James L. Green | |
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| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Known for | Developed and managed the Space Physics Analysis Network; Director of the National Space Science Data Center; Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA |
| Awards | Arthur S. Flemming Award (1988); Japan's Kotani Prize (1996) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy Physics |
| Institutions | National Aeronautics and Space Administration -Science Mission Directorate - Planetary Science Division |
| Doctoral advisor | Donald Gurnett |
| Other academic advisors | James Van Allen |
James Lauer Green is an American physicist and retired chief scientist for NASA.[1][2] He received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from theUniversity of Iowa in 1979 and then worked atNASA until his retirement on 1 January 2022.[3]
Green began working in the Magnetospheric Physics Branch at NASA'sMarshall Space Flight Center in 1980. At Marshall, Green developed and managed the Space Physics Analysis Network that provided scientists with access to data. From 1985 to 1992 he was the head of theNational Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center. The NSSDC is NASA's largest space science data archive. He was the Chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office from 1992 until 2005, when he became the Chief of the Science Proposal Support Office. While at Goddard, Green was a co-investigator and the Deputy Project Scientist on theIMAGE mission.
Green 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, Green became the Director of thePlanetary Science Division at the NASA Headquarters.[4][5][6] In that role he served as a spokesman for NASA for planetary missions, for instance announcing the likelihood that there was once flowing water on Mars in September 2015.[7] Under his leadership at the Planetary Science Division, several missions were successfully completed or launched, including theNew Horizons probe to Pluto, theMESSENGER probe to Mercury, the launch ofJuno probe to Jupiter, the launch ofGrail A and B to the Moon, theDawn probe toVesta, and the landing of the Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity rover on Mars.[8]
In a 2015 TED presentation, he covered the places in our solar system that are most likely to harbor alien life.[9]
In 2015, Green was a part of the NASA's involvement with the filmThe Martian.[10]
In 2018, acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot named Green as NASA's newchief scientist, effective May 1, 2018.[1] He retired from this position on 1 January 2022, after over 40 years of service at NASA.[3]
In 1988, Green 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.[4] In 2016, Green was named an Alumni Fellow of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) at theUniversity of Iowa.[11]
In 2017, he had an asteroid named after him,25913 Jamesgreen.[12]
Green, aCivil War Trust member, has written aboutCivil War ballooning[13] and has spoken at the 150th anniversary of the first tether balloon ascension.[14] He served as an advisor on theIntrepid project, an initiative to construct and fly the world's first replica of a Civil War crewed balloon, and presented a talk for its official first lift-off at theGenesee Country Village & Museum celebration inMumford, New York on July 4, 2012.[15] On September 7, 2018, he presentedThe Science of Ballooning During the Civil War to thePhilosophical Society of Washington (PSW Science).[16]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromDr. Jim Green, Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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