JAMES OBERG
915 Avenue J
Dickinson, TX 77539
281 534 4900 or 337 2838

JOURNALISM

CURRENT POSITION:

• Contributing Editor to many major engineering and science magazines such as “SPECTRUM” and “POPULAR SCIENCE”;
• SPACE CONSULTANT and on-air commentator to NBC NEWS, Discovery Canada, and the BBC, and many cable channel special programs.
• Authoring one of many books in Space series for McGraw-Hill publications.

HONORS

• In May 2000, received 2 awards from the American Society of Business Publications Editors (www.asbpe.org) for “Spectrum” article on loss of NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter in September 1999: 1st place (gold) Eastern Division News Award ; 2nd Place National News Award.
• Twice won first place away in Goddard National Space Award
• Many others

BROADCAST JOURNALISM

*Co-wrote, co-produced and hosted his own TV science series -- "Beyond the X Files" (FOX) and "The Universe and You" (New World Communications) 1995-6.

*Official Space Consultant to networks (see above) . Prior to exclusive contract with ABC in 1997-1999 and NBC since 2003, appeared hundreds of time on all major television and radio networks as an expert on the Russian and American space programs, aerospace disasters, and social context of space.

*Starred in several PBS NOVA programs and other documentaries, including the star of the 3 part NOVA series “The Russian Right Stuff” based on my book.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA JOURNALISM

* Contributor to many Internet sites including ABC.COM, MSNBC.com, United Press International, OMNI, and GALAXY_ONLINE, and developer of dynamic Web presentations of technical topics.

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WIRE SERVICE JOURNALISM

· United Press International 1999-2000. Contributed breaking news and analysis on space and defense areas, on a freelance basis.
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PRINT MEDIA JOURNALISM

BOOKS

*Written 10 layman-audience books on all aspects of space flight including futuristic "terraforming" of other planets (NEW EARTHS), the "human" side of the spaceflight experience (PIONEERING SPACE), Mars exploration (MISSION TO MARS), secret Russian disasters (UNCOVERING SOVIET DISASTERS), the search for extraterrestrials (UFO'S and OUTER SPACE MYSTERIES), and the classic RED STAR IN ORBIT, the authoritative book on the Russian space program. Also wrote a dozen technical books for NASA including HISTORY OF ORBITAL RENDEZVOUS, RENDEZVOUS FLIGHT PROCEDURES HANDBOOK, and GUIDANCE OFFICER CONSOLE HANDBOOK.

*His latest book, SPACE POWER THEORY (April 1999) -- commissioned by U.S. Space Command -- ties together U.S. national security and space technology.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS

· Contributor to WORLD BOOK encyclopedia, ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, ACADEMIC AMERICAN ENCYCLOPEDIA, and GROLIER’S ENCYCLOPEDIA.

MAGAZINES and NEWSPAPERS

* Over 1000 magazine and newspaper articles in Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Scientific American, OMNI, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Astronomy, New Scientist (UK), Air Force Magazine, Star and Sky, American Legion Magazine, Spaceflight (UK), NEWTON (Japan), and many others.
OTHER (consultancies, aerospace engineering work for NASA and Air Force)

*Special consultant to U.S. Congress, several museums, planetariums, and universities, Sotheby's, science and medical conferences, and many aerospace corporations.

* 22-years as an aerospace engineer at NASA in Houston, in 3 different positions : computers, propulsion, and rendezvous. Worked in the “Trench” (front row) of the Mission Control Center for many missions.

*For his pioneering work on developing and documenting (in six books) these space shuttle rendezvous techniques, he was named by the NASA-Area "Association of Technical Societies" as their 1984 "Technical Person of the Year" (first year the award was given). In 1997 he received the "Sustained Superior Performance" award for leading the design team of the complex first Space Station assembly rendezvous (conducted successfully in December 1998).

*Prior to working at NASA, Oberg was an Air Force officer developing and utilizing computer codes for modeling laser and nuclear weapons, then researched computer security and early Internet applications.

*World authority on the Russian and American space programs, and general aerospace technology, applications, and history, and expert in researching controversial and baffling mysteries of aerospace.

EDUCATION

· B. A. in Mathematics from Ohio Wesleyan University (1966);
· M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University;
· M.S. in Computer Science from University of New Mexico;
· Ph.D. work in Mathematics at Northwestern until called to active duty by the Air Force in 1970.