View source for Biography:Gerald Soffen

{{Infobox person
|name=Gerald A. Soffen
|image=Gerald_A_Soffen.jpg
|image_size=200px
|caption=Gerald A. Soffen, from NASA Archives
|birth_place=Cleveland, Ohio
|death_date={{Death date and age|2000|11|22|1926|2|7|mf=y}}
|death_place=Washington, DC
|occupation=Life Scientist and Educator
}}
'''Gerald A. Soffen''' (February 7, 1926 – November 22, 2000) was a [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] scientist and educator who served in a wide variety of roles for the space agency, primarily dealing with either education or with life sciences—especially the search for life on Mars.

He earned his A.B.S. from the [[Organization:University of California, Los Angeles|University of California, Los Angeles]], his M.S. from [[Organization:University of Southern California|University of Southern California]], and his Ph.D. in Biology from [[Organization:Princeton University|Princeton University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa-academy.org/soffen.html |title=Dr. Gerald Soffen, Dies |publisher=The NASA Academy |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910180120/http://www.nasa-academy.org/soffen.html |archivedate=2009-09-10 }}</ref> He pursued his postdoctoral work at [[Organization:New York University|New York University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/soffen-gerald-alan|title=Soffen, Gerald Alan - Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

Working from NASA's [[Organization:Langley Research Center|Langley Research Center]] in the mid- to late-1970s, Soffen was project scientist for the NASA's [[Engineering:Viking program|Viking program]] of [[Astronomy:Mars|Mars]] landers, the first successful missions to perform unmanned experiments on the surface of the planet.<ref><span class="plainlinks" style="font-size: 100%;"> [http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2000/h00-186.htm "HQ Press RELEASE: H00-186, NASA ASTROBIOLOGY ARCHITECT, DR. GERALD SOFFEN, DIES"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930200807/http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2000/h00-186.htm |date=2006-09-30 }}</span>, NASA, November 24, 2000.</ref> In that role, he oversaw all scientific investigations conducted by the landers, coordinating the work of more than seventy scientists around the nation.  In 1977, he appeared on an episode of the popular television series ''In Search Of'' entitled "Martians" and he spoke about the Viking's findings up to that time. "We have started what will become an adventure of mankind in searching for not only the lower forms of life but also the search for intelligent life.  This is one of the milestones in the course of human destiny to find cousins".  Soffen also predicted that mankind would eventually colonize Mars by using Planetary Engineering.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nimoy|first1=Leonard|title=In Search of Martians|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0894191/|website=Internet Movie Database|publisher=Landsburg Productions|accessdate=July 28, 2016|date=1977}}</ref>

[[File:Soffen1.jpg|thumb|right|Gerald Soffen in 1977 appearing on the TV show ''In Search of...'']]
He moved to become NASA Langley's Chief Environmental Scientist in 1968,<ref>{{Cite web |title=On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet. 1958-1978 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4212/ch7.html |access-date=2022-09-09 |website=history.nasa.gov}}</ref> leading work on [[Earth:Remote sensing|remote sensing]] by satellite as well as laboratory experiments, ground-based measurements, and theoretical models.  

In 1978, after concluding his work with Viking, Soffen became the director of Life Sciences at NASA Headquarters. In this position, Soffen was responsible for the agency-wide program to monitor and maintain the physical well being of NASA astronauts in space, as well as the Biomedical Program, the Space Biology Program, and the Exobiology (also sometimes called the Astrobiology) program.  If you ever heard him speak, you know that he was the oratorical equal of luminaries like Carl Sagan. Like Sagan, Soffen spoke cogently, succinctly, and poetically about our search for life beyond earth.

In 1983, Soffen transferred from NASA Headquarters to NASA [[Organization:Goddard Space Flight Center|Goddard Space Flight Center]] (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. Initially, his role at GSFC focused on establishing the "Mission to Planet Earth" program; Soffen also served as the project scientist for NASA's Earth Observing System as that program was starting.

Soffen's focus shifted to education starting in 1990, when he led the formation of GSFC's University Programs office and became its manager. Three years into that role, Soffen created [[Organization:NASA Academy|NASA Academy]], NASA's premiere leadership training internship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2000/00-087.html |title=NASA - Mars Scientist and Astrobiology Architect, Dr. Gerald Soffen, Dies |publisher=NASA.gov |date=2000-11-24 |accessdate=2011-01-14}}</ref> During 1990–1992, he served on the Science Advisory Committee for Biosphere 2.

==Recognition==
Soffen has been memorialized in several ways by his peers and former students. The "Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education" was established by the [[Organization:NASA Academy|NASA Academy]] Alumni Association "to continue Jerry's commitment to the future of space by supporting motivated students in the fields of space science and engineering".<ref><span class="plainlinks" style="font-size: 100%;"> [http://www.nasa-academy.org/soffen/fund.html "Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education"]</span>, NASA Academy Alumni Association, viewed Nov 28, 2006.</ref> The "Gerald Soffen Memorial Panel/Lecture" is also a feature of the annual Space Studies program conducted by International Space University.

The ''[[Astronomy:Viking 2|Viking 2]]'' lander was posthumously named after Soffen.<ref><span class="plainlinks" style="font-size: 100%;"> [http://www.space.com/news/spaceagencies/soffen_viking_010720.html "Viking 2 Lander Renamed After Gerald Soffen"]</span>, Space.com, July 20, 2001.</ref> Additionally, a crater on Mars was named "Soffen" in 2006.<ref>"<span class="plainlinks" style="font-size: 100%;"> [http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=22632 Crater on Mars Named After Astrobiologist Gerald Soffen]</span>", SpaceRef.com, November 23, 2006.</ref> The crater is centered at 23.73 degrees S, 140.86 degrees E on Mars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Planetary Names |url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/Soffen |access-date=2022-09-09 |website=planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov}}</ref> 

==References==
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==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19980523135553/http://www.nasa-academy.org/ NASA Academy official site]
* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/viking/ Viking Program official site]
* [http://www.nasa-academy.org/soffen/travelgrant/ Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education official site]
* [http://www.nasa-academy.org/soffen/Photos/ Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial - Photo Collection]


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[[Category:Astrobiologists]]

{{Sourceattribution|Gerald Soffen}}