Gary Bennett (January 17, 1940) was born in Twin Falls, Idaho. He received his Associate of Arts degree from Boise State University in 1960; a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and Master of Nuclear Science degree from University of Idaho in 1962 and 1966, respectively; and a PhD in physics from Washington State University in 1970. In June of 1988, he was hired at NASA as the Manager of Advanced Space Power Systems. In this position, he managed numerous transportation technology projects, including the low-thrust propulsion and the advanced propulsion concepts programs, and served in NASA’s nuclear propulsion technology program as project manager. Before his career at NASA, Bennett worked a number of other jobs in the aerospace field, including serving on the Department of Energy’s space radioisotope power program as Director of Safety and Nuclear operations for the Galileo and Ulysses missions; working as Chief of the Research Support Branch in the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and serving on American delegations to subcommittees of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space; among many other positions. Bennet received the Friend of Darwin Award for his work promoting science education, as well as the Silver and Gold Award (1994), the highest award granted by the University of Idaho Alumni Association. Over the course of his career, he authored or co-authored over 100 technical papers, reports, journal articles, and magazine articles on propulsion, power, and space exploration, as well as one novel, The Star Sailors (1980), published by St. Martin’s Press.