David Latham

I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts.

In space, it was the first NASA call for scientists as astronauts. In science, it was high school physics course at the Roxbury Latin School taught by Richard M. Whitney.

I was recruited to the Space Interferometry Mission science working group, then the FAME mission science team (both those missions were cancelled), then became a co-investigator on the successful Kepler mission, and now I'm the director of science for TESS, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

I am a senior astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I have been working on the search for planets orbiting nearby stars since 1984, with a recent focus (since 1999) on transiting planets. I also have a joint appointment at Harvard and have taught thousands of students.

Kepler and TESS.

Getting an all-sky survey for nearby transiting systems selected for implementation, namely TESS. It is now in science operations. I first started promoting this idea 13 years ago and never gave up.

My students.

Follow your dreams.

I medaled in the International Six Day Trial — an off-road motorcycle event — all four times I rode, from 1971–1974.

The launch of TESS on a Falcon 9 on April 18, 2018, because it was a flawless launch.

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program

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