center Observatory at Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. Ron Dantowitz received his Aeronautical Engineering degree in 1988 and began working for NASA shortly thereafter. Ron later took a position at the Charles Hayden Planetarium, at the Boston Museum of Science. It was at the Museum's Gilliland Observatory where Ron began developing techniques for high resolution astronomical imaging using video. His techniques and images have been published in scientific journals, magazines, astronomy textbooks, encyclopedias, newspapers, and television programs including the high-resolution video that was watched by over 1 billion people of Space Ship One's historic flight to claim the X Prize.

Ron has specialized in using video techniques to image orbiting satellites at high resolution as well as more “conventional” solar system targets. His efforts have produced some of the sharpest ground-based optical images of planetary objects to date, with resolutions approaching 0.1 second of arc.
Ron's goal is to advance his video techniques as a serious imaging tool for professional use. He has tested video cameras on telescopes ranging from 4” to 100” aperture, and in the May 2000 Astronomical Journal, Ron published a peer-reviewed paper with the world's first high-resolution images of Mercury, showing impacts and marina on the planet's “unseen” hemisphere.

#68

David Levy

Comet Hunter and Author

Appearance Date 2000

Tales and Trails: A lifetime of Observing the Night Sky

David Levy is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. He holds four honorary doctorates and has asteroid 3673 (Levy) named in his honor. He has discovered 21 comets, 13 of which he shares with Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker. At the Palomar Observatory in California he and the Shoemakers discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994 resulting in most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the solar system.

Levy is currently involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey, which is based at the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Arizona.

Levy has currently has 31 books to his name and in 1998 he won an Emmy as part of the writing team for the Discovery Channel documentary, “Three Minutes to Impact.” He is currently the Science Editor for Parade Magazine, reaching more than 78 million readers and a contributing editor for Sky and Telescope Magazine writing its monthly “Star Trails” column. David Levy has appeared on many television programs, such as the Today show, Good Morning America, the National Geographic special “Asteroids: Deadly Impact”, and ABC's World News Tonight, where he and the Shoemakers were named Persons of the Week for July 22, 1994.

#66

Mary Lou West

Professor Mathematical Sciences, Montclair State University

Appearance Date 2002

Solar Astronomy: The Active Sun

#65

Dennis diCicco

Editor, Sky & Telescope Magazine /Asteroid Hunter

Appearance Date 2002

Telescopes 101

Dennis di Cicco joined the staff of Sky & Telescope in 1974, bringing with him a background in mechanical engineering and more than a decade of experience as an astrophotographer, telescope maker, and observer. He edits the Observer's Log and Astro Imaging departments and was instrumental in the creation of S&T's popular Test Reports and Gallery. He has led expeditions to view solar eclipses around the globe, his photography, has appeared in hundreds of books and magazines and includes the award-winning, year-long photograph of the Sun's analemma made in the late 1970s.

Dennis has been a pioneer in CCD tricolor imaging, and was the principal force behind the creation of Sky Publishing's quarterly CCD Astronomy and served as its Senior Editor until the publication was folded into Sky & Telescope in early 1997.

As an observer and astrophotographer, Dennis began a quest to record faint objects with a CCD and a 16-inch telescope. By late 1996 through extensive astrometric measurements he had been credited with the discovery of 100 minor planets. In 1989 the International Astronomical Union honored him by naming asteroid 3841 Dicicco.

#59

Alex Filippenko

Astrophysicist, UC Berkeley

Appearance Dates 2001, 2010, 2011

The Runaway Universe

#46

Carolyn Shoemaker

Planetary Astronomer and Comet Hunter

Appearance Date 1999

Comets and Craters: Beginning and End

Carolyn Shoemaker holds the record for most comet discoveries in history. She has discovered more then 32 new comets and more than 800 asteroids including 33 near Earth approaching asteroids. Additional fame comes from her co-discovery, with her late husband Gene Shoemaker and David Levy, of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1993 which impacted the planet Jupiter in 1994.

Working from Mt. Palomar, Carolyn developed techniques for scanning photographic films using a stereo microscope, which made possible a two fold increase in the rate in which the telescope can survey the sky.

Carolyn was co-recipient, with her husband Gene, of the Rittenhouse Medal in 1988 and the Scientists of the Year Award in 1995. She received an honorary doctorate of science from Northern Arizona University of Flagstaff in 1990 and the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1996.

