Robert Zimmerman

Biography:

Robert Zimmerman is an award-winning space historian, writing articles and books on issues of science, history, technology, and culture. His newest book, "The Universe in a Mirror: the Saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Visionaries Who Built It" (Princeton University Press) tells the sometimes heartbreaking story of the men and women who conceived, designed, built, screwed up, fixed, and then used the Hubble Space Telescope.

His previous book, "Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel," was awarded the Eugene M. Emme Award by the American Astronautical Society for the best popular space history in 2003. In 2000 he was co-winner of the David N. Schramm Award, given by the High Energy Astrophysic Division of the American Astronomical Society for Science Journalism.

Past Shows:

	Apollo & Space Missions
	Monday July 20, 2009

On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, space historian Robert Zimmerman discussed the history and triumph of the Apollo space program & how the U.S. was able win the race to put a man on the moon. First hour guest, Tim Miller with FlatSigned Press talked about his conversations with various Apollo astronauts. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space News & Research
	Wednesday May 6, 2009

Appearing during the first three hours, historian and journalist Robert Zimmerman discussed space politics and history, including recent developments at NASA, space tourism, and the Hubble Space Telescope, "the telescope that will not die." In the last hour, consumer privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht shared an update on current US census plans that incorporate tagging homes with GPS readings. ... More
Host: George Noory

	'Bizarre' Open Lines
	Friday July 4, 2008

During Open Lines, George offered a "Bizarre Hotline" for callers with truly strange tales. The stories included two separate demonic encounters, a simultaneous death by a husband and wife, and a chance encounter with the Unabomber. Danny from Phoenix told of how his church went on a trip to Mexico to spread the word of their faith. While performing a prayer in a town square, he was confronted by a demon that screamed in face. Danny said the experience felt like "all the demon's anger was funneled through me." Jay from San Francisco shared the story of attending a Christmas party as a child and having a Satanic clown paint "666" on his forehead after asking him to pledge himself to the devil. Following the incident, Jay continually had people come up to him and say "you're marked for life." "There's never a day goes by that I don't think about that," Mark from Missouri said about the bizarre story from his teenage years. Fresh out of high school, he and his friends go ... More
Host: George Noory

	The Hubble Telescope
	Wednesday June 18, 2008

Appearing during the first three hours, author Robert Zimmerman talked about his new book The Universe in a Mirror, which covers the history and discoveries of the Hubble Telescope. Astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer proposed the concept of a telescope in space back in 1946, and doggedly fought for it-- yet the Hubble wasn't launched until 1990. Due to budget and time constraints, the Hubble ended up being sent out with a defective mirror-- but this was able to be adjusted later by adding corrective lenses, Zimmerman detailed.The Hubble's images changed the perception of both scientists and the public, depicting the universe as a violent and strange place, he noted. Hubble showed how black holes are ubiquitous and capable of "eating" stars. Its "deep field" images are particularly striking, Zimmerman commented. Created with exposures of a "million seconds" (30 days), they revealed thousands of galaxies just within a single spot in the sky. Hubble is scheduled to receive a final r ... More
Host: George Noory

	Psychic Detectives
	Monday August 20, 2007

Kelly Snyder of Find Me discussed how his group of 32 psychics & experts assists law enforcement and families in locating missing people. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space, Mars & the Moon
	Wednesday August 15, 2007

Space historian and author Robert Zimmerman discussed various space-related topics, such as exploration, commercial ventures, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space: Missions & Ventures
	Thursday July 6, 2006

Space historian Robert Zimmerman shared his insights on such topics as the Shuttle mission, upcoming technology, and commercial ventures in space.The current Shuttle mission has been "remarkably successful," he declared, with the craft showing almost no tile damage, indicating NASA solved the tile problem better than they anticipated. He credited NASA head Mike Griffin with turning the agency around. Yet given a choice, Zimmerman would close down NASA and encourage private enterprise to stimulate space exploration and tourism. Robert Bigelow, he noted, is planning to build space resorts and has offered a $50 million prize to the first company to create a spacecraft capable of repeatedly carrying passengers into orbit.He also commented on next generation technology such as the infrared-seeing James Webb Telescope which may be able to view the "first star" when it launches, and the Crew Exploration Vehicle which will replace the Shuttle. Plans for this vehicle (which has been r ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space, Climate & UFOs
	Sunday February 19, 2006

Author and historian Robert Zimmerman spoke about space-related issues and also shared his contention that there isn't enough evidence to confirm that global warming is happening. We don't have enough data over long-term cycles to draw any definitive conclusions about the Earth's upcoming climate, he maintained. He touched on space tourism which he said the Russians are continuing to develop and private space ventures, such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who is quietly building a spaceport in Texas. Zimmerman, whose next book will be about Hubble, said the space telescope has been one of the most significant scientific instruments, giving people a completely new perspective of the universe. The previously unseen clarity of its images had a genuine cultural impact, he noted. If the next Shuttle missions go smoothly, he is hopeful that a repair mission tentatively scheduled for Dec. 2007 will go forward, and keep Hubble running for another decade. ... More
Host: Art Bell

