The former Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, Dick is an astronomer, author, and historian who served as the chief historian for NASA from 2003 to 2009 and formerly served as an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. As a scholar-in-residence at the Kluge Center Dick explored the critical issues and optimal approaches to studying the societal impact of the discovery of microbial or complex life beyond Earth. On December 4, 2013, Dr. Dick testified before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology about astrobiology and the search for biosignatures in our solar system.
Area of study: Astrobiology, Astronomy, History of Science
Affiliation(s): National Air and Space Museum 2011-2012; NASA, 2003-2009; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), elected 2012.
Kluge Center project: Societal Impact of the Discovery of Life in the Universe
Residency: November 2013 – October 2014
News Releases
- Steven Dick Named Astrobiology Chair (Jun. 4, 2013)
- Steven Dick Arrives as Second Astrobiology Chair (Oct. 17, 2013)
Selected Publications
- Review article: “Critical Issues in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Astrobiology,” Astrobiology Vol. 12, Number 10 (2012): 906-927.
- “America in Space: NASA’s First 50 Years” foreword by Neil Armstrong, edited by Steven J. Dick (2007) (catalog record)
- “The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology” (2004) (catalog record)
- “Life on other Worlds: The 20th-century Extraterrestrial Life Debate” (1998) (catalog record)
- “The Biological Universe: The Twentieth-century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science” (1996) (catalog record)
- “Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant” (1982)
Events
- “Preparing for Discovery: A Rational Approach to the Impact of Finding Microbial, Complex, or Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” (Sept. 18-19, 2014)
- “Astrobiology and Theology: A Discussion” (Jun. 18, 2014)
- “Searching for Life in the Universe: What Does it Mean for Humanity” (Jan. 28, 2014)
- “Seeing What's in Store: The Future in the Literary and Scientific Imagination” - part of the Symposium on the Longevity of Human Civilization (Sept. 12, 2013)
Additional Resources
- “Discovering Life in the Universe” - C-SPAN's American History TV (Sept. 15, 2014)
- Testimony before House Science Committee on astrobiology (Dec. 4, 2013)