Dale Andersen
SETI Institute

My work in the polar regions has involved a lot of underwater time in remote areas and over the years I have made close to a thousand dives beneath thick ice of lakes and oceans. I helped develop a number of the techniques that were needed to safely explore the lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys including both human and robotic exploration (using the first ROV in the Antarctic).

In 1991-92 as a member of the Exobiology Implementation Team under the auspices of the US/Soviet Joint Working Group for Space Biology and Medicine I played a lead role in the development and negotiation of a joint US/Soviet expedition to the Bunger Hills, Antarctica . I led the US field team during this expedition which lasted six months. The expedition goal was to place a multinational, multicultural crew in a remote, hostile environment where scientific investigations relevant to the search for life on Mars could be conducted.  As members of the 37th Soviet Antarctic Expedition we spent six weeks traveling to and circumnavigating half the Antarctic continent prior to being dropped off by helo at our remote camp.  We spent the next four months working together in the Bunger Hills the second largest ice-free region of Antarctica . In addition to the rigors of the local environment, we had to address the challenges of our differing cultures and languages.  All in all very successful and an enormous learning experience.

Currently I (along with Wayne Pollard at McGill University and others) have been studying perennial springs and ice-covered lakes in the Canadian High Arctic . Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere Islands provide numerous examples of water in cold, dry environments where the mean annual temperatures are around -15 to -19°C.  The springs and lakes we are studying are the among the northernmost in the world, occurring only a few hundred miles from the north pole.

CaptionCredit: Dale T. Andersen/NASA HQ
Image Credit: Dale T. Andersen, 1996

Laurence Bergreen
Writer

Laurence Bergreen is a prize-winning nonfiction writer. His new book, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, was published to great acclaim by William Morrow/HarperCollin in October. His last book was Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth, a narrative of NASA's exploration of Mars and the search for extraterrestrial life, published in 2000 by Penguin Putnam. He has written for Esquire, Newsweek, TV Guide, Details, Prologue, and Military History Quarterly, and many others.

A graduate of Harvard, he has taught at the New School for Social Research and served as Assistant to the President of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York. In 1995, he served as a nonfiction judge for the National Book Awards and in 1991 as a judge for the PEN/Albrand Nonfiction Award. He also serves as a Featured Historian for the History Channel, and is a member of PEN American Center and the Authors Guild.

CaptionCredit: NASA HQ/www.laurencebergreen.com
Image Credit: Sigrid Estrada

Penelope J. Boston
Director of Cave and Karst Studies, New Mexico Tech

My areas of research include cave geomicrobiology, microbial life in highly mineralized environments, unique or characteristic biominerals and biosignature detection. Additionally, I am involved in astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth. Cave formation mechanisms on other planetary bodies is a topic of particular interest to me. My background includes geology, microbiology, atmospheric chemistry, global biogeochemical cycling, and climate/life interactions.

I have come to NMT recently to create a new program, Cave and Karst Studies, in conjunction with the founding of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute. NMT is the major partner with this new national institute.

I am passionate about and extensively involved in educational outreach about caves and karst issues, space exploration, and general science for school kids, older students, elder groups, and the general public.

Caption Credit: Penelope J. Boston/NASA HQ
Image Credit: New Mexico Tech

Nathalie Cabrol
NASA Ames Research Center

Nathalie Cabrol is a planetary geologist at NASA Ames Research Center since 1994 and a SETI Institute Principal Investigator since 1998. Her research focus on aqueous environments favorable to life on Mars, their exploration (robotic and human) and the study of terrestrial analogues.

Her education includes a Master and Ph-D degrees in planetary geology (1986 and 1991) both obtained at the Sorbonne University, Paris ( France)

Nathalie enjoys, climbing and hiking. Notable climbs include: Licancabur volcano

(6,014m~20,000 feet), Juriques volcano (5,800m ~15,000 ft) both volcanoes are in Bolivia; Mount Whitney (Ca): 4421m (~14,800 ft), and Mount Lassen (Ca): 3827m (~12,000 ft). She also practices free diving (diving without oxygen tanks). She holds an (unofficial) world woman record for the highest free dive, performed in 2003 in the Licancabur summit lake. Both her passion for mountaineering and diving are combined in her scientific research for the limits of life on Earth.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Seth Shostak

James Cameron
Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, James Cameron grew up near Niagra Falls. In 1971, he moved to Brea, California where he studied physics at Fullerton College while working as a machinist and, later, a truck driver.

