United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Interview with Grant Tremblay, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Tremblay recalls his childhood in Maine, his early interest in astronomy, and the formative experience of seeing a space shuttle launch. He discusses his undergraduate studies in physics and astronomy at University of Rochester. Tremblay then describes his time as a research assistant at the Space Telescope Science Institute before entering a PhD program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he did thesis work on cool core clusters. Tremblay discusses his postdoctoral fellowship at the European Southern Observatory, as well as his time working under Meg Urry as a NASA Einstein Fellow at the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. He details his involvement with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in addition to the Lynx X-Ray Observatory. Tremblay describes his role as vice-chair for NASA’s Astrophysics Advisory Committee, his involvement in the American Astronomical Society, and the New Great Observatories Community Coalition which he founded in 2020. Tremblay also speaks about his involvement in space policy, issues around congressional support, and the importance of continued government investment in science. 

This is an interview with Edward Weiler, who served as chief scientist of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 to 1998, as NASA Associate Administrator for science activities from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2008 to 2011, and as director of the Goddard Space Flight Center from 2004 to 2008. The interview focuses primarily on his work relating to Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope. Subjects addressed include his work developing international collaboration, and he explains the value of his strong working relationship with David Southwood of the European Space Agency. Weiler details his involvement with the correction of the spherical aberration afflicting Hubble’s primary mirror. He highlights NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s role in establishing the scope of the Webb telescope, and he offers his views on the project’s troubles and the 2010 review chaired by John Casani that diagnosed sources of its cost growth and schedule slippage. Weiler also recounts his motivations for retiring from NASA in 2011, his activities since then, and he expresses his perspective on matters such as human space flight, lunar exploration, and the value of international partnerships in space science.

Interview with Matt Mountain, President of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and Telescope Scientist & Science Working Group member for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Mountain recounts growing up in the UK and his early interest in science. He reflects on his time at Imperial College London, where his interest in astronomy suited his background in physics and his work on the infrared. He describes drifting away from theoretical physics and moving towards building instruments, later building one of the first infrared spectrographs for his PhD dissertation. He recounts his recruitment to the Royal Observatory Edinburgh by the Astronomer Royal Malcolm Longair, where he would help build CGS4 for the UKIRT telescope. Mountain recalls working with Tim Hawarden on his idea of passive cooling, which would later be used JWST. He describes being appointed as the project scientist for the Gemini project, leading to his move to the U.S. He explains having to learn and understand the US political system in relation to science, particularly the way astronomy is funded. He credits his time in Edinburgh with teaching him the importance of effective communication between engineers and scientists, which would prove crucial for his role as Gemini director and later projects. Mountain discusses his later role as director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and the early conversations on a next generation space telescope. He details his role as telescope scientist for the Webb telescope and his perspective on international space science partnerships. He reflects on the budget concerns and schedule delays surrounding the Webb telescope and the later working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Towards the end of the interview, Mountain discusses some of the science from JWST, his current role at AURA, and the future of astronomy.

In this interview, astronomer Peter Jakobsen discusses his involvement with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes during his life-long career at the European Space Agency (ESA). He recounts his early childhood growing up in Cincinnati and later returning to his hometown in Denmark, where he attended the University of Copenhagen. He reflects on his time at the Laboratoire d’Astronomie Spatiale in Marseille during his Master’s degree and his time at Berkeley working in the Space Astrophysics Group led by Stu Bowyer. Jakobsen discusses his job as Project Scientist for the European involvement in the Hubble Space Telescope, the development of ESA’s Faint Object Camera, and the discovery of the spherical aberration. He details his role in the development of COSTAR and Hubble’s repair missions. Jakobsen recalls being skeptical of the initial talks for the Next Generation Space Telescope, but later taking on a key role for the European side of the project. He also recalls the competition between the contractors working on the initial design phase for NIRSpec. Jakobsen gives an account of his last years at ESA and the conditions that led to his retirement from the agency in 2011. He gives his perspective on Webb’s launch and reflects on the budget and schedule delay concerns. He discusses his post-retirement technical work and the guaranteed observing time program for JWST. Towards the end of the interview, Jakobsen describes his current focus with NIRSpec and his reflections on the future of astronomy.

In this interview, Kai Hostetter-Habib, the 2024 AIP Center for History of Physics intern, interviews Dr. K. Renee Horton, an Airworthiness Deputy for NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Demonstrator Project. Dr. Horton reflects on her early childhood growing up in Louisiana, her hearing loss diagnosis, and how that impacted the trajectory of her life. She discusses her experience as a non-traditional student, going back to college after a ten-year break with three children, and the racism she dealt with in the South. She recounts how she got involved with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and her two-year tenure as NSBP president from 2016 to 2018. Dr. Horton also goes through her career progression at NASA, from material test engineer to the Space Launch Systems quality engineer to Airworthiness Deputy. She concludes by talking about her disability rights advocacy, her mentoring, the children’s books she authored, and the importance of her family.

