B. Gentry Lee

Currently Gentry Lee is Chief Engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. In this position, he is responsible for the engineering integrity of all the robotic planetary missions managed by JPL. His major recent work included the engineering oversight of the Phoenix mission that landed successfully in the Martian arctic in May 2008. Previously, Lee provided oversight for all engineering aspects of the twin rover missions to Mars that landed in January 2004, as well as NASA’s successful Deep Impact and Stardust missions.

Lee was Chief Engineer for the Galileo project from 1977-1988 and, after working in a variety of positions on the Viking project from 1968-76, was Director of Science Analysis and Mission Planning during the Viking operations. The historic Viking mission was mankind’s first successful landing on another planet. The Galileo mission explored Jupiter with both an atmospheric probe and an orbiter that mapped the major Jovian satellites during a decade of operations.

In addition to his engineering work, Lee has been an active novelist, television producer, computer game designer, media columnist, and lecturer. Between 1989 and 1994, Lee co-authored four novels, Cradle, Rama Ii, The Garden Of Rama, and Rama Revealed, with revered science fiction grandmaster Arthur C. Clarke. All four books were New York Times bestsellers and were translated into over twenty languages. Since his collaboration with Clarke, Lee has written three more successful solo novels, Bright Messengers, Double Full Moon Night, and The Tranquility Wars.

From 1976 until 1981, Lee was the late Carl Sagan’s partner in the creation, design, development, and implementation of COSMOS, a science documentary series for television that won several Emmys and the prestigious Peabody Award. COSMOS was the most successful nonfiction documentary of its time, eventually being shown in over sixty different countries.

Lee received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 1976 and the Distinguished Service Medal (NASA’s highest award) in 2005. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Harold Masursky Award from the American Astronomical Society’s Division of Planetary Sciences for his career contributions to planetary exploration.