Cameron’s maiden film project led to a position at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures working on BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS on which he served in multiple capacities, including Production Designer. He was soon able to parlay this experience into a stint as Second Unit Director on GALAXY OF TERROR. Convinced that he’d found his calling, Cameron decided to write his own script and attach himself to direct. The1984 sleeper hit, THE TERMINATOR, launched his directorial career.

Since that time, Cameron has served as writer, producer, director, and/or editor on such films as RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II, ALIENS, THE ABYSS, POINT BREAK, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, TRUE LIES and TITANIC. Cameron’s films have also earned numerous nominations and awards from a variety of organizations, culminating in TITANIC’s 11 Academy Awards, including Cameron’s three Oscars for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Editing.

In 1995, Cameron made 12 dives to the Titanic in preparation for his feature film. In recent years, his desire to bring that profound experience to audiences around the world motivated Cameron to turn to documentary filmmaking and the development of a 3-D “Reality Camera System,” which he co-developed with Panavision and Sony. The expedition was the subject of Cameron’s 3-D IMAX movie, Ghosts of TheAbyss. In May of 2002, Cameron guided his cameras inside the wreck of the battleship Bismarck, which resulted in groundbreaking discoveries about the sinking of the legendary German battleship, and the Discovery Channel documentary, James Cameron’s Expedition: Bismarck. Cameron has made a total of 38 dives in the MIR submersibles. His most recent expedition to the hydrothermal vents is the subject of an upcoming IMAX film, Aliens of the Deep, scheduled for release in January 2005. Cameron was joined in his exploration of these extreme environments by a team of young NASA scientists and marine biologists to study how life forms discovered there represent life we may one day find in outer space.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: International Movie Database

John Chatterton
Professional Diver

John Chatterton spent more than twenty years working as a commercial diver, and as a boat captain. His passion however, has been researching and diving shipwrecks. In 1991, his discovery and then subsequent identification of the German submarine U-869, in 230 feet of water off the coast of New Jersey , has been the subject of several television documentaries and now a bestselling book by Robert Kurson, Shadow Divers .

His diving credits include more than 150 dives to the passenger liner Andrea Doria (250 fsw), the first trimix expedition to the RMS Lusitania in Ireland (300 fsw), and the first rebreather dive to the HMHS Britannic in Greece (400 fsw).

John has worked on numerous projects for television and is currently hosting the television series, Deep Sea Detectives , on the History Channel.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Diving Equipment Specialties

Jean Michel Cousteau
President, Ocean Futures Society

Explorer, environmentalist, educator, film producer--- for more than four decades Jean-Michel Cousteau has used his vast experiences to communicate to people of all nations and generations his love and concern for our water planet.

Since first being 'thrown overboard' by his father at the age of seven with newly invented SCUBA gear on his back, Jean-Michel has been exploring the ocean realm. The son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel spent much of his life with his family exploring the world's oceans aboard Calypso and Alcyone. After his mother's death in 1990 and his father's in 1997, Jean-Michel founded Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work.

Responding to his father's call to 'carry forward the flame of his faith,' Jean-Michel's Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit marine conservation and education organization, serves as a 'Voice for the Ocean' by fostering a conservation ethic, conducting research, and developing marine education programs. Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned spokesman and diplomat for the environment, reaching out to the public through a variety of media. He has produced over 70 films, and been awarded the Emmy, the Peabody Award, the 7 d'Or - the French equivalent of the Emmy, and the Cable Ace Award.

Today, as President of Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michel travels the globe, meeting with world leaders and policymakers, both at the grassroots level and the highest echelons of government and business, educating young people, documenting stories of change and hope, and lending his reputation and support to help energize alliances for positive change.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Speakers Platform Bureau

Sylvia Earle
Founder and Chair, Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc.

Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, marine botanist, ecologist, and writer. A pioneering aquanaut and marine explorer, Earle made her first scuba dive at 17. She has since set the women's depth record for solo diving (1,000 meters/3,281 feet) and logged more than 6,000 diving hours—feats that garnered her the moniker “Her Deepness.” The author of five books and numerous scientific and popular articles, Earle tirelessly calls for the preservation and exploration of the world's marine ecosystems.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: ESRI.com

Michael Foale

Michael Foale was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987. He served as a mission specialist on STS-45, STS-56, STS-63 and STS-103, was Flight Engineer 2 on Mir 23 and Mir 24 (ascent on STS-84 and return on STS-86). On his last flight, October 18, 2003 to April 29, 2004, Foale served as ISS Expedition-8 Commander. The Expedition-8 crew launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan aboard Soyuz TMA-3 and docked with the ISS on October 20, 2003. His six-month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station included one 3 hour, 55 minute EVA. Mission duration was 194 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes and, at its conclusion, Foale became the U.S. record holder for most cumulative time in space having logged 374 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes in space.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

James B. Garvin
NASA Chief Scientist for Mars and the Moon
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
Washington, D.C.

In his present position as Chief Scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program and the newly initiated lunar exploration initiative, Dr. Garvin is responsible for formulation of scientific requirements for the exploration of Mars and the Moon, and overall leadership of the scientific trajectory of the programs. He has served NASA in his present position since 2000. Dr. Garvin is also serving as one of the science “integrators” responsible for redefining NASA's science portfolio in the context of the new Exploration agenda. He has been a “science explorer” since he could walk, collecting rocks, insects and fungi from his explorations since he was 3 years old. Most recently, he has been selected as the William Rogers Award recipient by Brown University for his contributions as a scientist/explorer to society.

He began his NASA career in 1984 in the Geodynamics Branch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. He has served as Chief Scientist for the Shuttle Laser Altimeter experiment (SLA), which flew in Earth orbit twice, and as principal investigator on 12 airborne laser altimeter missions to such remote locales as Iceland and the Azores. He is a co-investigator on the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) onboard NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, which is operating in orbit at Mars, and one of the founding fathers of the original MOLA instrument. He was also a co-investigator on the NEAR-Shoemaker Laser rangefinder experiment. In addition, he has served NASA as an original member of Sally Ride's Task group 1A (Leadership in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster) and more recently as chairperson of the NASA Next Decade Planning Team (Exploration). Most recently he was awarded NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal for his work in developing the scientific strategy for NASA's Mars exploration activities.

He has also served as the Project Scientist for NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program while at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His research areas of expertise include geomorphology of Martian landscapes; impact cratering on Mars, Earth, and the Moon; and remote sensing of oceanic islands (i.e, such as Iceland 's Surtsey ). He has published over 60 peer-reviewed research articles and thousands of extended abstracts. Most recently, he appeared on “the Late Show with David Letterman” as NASA's Mars expert (January 2004).

Jim received his Ph.D. at Brown University in 1984, with specialization in the geomorphology of lander sites on Mars and Venus and radar remote sensing. He also holds a Sc.B. in computer science from Brown University (1978) magna cum laude, an M.S. in computer science from Stanford University, and a Sc.M. in Geological Sciences from Brown (1981). While an undergraduate at Brown, Garvin was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and he received the Sigma Xi award for Excellence in scientific research in 1982 while in graduate school. Recently, (May 2003), Garvin was honored by Brown University as its first Graduate School Commencement Speaker. In June of 2004, Dr. Garvin was asked to provide the Commencement address for the Thomas Jefferson High School for Math and Science in Fairfax, Virginia, in order to motivate some of America 's best and brightest young people as NASA embarks upon its new Exploration agenda.

He lives with his wife Cindy, his son Zachary, daughter Danica, and a Bouvier des Flandres dog “Yogi” in Columbia, Maryland . He is passionate about Mars and dreams of wandering across the Mars-like vistas of Iceland with his family, in search of “Mars on Earth”, while listening to U2 music. He was born in a blizzard in Poughkeepsie, New York and enjoys ice hockey.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA HQ

Michael L. Gernhardt, Ph.D.
NASA Astronaut

Dr. Gernhardt was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. Technical assignments to date include: flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); development of nitrox diving to support training for the Hubble Space Telescope repair and on a variety of Space Station EVA developments; member of the astronaut support team at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, responsible for Shuttle prelaunch vehicle checkout, crew ingress/egress; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) at Mission Control Center, Houston, during various Shuttle missions; lead an international research team in developing a new exercise prebreathe protocol that improved the safety and efficiency of space walks from the ISS. Gernhardt presently serves as a member of the astronaut office EVA branch and as Principle Investigator of the Prebreath Reduction Program and Manager of JSC's Environmental Physiology Laboratory. A four flight veteran, Dr. Gernhardt has logged over 43 days in space, including 4 spacewalks totaling 23 hours and 16 minutes. He was a mission specialist on STS-69 in 1995, STS-83 in 1997, STS-94 in 1997 and STS-104 in 2001. Gernhardt is assigned to the crew of STS-119.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

