Mission: Mars

Dr. Pascal Lee is chairman of the Mars Institute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute. He is also director of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project at NASA Ames Research Center. The project helps plan future human missions to Mars.

Pascal's interest in space began at an early age. When he was six, he built his first "spaceship" by putting a laundry basket on roller skates. Early test flights, often co-piloted with his younger brother, did not always end well. He refined his skills by studying physics and geology at the University of Paris in France. He continued on with a PhD in astronomy and space sciences at Cornell University in New York.

When not researching ways to advance space exploration, Pascal likes to play with his three dogs and paint space art. He is also a helicopter pilot and flight instructor.