:Joel S. Levine
{{Short description|Planetary and atmospheric scientist; studies the atmospheres of Earth and Mars}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Joel S. Levine
| image = Joel S. Levine NASA headshot.jpg
| alt = A headshot of Joel S. Levine at NASA
| caption = A NASA portrait of Levine
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1942}}
| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
| workplaces = NASA, College of William & Mary
| alma_mater = Brooklyn College, New York University, University of Michigan
| known_for = Original research on: Mars, The Early Atmosphere and Evolution of the Atmosphere of Earth and Mars, Atmospheric Chemistry, Biomass Burning, and Global Climate Change.
Planning for the return of humans to the Moon, and for the planned Human Exploration of Mars
Assisted the National Archives in the Preservation of the Charters of Freedom
Member of NASA's Chilean Trapped Miner Support Team
| spouse = Arlene S. Levine
| children = 1
}}
Joel S. Levine (born 1942) is an American planetary scientist, author, and research professor in applied science at the College of William & Mary,{{Cite news|last=Arriaza|first=Rodrigo|date=February 19, 2019|title=W&M professor, former NASA scientist talks about human mission to Mars|work=The Virginia Gazette|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/news/va-vg-sending-humans-to-mars-0220-story.html|access-date=May 13, 2021}} specializing in the atmospheres of the Moon, Earth, and Mars.{{Cite news|last=Wilkerson|first=Sian|date=August 2, 2021|title=William & Mary research professor, NASA Langley retiree publishes new book on lunar dust|work=The Virginia Gazette|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/va-vg-joel-levine-book-20210802-ljcb36r7bbdwnmdutcpf3r5fri-story.html|access-date=December 28, 2021}} He has worked as a senior research scientist at NASA, developing scientific models of the evolution of the Earth's early atmosphere, as well as creating models of the Martian atmosphere for use during the Viking 1 and 2 Mars Orbiter and Lander Missions, and was principal investigator and chief scientist of the proposed ARES Mars Airplane Mission.{{Cite news|last=Tennant|first=Diane|date=July 1, 2006|title=NASA Langley's proposed Mars plane moves closer to flight|work=The Virginian Pilot|url=https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_5d209b52-d2d5-595a-9ae2-86513030be2a.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 8, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090639/https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_5d209b52-d2d5-595a-9ae2-86513030be2a.html}} He also formed and led the "Charters of Freedom Research Team," a group of 12 NASA scientists who worked with the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) to preserve the United States Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights when small white spots began appearing on the documents in 1988.{{Cite news|last=Leary|first=Warren E.|date=February 7, 1999|title=New Framers of the Declaration of Independence Act to Save It in Parchment (Published 1999)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/us/new-framers-of-the-declaration-of-independence-act-to-save-it-in-parchment.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919005934/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/us/new-framers-of-the-declaration-of-independence-act-to-save-it-in-parchment.html}}{{Cite web|last=Stefula|first=Denise M.|title=NASA Uses Mini Freezer and More to Solve Big Whodunit|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/science/chartersoffreedom.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 30, 2020|website=NASA|language=en|archive-date=March 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318040414/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/science/chartersoffreedom.html}} Levine's past work also includes assisting in the design of the rescue vehicle that saved 33 Chilean miners in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident,{{Cite web|last=Geberer|first=Raanan|date=August 8, 2012|title=Brooklyn-born scientist helped make Mars landing a reality|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2012/08/08/brooklyn-born-scientist-helped-make-mars-landing-a-reality/|url-status=live|access-date=December 31, 2020|website=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|language=en-US|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090641/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2012/08/08/brooklyn-born-scientist-helped-make-mars-landing-a-reality/}} as well as original research on the feasibility of the "nuclear winter" hypothesis,{{Cite news|last=Revkin|first=Andrew C.|date=December 4, 1986|title=Scientific Burn of Brush Ends When Copter Crashes at Site|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-04-mn-1359-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090706/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-04-mn-1359-story.html}} and the effects of uncontrolled fires on global warming.{{Cite web|last=Wicker|first=Tom|date=April 4, 1991|title=FINAL STORY YET TO BE TOLD ON KUWAIT ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1991-04-04-9101170289-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-09|website=Sun-Sentinel|language=en-US|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090708/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/}}
Levine is married to Arlene Spielholz, a former NASA scientist who studied the psychological effects of astronauts spending long time periods in space, and has a daughter and grandson.
