Jim Bell is a professor in the School of Earth & Space Exploration at Arizona State University, and is President of the Board of Directors of The Planetary Society. He is an active astronomer and planetary scientist who has been involved in solar system exploration using the Hubble Space Telescope, Mars rovers, and orbiters sent to Mars, the Moon, and several asteroids. His research focuses on the use of remote sensing imaging and spectroscopy to assess the geology, composition, and mineralogy of the surfaces of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. He is also an author of popular science books related to space exploration, including Postcards from Mars, The Space Book, and The Interstellar Age.