NASA astrobiology gets new director

Carl Pilcher, 59, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist and administrator, will be the new director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) starting September 18. One of his major challenges will be dealing with the 50% cut in the agency's proposed budget, which has cast a shadow on the future of the institute's programs."It is very important that our new director be aware of the Washington DC arena," David Des Marais, senior scientist at NASA Ames, told The Scientist. "With his scientific background and administrative experience, Carl is really the optimal choice." "Carl has had excellent experience of doing his own research and has extensive experience at NASA headquarters," echoed Nobel Laureate Baruch Blumberg, NAI's first director. "He has the personality and talent to get things done and deal effectively with other people. I think he's a great choice."Since NAI's inception in 1997, NASA's astrobiology program has grown to a $65 million-a-year research effort that includes more than 700 investigators in 12 NAI research teams at NASA centers, universities, and research institutes. Earlier this year, the Fiscal 2007 budget proposed slashing funds for NASA's astrobiology by nearly 50%, to approximately $33 million. The move provoked an outcry from researchers, including Pilcher himself, who told The Scientist at the time that the cut would send the wrong signal to universities that had started astrobiology programs at NASA's prompting.After his appointment was announced, however, Pilcher would not comment on his strategy to deal with the new realities. "I'd rather let that emerge as we go forward," he said, adding that NAI would not solicit proposals this year, but would honor existing funding commitments to the extent possible.The grandson of East European immigrants, Pilcher grew up in New York City. While pursuing a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pilcher discovered water ice in Saturn's rings and on three satellites of Jupiter including Europa, where many scientists now believe extremophiles could exist. After his Ph.D., Pilcher joined University of Hawaii as an astronomer. During his tenure there, he participated in the discovery of methane ice on Pluto and conducted seminal research on Jupiter's plasma torus, a ring of glowing ions generated by volcanic emissions on the planet's satellite Io. In 1988, he began his management career at NASA as science director in the Office of Exploration. The following year, the President announced a grand new initiative for manned space flight to the Moon and Mars. "Suddenly we were in the thick of things," Pilcher recalled.Although the Bush initiative fell through due to lack of Congressional funding support, Pilcher managed a number of NASA projects on space science and solar system exploration. He is known especially for his role in mission development for the Mars program in the 90's. "The outcome of that is the wonderful Mars program we have today," said Des Marais.The discoveries in the 90's of planets around other stars and possible evidence of biological activity in the Martial meteorite ALH 84001 triggered Pilcher's interest in astrobiology. After undergoing training in microbiology at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, he managed several astrobiology projects at NASA, and assumed overall responsibility for the agency's astrobiology program in 2005. "I've been very impressed by his ability to move beyond his background in planetary science and astronomy into biology," said Des Marais. "That's a key qualification for someone who is going to head the astrobiology institute.""Carl is not just a technician, he's a thoughtful and well-rounded scientist," echoed Lynn Rothschild, an astrobiologist at NASA Ames. "That makes him ideal for leading the institute."Chandra Shekhar cshekhar@the-scientist.comLinks within this articleCarl Pilcher http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/library/timeline_webpages/2001/Carl_Pilcher.htmNASA Astrobiology Institute http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/David Des Marais http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/video_archive/desmarais.cfm"Baruch Blumberg," The Scientist, March 8, 1993 http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/15999/S. Bunk, "Astrobiology makes debut under NASA," The Scientist, June 22, 1998. http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/18084/T. Agres, "Astrobiology under assault," The Scientist, March 2, 2006. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23183/Researchers protest funding cuts http://www.seti.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=194993&ct=2041023H. Black, "Extremophiles: They love living on the edge," The Scientist, July 8, 2002. http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/13150/Lynn Rothschild http://www.sciencecareersweb.net/PSU2DE/PSU2DEProfiles/Astrobiology.htmCorrection (posted August 22): When originally posted, the article stated that NAI's annual budget was currently $60 million. That figure -- more correctly, $65 million in FY05 -- represents the amount given to the entire astrobiology program, of which NAI is one part. NAI's budget in FY05 was approximately $27 million. The Scientist regrets the error.

NASA astrobiology gets new director

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