John Grunsfeld
NASA Chief Scientist and Astronaut

Astronaut, astrophysicist and mountaineer Dr. John M. Grunsfeld is the agency's Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Grunsfeld is a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. In 1999 and 2002 he took part in a total of five successful spacewalks to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. A native of Chicago, Grunsfeld received a bachelor's degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980. He earned a masters degree and a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively. Grunsfeld was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1992. His first flight assignment came in 1995 on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-67. In 1997, Grunsfeld served as flight engineer for the Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-81 and a 10-day mission to Russia's Mir space station. He has logged over 45 days in space, including 37 hours and 32 minutes working outside the Space Shuttle. His most recent ascent was leading a team to the top of Mt. Mckinley/Denali, Alaska in 2004.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

Dave Halpern
Senior Policy Analyst, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Dr. David Halpern received a B.Sc. degree, with honors in Geology and Physics, from McGill University and a Ph.D. in physical oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He was a postdoctoral fellow at England 's National Institute of Oceanography.  Then, in Seattle , he conducted research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and taught at the University of Washington .  Prior to starting his current assignment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. Halpern was Senior Research Scientist and Manager of the Climate Variability Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena .  He has also been a Visiting Professor at the California Institute of Technology and is Adjunct Professor at the  University of California at Los Angeles . Dr. Halpern's research focused on the interactions of the atmosphere and ocean in coastal upwelling, El Nino, and monsoon regimes. He has been Editor of Geophysical Research Letters and is now Editor of the Elsevier Oceanography Book Series. Among his many other services to the community, he served two terms on the National Research Council Panel for the Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere Program and two terms on the Executive Council of the International Association of the Physical Sciences of the Ocean. Dr. Halpern has chaired many national and international groups. Currently he is Chair of the Committee on Space Research Scientific Commission on Space Studies of the Earth's Surface, Meteorology and Climate and he is Chair-Elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Section on Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences. Among his awards are the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, NASA Special Service Award, Department of Commerce Silver Medal, and EXPO '98 Medal.   He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the California Academy of Sciences, and the International Academy of Astronautics.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Institute of the Environment, UCLA

G. Scott Hubbard

G. Scott Hubbard serves as director of NASA's Ames Research Center, in the heart of California 's Silicon Valley. Prior to his appointment, Hubbard was deputy director for research. In March 2000, Hubbard was called to NASA Headquarters where he successfully redefined all robotic Mars missions in response to the Mars failures in 1999. Hubbard's tenure at Ames began in 1987, and has included a variety of management roles. From 1997-1999, he served as the Deputy Director of the Space Directorate at NASA Ames Research Center. The 600-person Astrobiology and Space Research Directorate is responsible for research in Earth, life and space science, and manages advanced studies, space hardware development and mission operations.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

James Lovell

Captain Lovell was selected as an Astronaut by NASA in September 1962. He served as Command Module Pilot and Navigator on the epic six-day journey of Apollo 8 - man's maiden voyage to the moon; and Lovell and fellow crewmen, Frank Borman and William A. Anders, became the first humans to leave the Earth's gravitational influence. He was Spacecraft Commander of the Apollo 13 flight, April 11-17, 1970, and became the first man to journey twice to the moon. Captain Lovell held the record for time in space with a total of 715 hours and 5 minutes until surpassed by the Skylab flights.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

Shannon Lucid, Ph.D
NASA Astronaut

Dr. Lucid was born in Shanghai, China, but considers Bethany, Oklahoma, to be her hometown. She graduated from Bethany High School in 1960, received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 1963, and a master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees in biochemistry from the university in 1970 and 1973, respectively.

Dr. Lucid was selected as an astronaut in 1978, after spending time as a teacher and researcher. Dr. Lucid has flown as a mission specialist in the Space Shuttle on five missions, deploying satellites, conducting scientific observations and experiments, some in a special laboratory built into the orbiter's cargo bay, and spending 188 days working on board the Russian Space Station, Mir. From February 2002 through September 2003, Dr. Lucid served as NASA's Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Dr. Lucid remains an active astronaut at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

C. Glenn Mahone
Assistant Administrator for NASA Public Affairs

Glenn Mahone was appointed NASA's Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs on Jan. 31, 2002. Mr. Mahone is the official spokesman for the Agency and NASA's senior official responsible for advising the Administrator and Deputy Administrator concerning all aspects of public affairs. This includes developing, implementing, planning, and controlling all elements of the Agency-wide public affairs activities and internal communications. He chairs the Editorial Board of the NASA Web Portal and is the portal's publisher.

