What Works And What Doesn't Work In Science Television

August 2002

Andrew Chaikin, 44, is a Renaissance man. His major occupation is as a writer, having been an editor at Sky & Telescope magazine for many years, and co-authoring THE NEW SOLAR SYSTEM, which is the bible for planetary scientists and space artists. In 1986, Andy took a leave of absence from the magazine to complete his pet project-the most complete chronicle of the Apollo project. The result, A MAN ON THE MOON took eight years to complete, and is a classic. This book was the basis for the HBO multi-part series on Apollo, entitled From the Earth to the Moon produced by APOLLO 13's Tom Hanks. Andy has also written numerous articles for magazines such as SCIENCE DIGEST, FINAL FRONTIER, OMNI, DISCOVER, AIR & SPACE, POPULAR SCIENCE, and WORLD BOOK.

While studying geology at Brown University, he worked as an intern on the Viking-Mars project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Upon graduation, he worked as a researcher at the National Air and Space Museum.

Andy also is a skilled artist, though rarely has time to paint, along with his other activities, such as the guitar, at which he is also quite adept.

Andy's presentation will review Project Apollo, his experiences with the astronauts, and lastly his experiences with Tom Hanks and Hollywood in the making of FROM EARTH TO THE MOON.

NOTE: Andy will be more than happy to sign copies of any of his books that you bring to the meeting.