Thomas Zurbuchen has ridden off into the sunset.
Zurbuchen, affectionately known as Dr. Z, stepped down as head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate on Dec. 31. He had served in the post for six years, a longer continuous term than that of any of his predecessors.
Dr. Z’s tenure was incredibly eventful, packed with high-profile science and exploration successes. In 2021, for example, NASA landed the life-hunting, sample-collecting Perseverance rover on Mars and launched the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to peer farther back into the universe’s history than any mission ever had. And this past September, the agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully slammed a probe into a space rock far from Earth, demonstrating a deflection method humanity may need to employ someday to save our skins.
In September, when he announced his decision to step down, Dr. Z explained that he was ready for a change, and that NASA would benefit from some new blood coming in. He also said he wasn’t sure where the looming fork in the road would take him; he needed more time for reflection, and time would be decidedly scarce until he stepped away from the job.
Space.com caught up with Dr. Z in October to discuss his time as NASA’s science chief — his favorite missions, the advice he’d give to his successors and the incredible growth of the space community over the past few years. The following conversation has been edited for length.
In photos: The James Webb Space Telescope’s first pictures
Space.com: I know this is a big question, but what do you make of your six years doing this job? What are your overall impressions?
Thomas Zurbuchen: I would talk about it in two ways. The first one is the personal side, and the second is the community side. It turns out the second one matters more, but I’m less clear about that, because I think it tends to be that history proves what is the right answer. There are other opinions, so mine kind of matters less.
I’m in awe of having the front-window view of all of science. I get to see the first picture ever taken on a mission — in the hallway, somebody’s handing it to me. I’ve just been in awe of the amazing power of space and the amazing power of science to really inspire and to excite. So that’s kind of my personal view.
I think on the community side, what we have experienced in the last six years is an enormous growth in many different dimensions. If you take any six-year period, you would be hard-pressed in the…
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