On July 14, 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft flew by Mars and provided the first glimpses of Mars at close range. Among those watching on television these pictures being transmitted in real time was nine year old Jim Slavin. It was then that he decided that he had to become a NASA scientist. He wrote to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) asking for advice on how to become an astronomer. The AAS sent him a pamphlet which, to his dismay, indicated that he had to take lots of math courses, get good grades and study for many years. Despite the challenge, Jim followed the directions in the pamphlet faithfully and nineteen years later, was a scientist at JPL!

Today, Jim Slavin is the Director of the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He has served or is presently serving as a science investigator on 18 heliophysics and planetary science missions and is the author of 260 scientific articles. Jim Slavin is a recipient of a University of California Regent’s Fellowship (2005-6) and the NASA Medal for Exceptional Achievement (2004).