Early life
Levine was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 14, 1942.{{Cite book|title=American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences|publisher=Gale publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-1414445519|editor-last=H. Nemeh|editor-first=Katherine|volume=4|pages=955}} He became interested in astronomy at age 13, when he discovered images of Mars taken at Mount Wilson Observatory in a school textbook.{{Cite news|last=Levine|first=Joel|title=Joel Levine {{!}} Speaker {{!}} TED|url=https://www.ted.com/speakers/joel_levine|url-status=live|access-date=January 21, 2021|website= TED|language=en|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219105813/https://www.ted.com/speakers/joel_levine}} As a teenager he attended Thomas Jefferson High School, graduating in 1960, and later studied at Brooklyn College at City University of New York, where he earned a bachelor of science in physics with a minor in astronomy in 1964, and New York City University, where he earned an M.S. in meteorology in 1967. As a graduate student at New York University, he worked as a research assistant at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) on the campus of Columbia University, where he wrote a research paper about the surface and atmosphere of Mars{{Cite web|last=Vitug|first=Eric|date=May 25, 2017|title=Joel S. Levine|url=http://www.nasa.gov/langley/hall-of-honor/joel-s-levine|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310094439/https://www.nasa.gov/langley/hall-of-honor/joel-s-levine/|archive-date=March 10, 2021|access-date=December 30, 2020|website=NASA}} and investigated possible explanations for an observed "ashen light" on Venus.{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |title=The Ashen Light: An auroral phenomenon on Venus |journal=Planetary and Space Science |date=June 1969 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=1081–1087 |doi=10.1016/0032-0633(69)90001-4 |bibcode=1969P&SS...17.1081L }} In 1968, he married Arlene Spielholz, who at the time was doing graduate work at Columbia University, teaching English to non-English-speaking students in Brooklyn.{{Cite news|date=March 25, 1968|title=Joel Levine Weds Arlene Spielholz (Published 1968)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/25/archives/joel-levine-weds-arlene-spielholz.html|access-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090708/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/25/archives/joel-levine-weds-arlene-spielholz.html|url-status=live}} In 1973, he received an M.S. in Aeronomy and Planetary Science at the University of Michigan and earned a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science at the same university in 1977.{{Cite web|title=William & Mary – Joel S. Levine|url=https://www.wm.edu/as/appliedscience/people/researchfaculty/levine-j.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127201158/https://www.wm.edu/as/appliedscience/people/researchfaculty/levine-j.php|archive-date=January 27, 2021|access-date=December 30, 2020|website=William & Mary|language=en}}
Career
In 1970, Langley Research Center associate director John Edward Duberg recruited Levine to work on the Viking program. Levine joined the Center in July 1970 and was assigned to the Aeronomy Section of the Planetary Physics Branch. He continued working for NASA until his retirement in 2011.
