Dr. Wendell Mendell

Dr. Wendell Mendell is a Planetary Scientist who retired from NASA at the end of 2013 after 50 years of service. He is married and has four children. Dr. Mendell has a B.S. in physics from CalTech; a M.S. in physics from UCLA; and a M.S. in Space Science and a Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University. At the Johnson Space Center, he most recently served as Assistant Director for Exploration in the Directorate for Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES). He also held the position of Chief of the Office of Lunar and Planetary Exploration within the Constellation Program. In that position, he acted as a liaison between the scientific community and the Constellation Program, responsible for implementing the Presidential Vision for Space Exploration. Earlier, he served as Chief of the Office of Human Exploration Science within ARES and Deputy Division Chief for the Solar System Exploration Divsion. His scientific research focus was remote sensing of planetary surfaces, specializing in thermal emission radiometry and spectroscopy of the Moon. He was Co-Investigator on the Infrared Scanning Radiometer (ISR) instrument that was flown in lunar orbit on the Apollo 17 CSM. He was presented with an award from NASA for that work at the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Apollo Program. He has been editor for nine technical volumes and has published over 40 articles in professional journals and conference proceedings. He is also author of numerous abstracts and short papers presented at technical conferences. Beginning in 1982, his activities in NASA focused on planning and advocacy of human exploration of the solar system, especially on the establishment of a permanent human base on the Moon. His interests lay as much with policy issues as with technical solutions. He is most well known as the editor of the volume, Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century; and he received the 1988 Space Pioneer Award for Science and Engineering from the National Space Society for this work. Dr. Mendell is an Emeritus Faculty of the International Space University, an appointment honoring his work teaching during the first decade of that organization. At the ISU, he led Design Projects for an International Lunar Base (1988), International Mars Mission (1991), International Lunar Farside Observatory and Science Station (1993), Vision 20/20 [a sampling of the future as seen by young space professionals] (1995), and Space Tourism: From Dream to Reality (2000). He lectured during the summer sessions of 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2014. He belongs to several professional scientific and engineering societies. He has been elected to the International Academy of Astronautics, where he has served on Academic Commissions and IAA Cosmic Studies. He has delivered numerous papers at the International Astronautical Congresses and has organized technical sessions therein. In the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) he is an Associate Fellow and has chaired the Space Science and Astronomy Technical Committee and sits on the International Activities Committee, both at the national level. He has delivered papers and organized technical sessions at AIAA conferences. He served on (and chaired) the Executive Committee of the Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He also belongs to the American Physical society and is a life member of the American Geophysical  Union.