	Space Update
	Monday August 1, 2005

Author Robert Zimmerman returned to share his insights on space-related matters. The Discovery is scheduled on Wednesday to conduct repairs underneath the shuttle, which is the first time they have attempted to spacewalk in this area, he reported. They will be trying to pull out protruding gap fillers and may even use an "improvised hack saw" to do this. He said the removal of the fillers is important because otherwise they may face heating dangers with their re-entry, in a worst case scenario.Zimmerman doesn't see a manned mission to Mars within the next decade, but rather the setting up of bases on the moon as a prelude to farther activities. He also believes that spirited competition is more efficient than collaborative projects such as the ISS. In other news, discoveries related to gamma-ray bursts have come from a project using the Swift telescope, he said. Shorter gamma-ray bursts appear to be caused by the merger of two neutron stars, and such events could be a threat to ... More
Host: George Noory

	Pharmaceutical Costs
	Wednesday May 18, 2005

Merrill Goozner, the author of The 800 Million Dollar Pill, presented a critical look at the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Americans pay the highest price for drugs, because most other countries have national health plans which are able to negotiate with the suppliers. Because in America there is a highly fragmented system of numerous health care providers, the suppliers are in a "better bargaining position" to name their prices, he explained. Goozner detailed how Cox-2 Inhibitor drugs such as Vioxx were advertised as breakthrough pain killers, when actually they were no more effective than over-the-counter medications like aspirin. This occurred around the time that direct consumer advertising for pharmaceuticals became legal, so many patients were blanketed by TV commercials touting the new drugs. Not only did the prescriptions cost much much more than the over-the-counter pain killers, it was later revealed that the Cox-2 drugs were associated with heart attack risk, a f ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space Missions
	Sunday March 6, 2005

Author and space enthusiast Robert Zimmerman shared updates and information on the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA missions, and private space flight & tourism. The Shuttle program, he noted, is planned to be phased out by 2010 and be replaced by Crew Exploration Vehicles (CEVs), but this new craft may not be ready to fly until 2014, which would leave a gap. He believes the Shuttles should continued to be used in some capacity during that time. Though he said he's not a "Hubble hugger," Zimmerman advocated for NASA to send astronauts to repair and replace parts for the space telescope, though he added that the agency is balking at this because of safety concerns. He suggested that it's likely by the end of the decade we will see sub-orbital flights offered for space tourists. Eventually, there will also be private ventures based on the moon, he predicted, that will utilize solar power and water that is available there. Zimmerman was pleased to announce that he'll be speaking at t ... More
Host: Art Bell

	Space Developments
	Tuesday October 12, 2004

Author Robert Zimmerman returned to the show to discuss various aspects of space exploration and development. Rather than teaming up with other countries on say a mission to Mars, he advocated for competition. Cooperative efforts between nations can become bogged down in political game playing whereas competition often yields more efficient and less expensive ways of doing things, he opined. Zimmerman also touched on the profusion of new private space endeavors, the "space elevator" project which uses nanotube technology and the repair of the Hubble telescope. The effect of Hubble, with its clear photographs of far away objects such as nebula has been profound, he said and "has changed our impression of the universe." The way astronauts experience life in space has some interesting ramifications, he said. For instance, in their weightless state, the floor and ceiling become interchangeable and their orientation is based on their perspective. There are a number of physical chang ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space Exploration
	Sunday June 27, 2004

Author Robert Zimmerman shared his insights into the past, present and future of space exploration, and offered analysis of such projects as the Hubble Telescope, the International Space Station, and the Shuttle program. Space programs hit a lull after the Russian and US competition died down in the 1960's, he noted. Part of the problem for the US was that they didn't develop a second generation line of shuttles, and the country has also lacked in innovation and risk-taking.A booster for continued space explorations, he argued that such journeys are relevant to humanity because they "make you greater than you are." Private enterprise holds promise, he said, with the X-Prize contest generating interest from some 27 companies trying to build craft that can make short flights into space. The co-founder of Pay-Pal, Elon Musk, has started a particularly promising venture called SpaceX, he added. Ironically, since communism ended in Russia, their space efforts have flourished throu ... More
Host:

	Space Exploration
	Sunday February 1, 2004

Author Robert Zimmerman (website) offered his insight on the Space Shuttle Program, President Bush’s Space initiative, The Mars Rovers and other topics regarding the era of space exploration. ... More
Host: Art Bell

	Exploring Space
	Tuesday October 21, 2003

Tuesday's main guest, author Robert Zimmerman (website)delved into the history and future of space exploration. Dissecting the American-Russian rivalry in the 1960s, he commented that the Soviets initially got the upper hand in the space race because the "whole energy of their society was behind it." Later, after the US triumphed with the 1969 moon landing, Zimmerman said the "American public lost its will," after getting a look at the desolate and lifeless qualities inherent on the moon. Explorations of the moon were cut short and astronauts "saw less territory than a NYC cab driver sees in an afternoon of work," he jested. More excited about the possibilities for life on Europa than Mars, Zimmerman noted that some of the ridges circling Jupiter's moon have curious red extrusions. Saturn is also a "weird place," he said, pointing out that its rings "almost have the property of water." Closer to home, Zimmerman compared the structure of International Space Station to the ... More
Host: George Noory