posted 10-29-2024 10:06 AM               

So who is John Casani that he merits a book on his life and achievements? As described by Jay: "Casani is the most important person in space exploration you never heard of. An originator of what is today called systems engineering. A key personality in our travels to the ends of the solar system. And the reason why messages to alien civilizations are on probes now traveling through interstellar space."

John Casani retired from JPL in 1999, having spent in excess of four decades working in project management and system engineering. Early on, he held projects positions with JPL on the Explorer, Pioneer, Ranger and Mariner space missions, later serving as project manager for the extraordinary Voyager mission to the outer planets, the Galileo mission to Jupiter and Cassani to Saturn. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for the Galileo mission, and the Medal for Outstanding Leadership on the Mariner 10 and Voyager projects. He has also been a recipient of NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal. Altogether a legend in JPL/NASA and right to the fore in the history of robotic exploration of our solar system.

Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor at Wired and author of 'The Skies Belong to Us' says of Jay's manuscript: "There's an excellent chance that John Casani is your favorite engineer's favorite engineer, and the delightfully engaging 'Born to Explore' makes clear why he merits so much adulation. Without his genius for solving the American space program's thorniest problems, we'd know far less about our fascinating little corner of the Milky Way. Jay Gallentine does a brilliant job of exploring how Casani's innate curiosity and agile mind drove him."

posted 10-31-2024 05:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by ColinBurgess:
"Casani is the most important person in space exploration you never heard of...."

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posted 11-20-2024 06:49 AM            

I am privileged to be able to tell John Casani's story. It wasn't the original plan. But an otherwise routine call with him, to discuss some misc. details, turned into a 4+ hour marathon where he opened up to me on everything from his first marriage to his kids, as well as what really makes him tick. My audio recorder was nearly at the end of its capacity.

I had been interviewing John since 2007 and we had a rapport going, so I think that had a lot to do with it.

After the call ended, I became convinced that an in-depth account of Casani’s backstory, motivations, and philosophies was absolutely missing from the historical record, and this was the way to proceed.

Humorously enough, the person most opposed to this was Casani himself! “Oh, I don’t think you should,” he told me numerous times. “Nobody wants to read a book about me.” But he rolled with it. So did his kids, who supplied me with many stories from their childhood was well as a treasure trove of family photos.