Lunar and Planetary Institute
Lunar and Planetary Institute

 

Dr. James GreenLPIB Features an Interview with
Director of Planetary Science Division

December 6, 2006

The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters is charged with engaging the nation’s science community, sponsoring scientific research, and developing and deploying satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space. SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it.

At the helm of the Planetary Science Division at SMD is Dr. James Green, who assumed the position of Acting Director in June of this year. Hailing from the same small town in Iowa as another renowned NASA science leader, Dr. Edward Stone (former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Green was inspired at a young age by NASA and a vision of working for the space agency.

We recently had the opportunity to talk to Green about his new job, his vision for SMD, and the goals he hopes to accomplish during his tenure as Acting Director of Planetary Science.

Green’s enthusiasm for the planetary sciences is palpable. At the time of our interview, he had just returned from the annual meeting of the Division of Planetary Sciences, and was bubbling with all the science he had encountered and conversations he had had with the planetary community. “Talking to the community is so important; you cannot do my job sitting in the office, you need to keep lines of communication open,” said Green.

The complete text of the interview may be found in the November issue of the Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin.

 

 

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