# John S. Lewis > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_S._Lewis > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_S._Lewis.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Lewis > Source revision: 1348817222 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American planetary scientist (born 1941) For other uses, see [John Lewis (disambiguation)](/source/John_Lewis_(disambiguation)). John S. Lewis Born John Simpson Lewis Jr. (1941-06-27) June 27, 1941 (age 85) Trenton, New Jersey Alma mater Princeton University Dartmouth College University of California, San Diego Spouse Peg Awards James B Macelwayne Award of the American Geophysical Union, NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal Scientific career Fields chemistry of the Solar System, space resources, impact hazards Thesis (1968) Doctoral advisor Harold Urey Other academic advisors George B. Field, Alexander Kaczmarczyk, Robert Pease Notable students David Grinspoon Thomas David Jones Stewart Nozette **John S. Lewis** (born June 27, 1941) is a [Professor Emeritus](/source/Emeritus) of [planetary science](/source/Planetary_science) at the [University of Arizona](/source/University_of_Arizona)’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. His interests in the chemistry and formation of the [Solar System](/source/Solar_System) and the economic development of [space](/source/Outer_space) have made him a leading proponent of turning potentially hazardous [near-Earth objects](/source/Near-Earth_object) into attractive space resources. ## Career The son of John Simpson Lewis, a [YMCA](/source/YMCA) professional, and Elsie Dinsmore Vandenbergh, a school teacher. Lewis received his [B.S.](/source/Bachelor's_of_science) in [chemistry](/source/Chemistry) from [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University) in 1962 as a [National Merit Scholar](/source/National_Merit_Scholarship_Program). He then continued his education at [Dartmouth College](/source/Dartmouth_College) receiving his [M.A.](/source/Master's_degree) in [inorganic chemistry](/source/Inorganic_chemistry) in 1964. He received his [Ph.D](/source/Doctorate) in [geochemistry](/source/Geochemistry) and [cosmochemistry](/source/Cosmochemistry) from [University of California, San Diego](/source/University_of_California%2C_San_Diego) in 1968, where he studied under [Harold Urey](/source/Harold_Urey). Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Lewis taught [space sciences](/source/Space_sciences) and [cosmochemistry](/source/Cosmochemistry) at the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology). An expert on the composition and chemistry of [asteroids](/source/Asteroid) and [comets](/source/Comet), Lewis has written such popular science books as *Rain of Iron and Ice* and *[Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets](/source/Mining_the_Sky%3A_Untold_Riches_from_the_Asteroids%2C_Comets%2C_and_Planets)*. Lewis is a frequent commentator on the Chinese network [CCTV](/source/China_Central_Television) when China broadcasts its major missions live. He was a member of the Board of Directors of American Rocket Company and is currently Chief Scientist at Deep Space Industries. Raised a Presbyterian, Lewis became a [Mormon](/source/Mormon),[1] in 1980. In February 2013, Lewis assumed the role of [Chief Scientist](/source/Chief_science_officer) for the firm [Deep Space Industries](/source/Deep_Space_Industries). Lewis focuses on strategic planning, mission development and processing concepts for Deep Space.[2][3][4] ## Publications - Lewis, John S.; Prinn, Ronald G. (1984). *Planets and Their Atmospheres: Origin and Evolution*. Academic Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0124465803](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0124465803). - Lewis, John S.; Lewis, Ruth A. (1987). *Space Resources: Breaking the Bonds of Earth*. Columbia University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0231064985](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0231064985). - Lewis, John S.; Matthews, Mildred Shapley (1993). *Resources of Near-Earth Space*. University of Arizona Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0816514046](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0816514046). - Lewis, John S. (1995). *Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System*. Elsevier Science. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0124467407](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0124467407). - Lewis, John S. (1996). [*Rain of Iron and Ice: The Very Real Threat of Comet and Asteroid Bombardment*](https://archive.org/details/rainofironicever00lewi). Basic Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0201489503](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0201489503). - Lewis, John; Lewis, Professor John S. (1997). *[Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets](/source/Mining_the_Sky%3A_Untold_Riches_from_the_Asteroids%2C_Comets%2C_and_Planets)*. Basic Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0201479591](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0201479591). - Lewis, John S. (1998). [*Worlds Without End: The Exploration of Planets Known and Unknown*](https://archive.org/details/worldswithoutend0000lewi). Basic Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0738200115](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0738200115). - Lewis, John S.; Lewis, Professor John S. (2000). *Comet and Asteroid Impact Hazards on a Populated Earth: Computer Modeling*. Academic Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0124467601](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0124467601). - Lewis, John S. (2014). *Asteroid mining 101: wealth for a new space economy*. Deep Space Industries Incorporated. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-9905842-0-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-9905842-0-9). ## See also - [Marshall Savage](/source/Marshall_Savage) - author of *[The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps](/source/The_Millennial_Project%3A_Colonizing_the_Galaxy_in_Eight_Easy_Steps)* - [Gerard O'Neill](/source/Gerard_K._O'Neill) - author of *[The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space](/source/The_High_Frontier%3A_Human_Colonies_in_Space)* - [James Benson](/source/James_Benson) - founder of the [SpaceDev](/source/SpaceDev) company - *[The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must](/source/The_Case_for_Mars)* by [Robert Zubrin](/source/Robert_Zubrin) - *[Engines of Creation](/source/Engines_of_Creation)* by [K. Eric Drexler](/source/K._Eric_Drexler) - [Asteroid 3554 Amun](/source/3554_Amun) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Blog Archive » John S. Lewis"](http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2791/john-s-lewis). Mormon Scholars Testify. Retrieved 2016-02-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["World's Leading Asteroid Expert Joins Deep Space Industries; Lewis "Wrote the Book" on Meteor Strikes, Asteroid Mining"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160307004947/https://deepspaceindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSILewisanncmnt_20130220.pdf) (PDF). *Deepsapceindustries.com*. Archived from [the original](http://deepspaceindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSILewisanncmnt_20130220.pdf) (PDF) on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-02-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: World's Leading Asteroid Expert Joins Deep Space Industries; Lewis "Wrote the Book" on Meteor Strikes, Asteroid Mining"](http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=46970). *Nanotech-now.com*. Retrieved 2016-02-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Asteroid Expert John Lewis Named Deep Space Industries Chief Scientist at Parabolic Arc"](http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/02/21/asteroid-expert-john-lewis-named-deep-space-industries-chief-scientist/). *Parabolicarc.com*. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2016-02-27. ## External links - [John Lewis's web page](https://web.archive.org/web/20130410235441/http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/people/faculty/lewis2.html) at the University of Arizona. - [Personal blog](http://www.johnslewis.com/) - [The Extraterrestrial Commodities Market](http://www.airspacemag.com/as-interview/extraterrestrial-commodities-market-180956240/?no-ist) airspacemag.com Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Czech Republic Netherlands Israel Belgium Croatia Academics CiNii Mathematics Genealogy Project zbMATH People Trove DDB Other IdRef SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John S. Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Lewis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Lewis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.