Ed Lu

Dr. Ed Lu is a physicist, astronaut, inventor, and entrepreneur with a career spanning space exploration, astrophysics, and planetary defense. Lu graduated from Cornell and earned a doctorate in astrophysics from Stanford. He has received several commendations, including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Specializing in solar physics, Lu conducted postdoctoral research at the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado, and the Institute for Astronomy in Honolulu, Hawaii, before joining the NASA Astronaut Corps.

Lu is the co-inventor of the Gravity Tractor, a spacecraft concept designed to alter the orbit of an asteroid. He has published scientific articles on high-energy astrophysics, solar physics, plasma physics, cosmology, and statistical physics.

Lu completed three spaceflights, accumulating more than 200 days in orbit. He served as flight engineer and science officer on the International Space Station during Expedition 7, flew as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-84, and as payload commander on Atlantis during STS-106, where he performed a spacewalk to prepare the station for long-term crew operations. Following the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA assigned Lu to the International Space Station to maintain operations with a two-person crew, during which he became the first American to co-pilot a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. His honors include the Cornell University Presidential Scholar award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Gagarin Medal, the Komarov Medal, and the Beregovoy Medal.

After retiring from NASA, Lu led the Advanced Projects group at Google, contributing to the development of imaging technology for Google Earth/Maps, Google Street View, and energy information products such as Google PowerMeter. While at NASA, Lu co-founded the B612 Foundation, an organization focused on planetary defense and asteroid impact prevention. He serves as executive director of the Asteroid Institute, a program of the B612 Foundation, which developed the Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery (THOR) algorithm. This tool processes astronomical images to identify previously undetected asteroids, enabling the discovery of thousands of new asteroids and advancing scalable, cost-effective planetary defense strategies.

Lu also co-founded LeoLabs, a company that operates a global network of radars to track space debris and monitor activity in Low Earth Orbit. At LeoLabs, he leads the development of technologies for identifying and tracking objects to prevent on-orbit collisions. Lu has served as a scientific advisor to the White House and NASA on space technology and policy. He was inducted into the International Astronautical Federation Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to space science, planetary defense, and the advancement of space technology.