He also advises the NASA Administrator and senior NASA managers and directs a staff of approximately 350 nationwide. He sets policy for print and broadcast news releases, development and use of mission video, news conferences, briefing, exhibits, speakers, public tours and visitor centers, fine arts, public ceremonies and special events.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

Dr. John Mather
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Dr. John C. Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist in the Infrared Astrophysics Branch at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. His research centers on infrared astronomy and cosmology. As an NRC postdoctoral fellow at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (New York City), he led the proposal efforts for the Cosmic Background Explorer (74- 76), and came to GSFC to be the Study Scientist (76-88), Project Scientist (88-present), and also the Principal Investigator for the Far IR Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) on COBE. He showed that the cosmic microwave background radiation has a blackbody spectrum within 50 ppm. As Study Scientist (95-99) and Project Scientist (99-present) for the James Webb Space Telescope, he co-leads the science team with Peter Stockman (STScI), and represents scientific interests within the project management. He is the recipient of many awards, including the National Air and Space Museum Trophy, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Science Award, the Aviation Week and Space Technology laurels, the Dannie Heineman Prize of the American Astronomical Society, the John Scott Award from the city of Philadelphia, and the Rumford Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been given the Presidential Rank Distinguished Performance award. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a Councilor of the American Astronomical Society.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA HQ

T.K. Mattingly II

Mattingly is one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.

He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 8 and 11 missions and was the astronaut representative in development and testing of the Apollo spacesuit and backpack (EMU).

He was designated command module pilot for the Apollo 13 flight but was removed from flight status 72 hours prior to the scheduled launch due to exposure to the German measles.

He has logged 7,200 hours of flight time -- 5,000 hours in jet aircraft.

From January 1973 to March 1978, Mattingly worked as head of astronaut office support to the STS (Shuttle Transportation System) program. He was next assigned as technical assistant for flight test to the Manager of the Orbital Flight Test Program. From December 1979 to April 1981, he headed the astronaut office ascent/entry group. He subsequently served as backup commander for STS-2 and STS-3, Columbia 's second and third orbital test flights. From June 1983 through May 1984, Mattingly served as Head of the Astronaut Office DOD Support Group.

A veteran of three space flights, Mattingly has logged 504 hours in space, including 1 hour and 13 minutes of EVA (extravehicular activity) during his Apollo 16 flight. He was the command module pilot on Apollo 16 (April 16-27, 1972), was the spacecraft commander on STS-4 (June 26 to July 4, 1982) and STS 51-C (January 24-27, 1985).

Captain Mattingly resigned from NASA in 1985.

Caption Credit: NASA
Image Credit: http://www.ptcuser.org/

Chris McKay

Dr. Christopher P. McKay received his Ph.D. in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center since that time. His current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human settlements. Chris has been involved with polar research since 1980, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys and more recently to the Siberian and Canadian Arctic to conduct research in these Mars-like environments.

Caption/Image Credit: Space.com

Miles O'Brien

Miles O'Brien is a news anchor for CNN/U.S. and the network's space correspondent. Based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, O'Brien co-anchors the weekday newscast Live From with Kyra Phillips. He is the former anchor for the newscasts CNN Saturday Morning and CNN Sunday Morning as well the former primetime co-anchor of CNN Headline News.

Caption/Image Credit: CNN.com

Sean O'Keefe

Nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate, Sean O'Keefe was appointed by the President as the 10th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on December 21, 2001, his fourth Presidential appointment. As Administrator, O'Keefe leads the NASA team and manages its resources as NASA seeks to advance exploration and discovery in aeronautics and space technologies.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA

David Roberts
Writer

David Roberts is a freelance writer living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who specializes in adventure, archaeology, and history.  He has co-led thirteen mountaineering expeditions to Alaska and the Yukon, making many frst ascents, including the direct north face of Denali, the west face of Mount Huntington, and the southeast face of Mount Dickey.  He is the author of sixteen books, most recently The Pueblo Revolt: the Secret Rebellion That Drove the Spanish Out of the Southwest published this month by Simon & Schuster.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Bob Graham, www.longcamp.com

Harrison Schmitt

Harrison "Jack" Schmitt is a geologist, astronaut and US senator. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in science from the California Institute of Technology in 1957 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Geology from Harvard University in 1964.

