National Space Society Governor John S. Lewis Biography

john lewis biography portrait

John S. Lewis

National Space Society Board of Governors

John S. Lewis, Professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona, has research interests in two distinct areas: applications of chemistry to planetary sciences, and space development. The former program includes modeling of chemical processes in the early Solar System, condensation-accretion models of the terrestrial planets and giant-planet satellite systems, the compositional relationships between meteorites, asteroids, comets, and planets, and the chemical evolution of planetary atmospheres and surfaces. His other interests center on the characterization and economic development of the material and energy resources of near-Earth space.

Lewis is the author of numerous books on planetary science and space development, including Space Resources: Breaking the Bonds of Earth (with Ruth A. Lewis, 1987), Resources of Near-Earth Space (principal editor, 1993), Rain of Iron and Ice: The Very Real Threat of Comet and Asteroid Bombardment (1996), Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets (1996), Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System (1997), Worlds Without End: The Exploration of Planets Known and Unknown (1998), and Comet and Asteroid Impact Hazards on a Populated Earth: Computer Modeling (1999).

Dr. Lewis is also on the Board of Directors of the Space Studies Institute.