During his time at NASA, Levine served as Senior Research Scientist of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the Langley Research Center, Principal Investigator of NASA's research program on global biomass burning,{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Joel S. Levine {{!}} The MIT Press|url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/contributors/joel-s-levine|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=MIT Press|language=en|archive-date=September 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916115147/https://mitpress.mit.edu/contributors/joel-s-levine}} Principal Investigator and chief scientist of the proposed ARES Mars Airplane Mission,{{Cite news|last=Tennant|first=Diane|date=July 1, 2006|title=NASA Langley's proposed Mars plane moves closer to flight|work=The Virginia Pilot|url=https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_5d209b52-d2d5-595a-9ae2-86513030be2a.html|access-date=December 28, 2021}}{{Cite web|date=November 9, 2009|title=Joel S. Levine – Research Scientist|url=http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/robotics/careercorner/Joel_Levine.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922183000/https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/robotics/careercorner/Joel_Levine.html|archive-date=September 22, 2020|access-date=December 30, 2020|website=NASA|language=en}} {{PD-notice}} co-chair of NASA's Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG),{{Cite news|last=Kaplan|first=Jeremy A.|date=December 30, 2010|title=NASA Scientist Publishes 'Colonizing the Red Planet,' a How-To Guide|work=Fox News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-scientist-publishes-colonizing-the-red-planet-a-how-to-guide|access-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927052127/https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-scientist-publishes-colonizing-the-red-planet-a-how-to-guide|archive-date=September 27, 2019}} was a member of the Chilean Miners Rescue Support Team,{{Cite news|last=Shatz|first=Frank|date=January 13, 2020|title=Reunited with some dramatic history|work=The Virginia Gazette|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-ed-shatz-0115-20200113-nuqpfchtzzaynmepomezfpg7bu-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201181220/https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-ed-shatz-0115-20200113-nuqpfchtzzaynmepomezfpg7bu-story.html}} and served as Mars Scout Program Scientist in the Mars Exploration Program at NASA headquarters (2007–2009).{{Cite news|last=Lynch|first=Patrick|date=March 7, 2007|title=Langley Researcher Named to Mars Program|pages=B2|work= Daily Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69654525/langley-researcher-named-to-mars-program/|url-status=live|access-date=February 9, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090716/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69654525/langley-researcher-named-to-mars-program/}} In 1990, Levine became an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary, where he headed the Atmospheric Sciences program. Levine taught courses on planetary, atmospheric, and climate science and policy in the evenings, while still working full-time at NASA during the day.{{Cite web|last=Nutter|first=Caroline|date=September 11, 2017|title=From Mars to McGlothlin: Joel Levine discusses research for NASA, struggle for diversity in science|url=http://flathatnews.com/2017/09/11/from-mars-to-mcglothlin-joel-levine-discusses-research-for-nasa-struggle-for-diversity-in-science/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224212404/http://flathatnews.com/2017/09/11/from-mars-to-mcglothlin-joel-levine-discusses-research-for-nasa-struggle-for-diversity-in-science/|archive-date=24 December 2020|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=The Flat Hat|language=en-US}} Upon his formal retirement from NASA on June 30, 2011, he was appointed Research Professor in the Department of Applied Science at the College of William & Mary, and Consultant for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at the NASA Langley Research Center.
In 2010, Levine published "The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet,"{{Cite book|last1=Zubrin|first1=Robert|title=The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet|last2=Schmitt|first2=Harrison|last3=Mitchell|first3=Edgar|last4=Davies|first4=Paul|publisher=Cosmology Science Publishers|year=2010|isbn=978-0982955239|editor-last=Levine|editor-first=Joel S.|editor-last2=Schild|editor-first2=R.E.}} a collection of essays by notable scientists and public figures discussing the potential challenges and resources required to colonize Mars. According to Fox News, Levine suggested using space advertising as a potential method to raise funding for a NASA Mars mission, which he claimed would be "a whole new economic plan for financing what has to be the greatest adventure in the history of the human race".