John Bortal

Creator of the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale

Appearance Date 1992

Comets

JOHN E. BORTLE a contributing editor to Sky and Telescope Magazine. He has made a special study of comets, recording thousands of observations relating to more than 300 comets. From 1977 until 1994 he authored the monthly '"Comet Digest" in Sky and Telescope magazine. He also had a special interest in variable stars. After joining the AAVSO in 1963, Bortle contributed more than 215,000 visual observations to the AAVSO's database. From 1970 until 2000 he edited the monthly AAVSO circular for the American Association of Variable Star Observers.

Bortle, however, is best known for creating the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale to quantify the darkness of the night sky. It quantifies the astronomical observability of celestial objects and the interference caused by light pollution The scale ranges from 1 (extremely dark rural area or national park, usually at high elevation, low humidity, and low wind) to 9 (urban inner city). Today that scale is widely used throughout the world by the amateur astronomy community for ascertaining and relating their sky conditions to colleagues.

#133

Steele Hill

SOHO/STEREO Media Specialist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Appearance Date 2012
The SOHO Mission

STEELE HILL is the SOHO/STEREO Media Specialist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Steele describes the objectives of the SOHO and STEREO missions and what kind of solar data they are expected to return.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995, to study the Sun. It has also discovered more than 5,000 comets. In addition to its scientific mission, it is a main source of near-real-time solar data for space weather prediction.

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft (STEREO-A, STEREO-B) were launched in 2006 into orbits around the Sun that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This enabled stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.

Steele has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Maryland.

#71

Carter Emmart

Director/Hayden Planetarium’s Skyshow Appearance Appearance Date 2003

Hayden Planetarium’s Digital Universe

As the Director of Astrovisualization at the American Museum of Natural History, Carter Emmart directs their groundbreaking space shows and heads up development of an interactive 3D atlas called The Digital Universe. He coordinates scientists, programmers and artists to produce scientifically accurate yet visually stunning and immersive space experiences in the AMNH’s Hayden Planetarium. Over the last decade, he has directed four shows: Passport to the Universe, The Search for Life: Are we Alone?, Cosmic Collisions and Journey to the Stars.

Emmart’s interest in space began early, and at ten he was taking astronomy courses in the old Hayden. As a child born into a family of artists, he naturally combined his love of science with his tendency for visualization. His first work was in architectural modeling, soon moving on to do scientific visualization for NASA Ames Research and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, before joining the AMNH.

In May 2006, Carter received an honorary Ph.D. from Linkoping University in Sweden. Carter is working toward a future where planetariums, science centers and classrooms are networked together to display their results to young eyes across the world.

"My job is to translate the difficulty of science into understandable stories."

#135

Joseph Liske

Programme Scientist for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)
Appearance Date 2012
The European Extremely Large Telescope

Dr. Joe Liske is an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Garching, Germany, working in the E-ELT Science Office. Previously, he was an ESO Fellow and before that a postdoc at the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales.

He spends half his time working on the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). This (future) giant telescope will be Europe's premier ground-based optical and infrared facility in the coming decades. His work is concerned with all issues related to E-ELT science.

He spends the other half of his time doing research. His scientific interests are in extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology. Mostly, he studies galaxy formation and evolution using large surveys such as the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, and the intergalactic medium using QSO absorption lines.

#105

Heidi Hammel

Sr. Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Appearance Date 2008, 2011
James Webb Space Telescope: A Status Update.

HEIDI HAMMEL is an Interdisciplinary Scientist on the James Webb Telescope Project, and her focus is on Webb's theme "Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life." As a planetary astronomer, she has studied our Solar System's outer planets, and their rings and moons, with the Gemini, Hubble, Keck, Spitzer, and other telescopes.
Hammel led the Hubble Team that studied the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in July 1994, with a specific focus on Jupiter's atmospheric response to the collisions. Her latest research involves studies of Uranus and Neptune with Hubble and other Earth-based observatories. She was a member of the Imaging Science Team for the Voyager 2 encounter with Neptune in 1989. Hammel has been part of a team working to launch a mission to the outer solar system sometime in the next decade
She received her undergraduate degree from MIT in 1982 and her Ph.D. in physics and astronomy from the University of Hawaii in 1988. After a post-doctoral position at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Hammel returned to MIT, where she spent nearly nine years as a Principal Research Scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. She received the 1996 Urey Prize from the American Astronomical Society for her outstanding achievement in planetary science.

#145

Yuri Beletsky

Astronomer, Magellan Instrument Support Scientist, Carnegie Institute of Chile
Appearance Date 2013
“The Hunt for Perfect Sky –
Challenges of Ground Based Astronomy”

Yuri is a professional astronomer and an award winning nightscape photographer based in Chile. He conducts scientific research and deals with modern astronomical instrumentation at one of the largets optical telescopes located in Atacama desert. He is an expert in astronomical photography and panoramic imaging of the night sky in particular. His images are known worldwide and have been featured in various books, magazines (Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, The Times magazine), popular websites, and on TV.

