Dr. John M. Grunsfeld

Acclaimed astrophysicist and NASA Chief Scientist, John Grunsfeld joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 1992. A veteran of five space shuttle flights during his renowned career, John logged more than 58 days in space, including eight spacewalks. His expertise in servicing the Hubble Space Telescope earned him the moniker “Hubble Repairman,” and was followed by his advancement to Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Institute.

Even before John’s official retirement from NASA in 2016, he was engaged for years in communicating space science topics to the public, including TV appearances discussing the landing of the Mars Curiosity rover. Highland Park High School graduate and grandson of Adler Planetarium architect Ernest Grunsfeld, John is the only astronaut to climb Denali (Mt. McKinley). His lifelong interest in space exploration and the universe was shared by Greg, and echoes a renewed public interest in this topic.