Les Johnson
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Les Johnson is a NASA physicist, manager, author, husband and father. By day, he serves as the Deputy Manager for the Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In his spare time he writes popular science books and articles, reads science fiction, and fulfills the role of husband and father to his two children.
Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel Giovanni Vulpetti, Les Johnson, and Gregory Matloff
Solar sail propulsion will make space exploration more affordable and offer access to destinations within (and beyond) the solar system that are currently beyond our reach. This book describes solar sails, how they work and what they will be used for in the exploration of space in an easily readable manner which does not necessitate any prior knowledge of physics or solar sailing. It discusses current plans for solar sails and also describes how advanced technology, such as nanotechnology, might enhance solar-sail performance. Much has been accomplished recently to make solar sail technology very close to becoming an engineering reality and it will soon be used by the world’s space agencies in the exploration of the solar system and beyond.
Published in August 2008 by Praxis & Springer/Copernicus
Living Off the Land in Space: Green Roads to the Cosmos by Gregory Matloff, Les Johnson, and C Bangs
Drawing parallels with the terrestrial pioneers who had to "live off the land" as they made their way across the face of the Earth, this book describes how space travelers will use the resources they encounter to sustain missions to the furthest reaches of the solar system and beyond. Many of the technologies and approaches discussed have little or no impact on the environment of space -- providing truly "green" roads to the cosmos!
Published by Praxis & Springer/Copernicus Available now from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Target's online bookstore, or a bookseller near you.
Did you know that Les was the technical consultant for the movie Lost in Space?
Les and Greg Matloff first published together in the November 2006 issue of Analog Magazine -- "The Interstellar Conspiracy."
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Huntsville Alabama L-5 Society invited Les to speak at their December 4 meeting to be held at the Huntsville Public Library.
Recent Events
Les and his colleague, Dan Thomas, just had a technical paper titled, "A Comparison of Lunar Lander Options for Robotic Exploration of the Moon" accepted for publication in The Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. It will be published in a few months.
Les recently signed his books at a regional meeting of the National Space Society held in Huntsville.
The 2008 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's (JDRF) Walk for a Cure was held on Sunday, October 19. THANKS to all who donated and especially to the folks at Constellation who allowed me to place a donation box in the art show.
Les was a guest at Constellation, Huntsville's annual science fiction convention held October 17 - 19, 2008.
Les was a guest at DragonCon 2008 from August 29 - September 1, 2008. What a great convention! Special thanks to Rain, the Space Track Chairperson. She did a great job.
Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel is out!
A great weekend was had by all who attended LibertyCon 2008 in Chattanooga, TN.
Les was a guest at MidSouthCon in Memphis from March 28 -30.
Les was a guest of the Omegacon Science Fiction Convention in Birmingham, Alabama from March 14 - 16.
Les held a signing event on October 26 in Pablo's on Market bookstore (Athens, Alabama) during the annual Spirit of Athens Storytelling Festival,
Les attended the Constellation Science Fiction Convention in Huntsville during the weekend of October 12 - 14, 2007.
Les signed copies of his book, Living Off the Land in Space, at the Madison Street Festival on October 6. He was hosted by Hale Fire Glass at 112 Main Street in Madison, Alabama.
Les gave the Holladay Lecture in Physics at Vanderbilt University on September 6, 2007.
Les conducted a book signing at the Huntsville, Alabama Barnes & Noble on August 11, 2007.
The Oak Ridge, TN Tamke-Allen Observatory invited Les to speak on August 4, 2007 before a night of sky watching.
Les spoke at the Huntsville, Alabama chapter of the National Space Society on August 2, 2007.
On July 24 & 25, 2007 Les and co-authors Gregory Matloff and C Bangs were the guests of the Memphis, TN National Space Society. While in Memphis, they lectured at the Optimist Club and The Pink Palace Museum, received a private tour of the FedEx Institute, and conducted a signing at Barnes & Noble
