When NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe announced his retirement in December 2004 to become chancellor of Louisiana State University, NASA was still reeling from the 2003 loss of the space shuttle Columbia, strained relations with the science community, and upcoming tough budget decisions. The White House quickly chose Michael D. Griffin, a 35-year career veteran in both NASA and the commercial space industry, to head the agency. Physics Today recently interviewed Griffin at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC (a full transcript is available on the Physics Today website).

One of the first things a visitor to Griffin’s office notices is a framed 1953 book called A Child’s Book of Stars hanging on the wall. “It was the first book I got when I learned to read,” says Griffin, “and I literally don’t remember a time when I was interested in anything other than science, mathematics, or engineering.” Griffin has degrees...

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