He was a member of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and thereby the first and only geologist to land on the Moon. Schmitt served for six years as a United States Senator as a Republican representing New Mexico.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Speakers Platform

Steve Squyres
Cornell University

Steve Squyres is the scientific Principal Investigator for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1981 and spent five years working for NASA at their Ames Research Center before returning to Cornell, where he is now a Professor of Astronomy. Scientific research for which he is best known includes study of water on Mars and of a possible ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa. He has participated in many missions of planetary exploration, including the Voyager mission to Jupiter and Saturn, the Magellan mission to Venus, the Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and MRO missions to Mars, the NEAR mission to the asteroid Eros, and the Cassini mission to Saturn. Dr. Squyres has served as the Chairman of NASA's Space Science Advisory Committee and as a member of the NASA Advisory Council.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Cornell University

William C. Stone
Dr. Stone led the exploration of Sistema Cheve (-1484m), Sistema Huautla (-1475 m), and Cueva Charco (-1286m), among many other deep caves around the world. These Mexican caves represent the deepest three systems in the Western Hemisphere and currently the 8th, 9th, and 21st deepest natural abysses in the world respectively. There are many who believe that one of these three, or perhaps another as-yet undiscovered system in northeastern Oaxaca , will ultimately be proven to be the world's deepest cave, for all time. During the past 33 years Bill has organized and led 47 expeditions and has spent seven years in the field on exploration projects. He has logged 347 days based from remote subterranean camps, most of these 500 m or more below the surface. His longest single mission was for 18 days at the -1300m level of Sistema Huautla; the team ultimately spent 44 days below -800m during the 4-1/2 month project associated with that push. He holds 11 patents and patents-pending and is the inventor of several generations of closed-cycle life support systems; underwater propulsion vehicles; 3D autonomous underwater mapping systems; high-speed reaction control thrusters for spacecraft; laser radar scanning systems; and numerous other exploration-related tools. He is presently leading the 3 year DEPTHX project for NASA to develop and field-test a prototype robot for the postulated Europa lander third stage – the "hydrobot" that autonomously maps the sub-surface ocean of Europa, seeks out and samples microbial life, then "phones home" with the data. If successful the project will significantly extend the capabilities of autonomous machines operating on unmapped worlds and develop novel hierarchical detection and discrimination methods for microbial life.

Caption Credit: NASA HQ
Image Credit: Bill Stone/National Geographic

Jack Stuster

Dr. Stuster's work for NASA has included a study of space shuttle refurbishing procedures and studies of conditions on Earth that are analogous to space missions, including an analysis of diaries maintained by the leaders and physicians at French remote duty stations in the Antarctic and on small islands in the South Indian Ocean. He has developed design and procedural recommendations to enhance the habitability of the International Space Station, future space craft, and planetary facilities. Dr. Stuster recently completed a study of Antarctic winter-over experiences, and expeditions and voyages of discovery, which is documented in his book, Bold Endeavors: Lessons From Polar and Space Exploration, published by the Naval Institute Press.

Caption/Image Credit: Marslewisandclark.com

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Tyson's professional research interests include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way. Tyson obtains his data from the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as from telescopes in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and in the Andes Mountains of Chile. In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. He is the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium where he also teaches.

Caption/Image Credit: American Museum of Natural History

Ed Viesturs
Mountaineer

Ed Viesturs is America 's leading high altitude mountaineer, having climbed many of the world's most challenging summits, including ascending Mount Everest five times. He holds this record with one other person. Viesturs is the only American and one of five people to climb the six highest peaks in the world -- all without supplemental oxygen. He is currently on a quest to climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains (above 8,000 meters) without the use of supplemental oxygen. He has successfully climbed twelve to date.

Caption/Image Credit: NASA HQ/www.edviesturs.com

Graham Yost

Graham Yost is a writer/director from Toronto, Canada. His work includes the TV Series From the Earth to the Moon (1998), Mission to Mars (2000), and the 1994 box office hit Speed, starring Keanu Reeves.

Caption Credit: International Movie Database
Image Credit: Director's Guild of America (DGA)