In July 2016, Levine served as organizer, chair and speaker at the Viking 40th Anniversary Science Symposium, a conference celebrating the impact of the Viking Program 40 years after first landing on Mars.{{Cite news|last=Dietrich|first=Tamara|date=July 19, 2016|title=NASA Langley's Vikings conquered Mars|work= Daily Press|url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-vikings-nasa-langley-20160717-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090641/https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-vikings-nasa-langley-20160717-story.html}}{{Cite web|title=Viking: 40th Anniversary of First Landing on Mars|url=https://vpm.org/articles/4828/viking-40th-anniversary-of-first-landing-on-mars|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=VPM.org|language=en|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090716/https://vpm.org/articles/4828/viking-40th-anniversary-of-first-landing-on-mars|url-status=live}} On June 1, 2017, he was inducted into the Langley Research Center NACA and NASA Hall of Honor,{{Cite news|last=Dietrich|first=Tamara|date=June 1, 2017|title=NASA Langley adds 18 members to its Hall of Honor|work=Daily Press|url=https://www.dailypress.com/2017/06/01/nasa-langley-adds-18-members-to-its-hall-of-honor/|access-date=July 4, 2023}} an award given to only 37 NASA and NACA researchers as of his induction. Levine is the youngest member inducted as of February 1, 2021.{{Cite web|title=Joel Levine joins 'Hidden Figures' women in NASA Langley Hall of Honor|url=https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2017/joel-levine-joins-hidden-figures-women-in-nasa-langley-hall-of-honor.php|access-date=2021-12-28|website=William & Mary|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Allen|first=Bob|date=August 10, 2015|title=Langley Research Center NACA and NASA Hall of Honor|url=http://www.nasa.gov/langley/hall-of-honor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624075817/https://www.nasa.gov/langley/hall-of-honor/|archive-date=June 24, 2017|access-date=February 2, 2021|website=NASA}} Later that year, Levine served as organizer and co-chair of the NASA "Workshop on Dust in the Atmosphere of Mars and Its Impact on Human Exploration," the results of which were subsequently published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in a book under the same name.{{Cite book|author1=Levine, Joel S.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1059451138|title=Dust in the atmosphere of Mars and its impact on human exploration|date=October 12, 2018|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-5275-1915-2|location=Newcastle upon Tyne, UK|oclc=1059451138|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090716/https://www.worldcat.org/title/dust-in-the-atmosphere-of-mars-and-its-impact-on-human-exploration/oclc/1059451138|url-status=live}} In 2019, NASA asked Levine to organize and chair a workshop on “Lunar Dust and Its Impact on Human Exploration,” which he accepted.{{Cite web|last=Shatz|first=Frank|date=June 25, 2019|title=W&M's Levine helps NASA prepare for return to the Moon|url=https://www.mcall.com/va-vg-edit-shatz-0626-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=The Morning Call|language=en-US|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090645/https://www.mcall.com/}} The workshop was held on February 11–13, 2020, in Houston, Texas,{{Cite web|title=NASA Releases Lunar Dust Workshop Report|url=https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/nasa-releases-lunar-dust-workshop-report/|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute|language=en-US|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203232940/https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/nasa-releases-lunar-dust-workshop-report/|url-status=live}} and the results were published in a NASA report on September 24, 2020,{{Cite web|last=David|first=Leonard|date=2020-12-25|title=Dealing with dust: A back-to-the-moon dilemma|url=https://spacenews.com/dealing-with-dust-a-back-to-the-moon-dilemma/|access-date=2021-12-28|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US}} and by Cambridge Scholars Publishing on January 28, 2021.