Ray Villard

Ray Villard has dedicated his career to making astronomy accessible to the public. As News Director for the Space Telescope Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, he is responsible for sharing the latest discoveries made with the Hubble Space Telescope.

In 2004, Villard published Infinite Worlds, an illustrated book about the discovery of extrasolar planets, which was later adapted into a National Geographic Channel documentary titled Alien Earths. The documentary went on to be nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award in 2010.

Villard has received several NASA service awards for his contributions to the Hubble project. He holds a Master’s degree in Science Communication from Boston University.

Presentations at Shore Leave 46 (2026):

Everything Wrong and Right with 2001: A Space Odyssey
Did you enjoy the movie? As far as science goes, they got some things right. But they also got some things wrong. Come join us to find out the details.

Artemis IV Lunar Landing Mission
Most of us watched the Artemis II lunar mission with great enthusiasm. But what’s in store for future Artemis missions?