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Douglas Preston is the New York Times best-selling author of the newly released IMPACT, recently published by Forge Books. He is the co-author, with Lincoln Child, of the famed Pendergast series of novels, including such bestselling titles as The Book of the Dead and The Wheel of Darkness, as well as The Relic, which was made into a number one box office hit film.

Doug’s solo novels include Jennie, made into a movie by Disney, and the New York Times bestsellers Tyrannosaur Canyon and Blasphemy.

Doug discusses how he explores controversial scientific theories and current events in all of his thrillers. He talks about his trip to Cambodia with National Geographic, where certain discoveries ultimately provided the background to IMPACT.

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Dr. Louis Lanzerotti is Distinguished Research Professor of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 2004 President George W. Bush nominated Dr. Lanzerotti to the 24-member National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Lanzerotti chaired the blue-ribbon panel to study whether to prolong the mission of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr. Lanzerotti has spent more than four decades contributing to research that includes studies of space plasmas and geophysics, and engineering problems related to the impact of atmospheric and space processes on terrestrial technologies, and those in space.

He has been principal investigator or co-investigator on several NASA interplanetary and planetary missions including Voyager, Ulysses, Galileo, ACE, and Cassini. NASA has recognized Dr. Lanzerotti’s contributions to space science with the agency’s Distinguished Scientific Achievement Medal.

In our March 25, 2005 interview, Dr. Lanzerotti discussed

• The Hubble Space Telescope’s long-term mission
• NASA budget considerations
• The four-year Cassini mission to Saturn, Titan, and Saturn’s other moons
• The Ulysses mission which conducted the first-ever survey of the Sun’s environment in space from the equator to the poles, and over a wide range of solar activity conditions

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Professor John Zarnecki is a team leader for ExoMars and has been a Principal Investigator on the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan since 1990. Professor Zarnecki is Principal Investigator, Huygens Science Surface Package, and Professor of Space Science, Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute (PSSRI) at The Open University (Milton Keynes, UK).

In our 7-27-05 conversation, Professor Zarnecki discusses

• The Cassini–Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan
• The Science Surface Package
• What Titan tells us about origins of life on Earth
• Where we go next
• The value and benefits of international collaboration in space

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Dr. John Bahcall (1934-2005) had a long and prolific career in astronomy and astrophysics, spanning five decades and the publication of more than 500 technical papers, books, and popular articles.

Dr. Bahcall’s original calculations of the expected neutrino output from the sun led to a long, experimental, and intellectual adventure that continues today. The “solar neutrino problem” has yielded new insights in astrophysics and into the most basic forces of nature. Dr. Bahcall led a major effort to exploit the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope in elucidating the properties of quasars, and is recognized for his theoretical work in many different areas of astrophysics, including models of the Galaxy and studies of dark matter.

Dr. Bahcall was Richard Black Professor Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study. He joined the Institute in 1968. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and Member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and NASA Advisory Council.

Dr. Bahcall was the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (1992), National Medal of Science (1998), Hans Bethe Prize (1998), Dan David Prize (2003), Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal (2003), Benjamin Franklin Medal (2003), Enrico Fermi Award (2003), and the Comstock Prize in Physics (2004).

In our 2-23-05 interview, Dr. Bahcall discusses

• Present and future contributions of Hubble Space Telescope
• The use of solar neutrinos to do astronomy
• Dark matter
• Dark energy
• Manned space flight
• The possibility of other intelligent life in the universe

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Dr. Edwin C. Krupp is an astronomer and Director of Griffith Observatory, a position he has held since his appointment in 1974. He first joined the Griffith Observatory in 1970, working as a part-time Planetarium Lecturer, and upon completion of his graduate degree, was appointed Curator in 1972. He is now recognized internationally as an expert on ancient, prehistoric, and traditional astronomy, and has visited nearly 1800 ancient and prehistoric sites throughout the world, regularly leading field study tours to exotic locations that have astronomical and archaeological interest.

Dr. Krupp is the author and editor of several books on the celestial component of human belief systems, including In Search of Ancient Astronomies, Archaeoastronomy and the Roots of Science, and Echoes of the Ancient Skies. His fourth book for adults, Beyond the Blue Horizon – Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets, is a worldwide comparative study of celestial mythology. His most recent book for adults, Skywatchers, Shamans, & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power, was published in 1997. He also writes astronomy books for children illustrated by Robin Rector Krupp, including The Comet and You, The Big Dipper and You, The Moon and You, and The Rainbow and You. Dr. Krupp has received four national prizes for his writing. He is a contributing editor for Sky & Telescope and writes a monthly column that emphasizes the cultural component of astronomy for this nationally distributed magazine.

Opened in 1935, Griffith Observatory is one of the best-known and most visited public observatories in the world. Operated by the City of Los Angeles’s Department of Recreation and Parks, the Observatory welcomed nearly 70 million visitors into the building prior to closing for renovation in January 2002. Construction on the renovation and expansion project began in October 2002. Griffith Observatory officially reopened to the public Friday, November 3, 2006, after finishing a $93-million facelift to renovate and expand the historic landmark.

Griffith Observatory’s unique architecture and setting, compelling programmatic offerings, and cinematic exposure have made it one of the most famous and visited landmarks in southern California. Tens of millions have come to walk the inside of the building, view the live planetarium shows, or simply gaze out toward the coast and the heavens. This cultural and scientific icon owes its existence to the dream of one man, Griffith Jenkins Griffith, and to the dedicated scientists and public servants who worked to fulfill his vision of making astronomy and observation accessible to all.

In our 3-1-07 interview, Dr. Krupp discusses enhancements to the Observatory attained by the $93 million and 4 1/2 year renovation and expansion project (completed in November 2007). Dr. Krupp also discusses the role of Griffith Observatory in enhancing science education.