Born in 1956, Andrew Chaikin grew up in Great Neck, New York, with a fascination for the heavens and space exploration. While studying geology at Brown University he participated in the Viking mission to Mars at the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to his work as a space historian and science journalist, Chaikin has taught extensively at NASA. He lives in Vermont. Info about Chaikin's other books can be found on his website, www.andrewchaikin.com.