Bachelor of arts in astronomy from Amherst College, 1966; Ph.D. in astrophysics from Harvard University, 1971; master of science in materials science from Rice University, 1988; project scientist at MIT; hobbies: Skiing, mountaineering, hiking, bicycling, swimming, sailing, music; until 2001 NASA's European representative in Paris, France; currently "senior lecturer" in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).