Dr. John Grunsfeld

President
Endless Frontier Associates

John M. Grunsfeld is a scientist and astronaut and with extensive experience as a leader in human space exploration, space science missions, and national space policy. He has served as a NASA astronaut, the Associate Administrator for Science, and Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Previously he served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, managing the science program for the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. Grunsfeld’s scientific research is in planetary science and the search for life beyond Earth. Grunsfeld joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1992. He is a veteran of five space shuttle flights, (STS-67, STS-81, STS-103, STS-109, and STS-125) of which three flights were to the Hubble Space Telescope. He performed eight spacewalks to service and upgrade the Hubble observatory.

Dr. Grunsfeld graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. He earned a master’s degree and, in 1988, a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago. In 2015 Grunsfeld was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, is a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society, and a Fellow of the AIAA. He has received numerous awards including the National Space Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Leadership Medal, and the AIAA Education Award.

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Related Sessions

Space Science & Exploration Track

Monday, April 13, 2026

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Track: Track Program

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