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Michelle Thaller

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Dr
Michelle Thaller
Thaller in 2013
Born
Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.
EducationBS 1992, PhD 1998
Alma mater
SpouseAndrew Booth (2000–2020)[1][2]

Michelle Thaller is an American astronomer and research scientist. Thaller is formerly the Assistant Director for Science Communication at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.[3] She retired in 2024 after 27 years at NASA.[4]

From 1998 to 2009 she was a staff scientist at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, and later Manager of the Education and Public Outreach program for the Spitzer Space Telescope, at the California Institute of Technology.[5] She is a frequent on-camera contributor to programming on The History Channel and Science Channel.

Background

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A native of Wisconsin,[6] Thaller graduated from Waukesha South High School in 1988.[7] She attended Harvard University, where she majored in astrophysics and worked on precision measurement of binary stars, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1992. At Georgia State University Thaller worked on colliding winds in close massive binary systems. She received a PhD in 1998.[5][8]

Thaller is a regular contributor to the online edition of the Christian Science Monitor, for which she writes a monthly science column,[6][8] and appears on the History Channel show, The Universe, and The Science Channel series How the Universe Works, Strip the Cosmos, and The Planets and Beyond. In 2016 and 2017 Thaller authored and hosted the PRX/Sky & Telescope Orbital Path Podcasts series,[9] and in 2008 contributed to and appeared in the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope's award-winning video podcast series IRrelevant Astronomy.[10]

Personal life

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Michelle Thaller married fellow astronomer Andrew Booth on September 8, 2000, in Scotland.[11] Andrew, a tenured professor at the University of Sydney, moved from Australia to be with Michelle in Pasadena, California during her post-doc. Andrew passed in 2020 due to a rare form of brain cancer.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Andrew Booth". Tribute Archive. n.d. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "Michelle Thaller Communicates the Beauty and Possibilities of Science". NASA. February 18, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Sciences and Exploration Directorate – NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center". Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Nasa Presentation by Michelle Thaller". bumbershoot.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "SIRTF Profiles: Dr. Michelle Thaller – Manager of the SIRTF Education and Public Outreach Program". Spitzer Science Center. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "About Us". Cool Cosmos. Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  7. ^ "Wall of Fame". Waukesha South HS. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  8. ^ a b "NASA Biography – Michelle Thaller". NASA. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Orbital Path Podcasts with Michelle Thaller". Sky & Telescope. November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Seriously Funny: Spitzer's IRrelevant Astronomy Podcast" (PDF). Spark. No. 8. June 2009.
  11. ^ "A Romance written in the stars". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Turning To Space While Processing Grief". Science Friday. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
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