{{Cite book|last=Levine|first=Joel S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rA8dzgEACAAJ|title=The Impact of Lunar Dust on Human Exploration|date=January 28, 2021|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-5275-6308-7|location=Newcastle upon Tyne, UK|pages=|language=en|access-date=February 7, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090713/https://books.google.com/books?id=rA8dzgEACAAJ|url-status=live}} As of February 18, 2021, Levine is serving as an active consultant for the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.{{Cite web|last=Corillo|first=Todd|date=February 18, 2021|title=William & Mary professor continues streak of helping with Mars exploration|url=https://www.wtkr.com/news/william-mary-professor-continues-streak-of-helping-with-mars-exploration|url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2021|website=WTKR|language=en|archive-date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218161009/https://www.wtkr.com/news/william-mary-professor-continues-streak-of-helping-with-mars-exploration}}
= Work on Viking Program and other Mars missions =
In 1974, the Soviet spacecraft Mars 6 crash-landed on Mars. Before crashing, an onboard ion pump sent a brief message signaling that the pump was working harder than scientists expected. One of several explanations for the pump not working properly was the presence of an unknown amount of argon gas in the Martian atmosphere, which could have been very hard to pump out of the device, potentially overloading the machine if there was too much argon. In order to ensure future Mars missions would not run into similar problems, NASA needed an accurate assessment of the chemical composition of the Martian atmosphere, which was not fully understood at the time.{{Cite web|title=The Argon on Mars: Portents, Puzzles|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/archive/argon-mars-portents-puzzles|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331090709/https://www.sciencenews.org/archive/argon-mars-portents-puzzles|archive-date=March 31, 2021|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=Science News|date=June 21, 1975 |language=en-US}} Levine was selected as a Guest Investigator on the NASA Copernicus Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, where he was able to obtain the first measurements of atomic hydrogen in the upper atmosphere of Mars at solar minimum prior to the Viking encounter with Mars.{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |last2=McDougal |first2=David S. |last3=Anderson |first3=Donald E. |last4=Barker |first4=Edwin S. |title=Atomic Hydrogen on Mars: Measurements at Solar Minimum |journal=Science |date=2 June 1978 |volume=200 |issue=4345 |pages=1048–1051 |doi=10.1126/science.200.4345.1048 |pmid=17740696 |bibcode=1978Sci...200.1048L }} As a result of his observations, Levine developed a new model of the Martian upper atmosphere, which included argon, helium, and atomic hydrogen.{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |last2=Riegler |first2=Guenter R. |title=Argon in the Martian atmosphere |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |date=November 1974 |volume=1 |issue=7 |pages=285–287 |doi=10.1029/GL001i007p00285 |bibcode=1974GeoRL...1..285L }} Levine's work modeling the atmospheric composition of the Mars was, according to Brooklyn Eagle, crucial to the Viking Program's success.
Levine served as principal investigator of several NASA research programs and projects dealing with atmospheric chemistry, photochemical modeling of the atmosphere over geological time,{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |title=The photochemistry of the paleoatmosphere |journal=Journal of Molecular Evolution |date=May 1982 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=161–172 |doi=10.1007/BF01733042 |pmid=7097775 |bibcode=1982JMolE..18..161L }} atmospheric trace gases produced by atmospheric lightning and biogenic activity,{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |last2=Augustsson |first2=Tommy R. |last3=Andersont |first3=Iris C. |last4=Hoell |first4=James M. |last5=Brewer |first5=Dana A. |title=Tropospheric sources of NOx: Lightning and biology |journal=Atmospheric Environment |date=January 1984 |volume=18 |issue=9 |pages=1797–1804 |doi=10.1016/0004-6981(84)90355-x |pmid=11540827 }} fires, and global warming.