Yuri is an active contributor to NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), having more than 50 featured images on the NASA website. When not at the observatory, you can find him traveling around the world and sharing his passion for astrophotography and nightscape photography through lectures, private lessons, and workshops.

#58

John Wood

Astrophysicist, Optical Engineer, NASA/Goddard
Appearance Date 2001
Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope

HOWARD JOHN WOOD III, is an Astrophysicist, Astronomer, and retired Optical Engineer at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Wood earned his MA and PhD in Astronomy at Indiana University in 1964. He taught Astronomy at UVA in Charlottesville, VA and then in 1970. He moved to Santiago, Chile to perform research with ESO, the European Southern Observatory. In 1976, Dr. Wood was a Fulbright Research fellow at the University of Vienna Observatory, returning to the United States in 1978. He returned to Chile in 1981, this time working for the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in La Serena, then known as AURA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.

In 1984, he returned to the US and settled in Maryland taking a post at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, where he became a key engineer in developing the alignment and optical prescription repair work for the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to his work on the HST, Wood was also involved in the discovery of Balmer-Line variability of Ap stars, the discovery of magnetic fields in southern Ap stars, and the alignment, testing and delivery of the DIRBE photometric cryogenic telescope on the COBE spacecraft.

#91

Ben Oppenheimer

Associate Curator/Astrophysics Department Chair, American Museum of Natural History

Appearance Date 2006
Adaptive Optics and the Hunt for Extra Solar Planets

BEN R. OPPENHEIMER chairs the Astrophysics Department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He also led the Project 1640 team that made discoveries regarding the HR 8799 system. This pioneering work on spectrographic analysis of exoplanets using the Hale Telescope at Palomar was enabled by creation of the best performing coronagraph ever built.

Oppenheimer attended Columbia University, where he was an I. I. Rabi Science Scholar. He received a BA in Physics from Columbia in 1994. In 1999 he received his Ph. D. in astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology and spent the following two years at the University of California at Berkeley on a Hubble Space Telescope Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. In 2001 he moved back to New York City to conduct research at the American Museum of Natural History.

Oppenheimer holds an adjunct professorship at Columbia University's Department of Astronomy and has published over one hundred research and public-oriented science papers. He is co-discoverer of the first brown dwarf, Gliese 229B. Oppenheimer has contributed to such research topics as coronagraph & adaptive optics.

BACK TO RAC

34th Annual

TM

NORTHEAST ASTRONOMY FORUM & SPACE EXPO

THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR ASTRONOMY & SPACE EXPO

Alex Filippenko

Dotty Metcalf

Jean Wright

Bob Cabana

Norm Knight

​​

Debbie Korth

Gerry Griffin

David Levy

Chris Go

Jani Radebaugh

Fred Haise

Eileen Collins

​

Holly Ridings

Nagin Cox

Alyssa Pagan

Charlie Duke

Alan Stern

Gerry Griffin

Tom Stafford

Samuel Hale

Thomas Zurbuchen

Dianna Coleman

​

Alex Young

Jani Radebaugh

Walt Cunninghan

James Hanson

Dylan O'Donnell

Alan Stern

Don Petit

Jim Green

Bill Ayrey

Kevin Schindler

Christopher Go

Jean Wright

Hans Koenigsmann

Tim Walsh

John Mather

Mike Leinbach

​

Tom Mulder

​​

Kirsten Howley

Don Bruns

Mike Reynolds

Scott Bolton

​​​

Sara Seager

​​​​

Caleb Weiss

Todd May

James Albury & Dean Regas

Frank DeMauro

Roberto Abraham

Alice Bowman

Hans Koenigsmann

Marcia Bartusiak

W. Lowell Putnam IV

Gerard van Belle

Fred Espenak

David Shoemaker

Bernard Kutter

Alden & Annette Tombaugh

Alan Stern

Jim Green

Alan Hirshfeld

Dave Eicher

Bill Gerstenmaier

J Kelly Beatty

Matt Greenhouse

Joe Rao

Dave Eicher

NORTHEAST
ASTRONOMY
FORUM
& SPACE EXPO

PAST
SPEAKERS

Journalist / Photographer
Appearance Date 2024
Eyewitness to NASA Human & Robotic Explorers

Alphabetical Index

87 Michael A’Hearn 2005
177 Roberto Abraham 2017
179 James Albury &
Dean Regas 2017
201 Bill Ayrey 2019
103 Neta Bahcall 2008
70 Michael Bakisch 2003
77 Michael Bakisch 2004
83 Mel Bartels 2005