Interview with George Withbroe, retired science program director at NASA. Withbroe provides an overview of his childhood in Wisconsin where he enjoyed hunting and archery with his family. He discusses his undergraduate studies at MIT, which he remembers as being a highly competitive environment. Withbroe explains the impact of Sputnik on his interest in space science, leading him to pursue graduate studies in astronomy at the University of Michigan. He recalls discovering the joy of teaching during this time, as well as a memorable summer job at the NASA Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center). Withbroe then describes his postdoctoral position at Harvard, working on the satellite program and the Orbiting Solar Observatories. He recounts his transition to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and his involvement in Skylab. Withbroe discusses going back to Harvard where he served as director of the Solar and Stellar Physics Division, before moving to NASA as the Director of the Space Physics Division. Withbroe covers topics such as securing funding for research, collaborations with the international scientific community, and the importance of diversity in science. He discusses his retirement from NASA and continuing his research at George Mason University. The interview concludes with Withbroe’s reflections on the many advisory committees he has served on, as well as his thoughts on the relationship between religion and science. 

Dr. George Doschek, retired scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), is interviewed at the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland, by Ryan Hearty, oral history fellow at the American Institute of Physics. Doschek describes his early life in Pittsburgh and later career, spanning five decades, at the NRL in Washington, DC. Subjects include: Doschek’s childhood in Pittsburgh, growing up in a household supportive of music and science; undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh; coming to NRL and early activities in solar physics; work on spectroscopy at NRL, including on the missions OSO-1 to OSO-8, the 11 SOLRAD satellites, Skylab and the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), the P78-1 spacecraft, Yohkoh, and Hinode; and managing the Solar-Terrestrial Relationships Branch.

Interview with James Kasting, geoscientist and Distinguished Professor of Geosciences at Penn State University. Kasting describes a childhood spent in many places due to his father’s job at General Electric. For a time, he lived in Huntsville, Alabama near the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, which piqued his interest in science and space. Kasting discusses his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where he gravitated toward theory over experimentation while studying chemistry and physics. His developing interest in astronomy and space science led Kasting to graduate school first at UC San Diego, then University of Michigan. He recalls his postdoc at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and then his position at NASA’s Ames Research Center working with Jim Pollack. Kasting discusses his return to academia at Penn State, as well as the committees and panels he has served on over the years, such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder Science working group. Throughout the interview, Kasting talks about many areas of his research such as habitable zones, climate models, atmosphere studies, and extrasolar planets. The interview concludes with Kasting’s thoughts on extraterrestrial intelligent life and sending manned missions to Mars.

Interview with Steven Squyres, American geologist and planetary scientist. Squyres discusses his childhood in New Jersey, in a family where both parents had science education. He recalls his interest in science from a young age and his formative trips to the Colorado Rockies which inspired him to study geology. Squyres recounts his time as an undergraduate at Cornell University, where he began as a geology major but later became interested in space science. He discusses his continuation at Cornell for his graduate studies in planetary science, where he studied under Carl Sagan and worked on the Voyager imaging team. Squyres then recalls his post-doctoral position at NASA’s Ames Research Center before accepting a faculty position at Cornell. He discusses the move toward robotic exploration and touches on topics such as the Mars Observer mission and the Martian meteorite controversy. Squyres reflects on writing his book “Roving Mars” and concludes the interview with his thoughts on the broader significance of geological research on Mars. 

In this interview, astronomer Massimo Stiavelli discusses his involvement with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. He recounts his early childhood growing up in Italy, higher education at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, and his interest in elliptical galaxies. He reflects on his time as a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University, his time at the European Southern Observatory, and his role deriving signs from the Hubble Space Telescope’s aberrated data. Stiavelli discusses his position with the European Space Agency in Baltimore, along with the initial developments of the Next Generation Space Telescope. He also offers his perception on the Space Telescope Science Institute and the scientists working there. He recalls his early involvement with the NGST’s Science Working Group, his role as Project Scientist, and his perspective on the growing schedule and budget delays that led to Congressional hearings. Stiavelli also recalls the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the final stages of Webb’s development, the launch, and its current operation. The interview concludes with an overview of Stiavelli’s views on the future of cosmology and the impact of JWST.