Levine's Mars-related research activities continued in 1998, when he was appointed Chief Scientist of the proposed NASA/French Space Agency (CNES) Mars Airplane Package Mission (MAP).{{cite journal |last1=Cowen |first1=Ron |title=NASA loses mars climate orbiter |journal=Science News |date=2 October 1999 |volume=156 |issue=14 |pages=214 |doi=10.2307/4011834 |jstor=4011834 }} The objective of the MAP mission was to fly an airplane through the atmosphere of Mars. The mission was also intended in part to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first powered flight in 1903, but was cancelled in November 1998 for budgetary reasons.{{Cite journal|last=Morton|first=O.|date=December 1999|title=Mars Air: How to Build the First Extraterrestrial Airplane|url=|journal=Air & Space Magazine|volume=14|issue=5|pages=34–42|via=}} In the early 2000s, NASA created the Mars Scout Program, an initiative to send a series of small, low-cost robotic missions to Mars, with ideas competitively selected from proposals by the scientific community.{{Cite web|date=April 14, 2000|title=Scout Spacecraft on Mars: Trustworthy, Thrifty and Brave|url=https://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/scout_spacecraft_000414.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008222118/https://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/scout_spacecraft_000414.html|archive-date=October 8, 2010|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=Space.com}} By August 2002, 25 different proposals had been submitted, and from those, NASA chose only 4 to investigate further, with $500,000 invested for each project.{{cite press release|last=Savage|first=Donald|date=December 6, 2002|title=NASA SELECTS FOUR MARS SCOUT MISSION CONCEPTS FOR STUDY|url=https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2002/02-238.txt|location=NASA Headquarters, Washington|publisher=NASA|access-date=2021-03-09|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126064953/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2002/02-238.txt|url-status=live}} One of the four finalists was Levine's Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) program, a proposal to send a rocket powered airplane to fly a mile above the surface of Mars, which was designed to investigate the atmosphere, surface and sub-surface of Mars, and search for evidence of life. Levine was Principal Investigator of the program, and extensive plans were drawn up for the mission. It took just seven months to move from concept to a successful test of a half-scale prototype, which was flown successfully at 103,000 feet above Earth's surface.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Colin|date=January 14, 2003|title=NASA recruits robotics, sensors for Mars Scout mission|url=https://www.eetimes.com/nasa-recruits-robotics-sensors-for-mars-scout-mission/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127211451/https://www.eetimes.com/nasa-recruits-robotics-sensors-for-mars-scout-mission/|archive-date=January 27, 2021|access-date=|website=EE Times}} However, NASA ultimately decided to select the Phoenix stationary lander, designed by the University of Arizona; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Lockheed Martin Space; and the Canadian Space Agency, for the first $386 million Mars Scout Mission.{{Cite web|date=February 6, 2005|title=NASA – NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission Gets Thumbs Up for 2007 Launch|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-060205.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-08|website=NASA|language=en|archive-date=May 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511183554/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-060205.html}}
In 2014, Levine served on the committee responsible for determining which scientific instruments would be used on the Perseverance Mars rover, choosing roughly a dozen experiments to land on Mars out of a pool of over 50 possible devices .
= Atmospheric and climate change research =
During the early 1970s, Levine worked on developing scientific models of the evolution of the Earth's early atmosphere, with particular emphasis on investigating the development of atmospheric ozone.{{Cite journal|last=Huyghe|first=Patrick|date=May 1983|title=New Recipe for Cosmic Soup|url=|journal=Science Digest|volume=|pages=42–44|via=}} In 1978, Levine lead a team at NASA which investigated the production of trace atmospheric gases by lightning. Through laboratory experiments, they determined that lightning produced trace but significant amounts of carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide, both of which can affect the ozone layer (the former positively and the latter negatively).{{Cite web|date=October 16, 1979|title=Lightning apparent source of environmentally important gases|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19790080271|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)}}
Levine also investigated the biogenic production of atmospheric gases on Earth, particularly through biomass burning, which he helped reveal to be an under-appreciated contributor to global warming.{{cite book |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |chapter=Biomass Burning and the Production of Greenhouse Gases |pages=139– |editor1-last=Zepp |editor1-first=Richard G. |title=Climate-Biosphere Interactions: Biogenic Emissions and Environmental Effects of Climate Change |date=1994 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-471-58932-7 }}{{Cite news|last=Long|first=Phil|date=March 12, 1995|title=Scientists to debate carbon dioxide's role in global pollution|work=The Miami Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/639499922/|access-date=March 10, 2021}}
= Nuclear Winter investigation =
In 1983, the concept of a "Nuclear Winter" was proposed by a group of scientists including Richard Turco and Carl Sagan{{Cite web|title=Wintry Doom|url=https://history.aip.org/history/climate/Winter.htm|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=history.aip.org|archive-date=February 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216114507/https://history.aip.org/history/climate/Winter.htm|url-status=live}} as a potential result of widespread firestorms following a nuclear war.{{cite journal |last1=Toon |first1=Owen B. |last2=Robock |first2=Alan |last3=Turco |first3=Richard P. |title=Environmental consequences of nuclear war |journal=Physics Today |date=December 2008 |volume=61 |issue=12 |pages=37–42 |doi=10.1063/1.3047679 |bibcode=2008PhT....61l..37T |doi-access=free }}{{Cite news|last=Cummings|first=Judith|date=December 13, 1986|title=Brush Set Afire to Test Nuclear War Aftermath|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/13/us/brush-set-afire-to-test-nuclear-war-aftermath.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128061106/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/13/us/brush-set-afire-to-test-nuclear-war-aftermath.html}} The fear was that post-nuclear firestorms could inject soot into the stratosphere, where it would block direct sunlight from reaching the surface of the Earth, causing a massive, and potentially deadly, global cooling effect.{{Cite web|last=Diep|first=Francie|date=July 18, 2014|title=Computer Models Show What Exactly Would Happen To Earth After A Nuclear War|url=https://www.popsci.com/article/science/computer-models-show-what-exactly-would-happen-earth-after-nuclear-war/|url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Popular Science|language=en|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121114723/https://www.popsci.com/article/science/computer-models-show-what-exactly-would-happen-earth-after-nuclear-war/}} However, the early hypotheses were based on significant conjecture, and practical testing was needed to confirm or refute the original theories.
In 1986, Levine helped lead the first large-scale experiment to study the potential effects of smoke that might be generated in a nuclear war.{{Cite news|last=Blakeslee|first=Sandra|date=December 4, 1986|title=Nuclear War Smoke Test Halted as Copter Crashes|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/04/us/nuclear-war-smoke-test-halted-as-copter-crashes.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524183716/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/04/us/nuclear-war-smoke-test-halted-as-copter-crashes.html}} The experiment was performed with the joint help of NASA, the United States Department of Defense, the University of Washington, the Defense Nuclear Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. It involved setting a large-scale controlled fire of 1,200 acres of chaparral vegetation within the 1,000-square-mile San Dimas Experimental Forest, in San Dimas, California, and carefully investigating the environmental impact of the resultant 10,000-foot plume of smoke that rose from the fire. The vegetation was already scheduled to be set on fire as part of a periodic "prescribed burn" by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, a local program to prune overgrowth in order to prevent uncontrolled forest fires.
The first test attempt was halted after a helicopter crashed just after the fire was ignited.{{Cite news|date=December 5, 1986|title=Brush blazes help test 'nuclear winter' theory|work=Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1205/afill05.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128004244/https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1205/afill05.html}} According to The New York Times, a cable from the helicopter got snagged on a telephone wire, which caused it to lose control, and crash over 30 yards down a steep slope. The helicopter was completely destroyed in the process, and sent shards of metal into a nearby firetruck. The pilot, who was later identified as Gary Lineberry, crawled out and walked away, only suffering light scratches.{{Cite news|date=December 4, 1986|title=Copter crash delays 'N-winter' fire test|work= Spokane Chronicle|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/569468157/|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091310/https://www.newspapers.com/image/569468157/}} Levine later told The New York Times that "the accident was unfortunate. It is a major logistics problem to bring all these groups together.
Less than two weeks later, however, Levine and his team were able to complete the experiment successfully. A helicopter, piloted by NASA scientist Wesley Cofer III,{{Cite news|date=December 4, 1986|title=Helicopter crash postpones study of conditions triggering 'nuclear winter'|work= Alabama Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/455555576/|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091219/https://www.newspapers.com/image/455555576/}} flew in a 10-mile loop above the smoke at an altitude of about 65,000 feet, and carried a thermal scanner which measured the fire's intensity and the volume of particulate matter released. The results of the experiment helped provide a significant amount of useful data for scientists studying the possibility and potential harm of a future nuclear winter.{{Cite web|last=Revkin|first=Andrew C.|date=September 3, 1986|title='Nuclear Winter' : Theory to Stand Test of Fire, Smoke|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-03-mn-13141-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228032438/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-03-mn-13141-story.html|archive-date=December 28, 2020|access-date=January 19, 2021|work=Los Angeles Times}}
= Preservation of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights =
{{Further|Charters of Freedom#Preservation of the Charters of Freedom}}File:James_West_looks_for_water_vapor_on_encasement_of_the_U.S._Constitution.jpg
In 1952, the Charters of Freedom were sealed in specially prepared airtight enclosures of tinted glass filled with humidified helium to protect the documents.{{Cite web|date=May 1, 2002|title=NASA Helps Preserve Our Nation's History|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2002/02-033.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=NASA|language=en|archive-date=April 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418154043/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2002/02-033.html}} However, in the late 1980s, archivists began to notice signs of deterioration in the Charters.{{Cite web|date=Fall 2003|title=A New Era Begins for the Charters of Freedom|url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/fall/charters-new-era.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205220043/https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/fall/charters-new-era.html|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=Prologue Magazine|language=en|archive-date=December 5, 2020}} Micro-droplets of liquid and tiny white crystals were forming (in a process known as crizzling) on the surface of the protective glass, and it was feared that they might continue growing if left unchecked,{{Cite web|date=February 15, 2005|title=NOVA {{!}} Transcripts {{!}} Saving the National Treasures {{!}} PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3206_charters.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=PBS|archive-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231025025/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3206_charters.html}} and that they could be a sign of unexpected moisture inside the enclosure.{{Cite news|last=Kronholz|first=June|date=July 3, 2002|title=America's Cornerstone Documents Get Touch Up – and New Container|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1025638264964111560|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091253/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1025638264964111560}}
In 1998, Levine was asked by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to form and lead a team to identify the precise cause and origin of the crystals, without opening the encasements, if at all possible.{{Cite web|date=March 5, 2009|title=NASA Destination Tomorrow – DT11 – Charters of Freedom|url=http://www.dvidshub.net/video/179373/nasa-destination-tomorrow-dt11-charters-freedom|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=DVIDS|language=en|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091236/https://www.dvidshub.net/video/179373/nasa-destination-tomorrow-dt11-charters-freedom}}
Levine's team presented their findings to NARA in 2002. They ultimately discovered that the helium atmosphere in the hermetically sealed encasements contained nearly twice as much water vapor than was previously believed. The elevated concentration of water vapor reacted with the encasement glass, resulting in the leaching of alkaline material from the surface material, which formed into the tiny white spots seen in the encasements. The cause for this increase in water vapor was eventually tracked back to the backing paper behind the documents, which had soaked up excess moisture on the day the Charters were originally sealed in the 1950s. Once the Charters were sealed, the backing paper slowly released the excess water vapor it had soaked up, causing the internal humidity to rise.
In 2002, in an effort to better preserve all three documents, the Charters of Freedom were removed from their original encasements and placed in newly constructed, hermetically sealed encasements in an argon atmosphere with a relative humidity of only 25 to 35%.{{Cite news|last=Leary|first=Warren E.|date=2000-09-12|title=New Homes for the 'Charters of Freedom'; A Challenge for the Engineers: Protect the Documents but Display Them Too (Published 2000)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/science/new-homes-for-charters-freedom-challenge-for-engineers-protect-documents-but.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-07 |archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126023403/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/science/new-homes-for-charters-freedom-challenge-for-engineers-protect-documents-but.html}}
"The U.S. Constitution is one of the most important documents in the history of the world. It was an honor and a privilege to be asked to perform this research," said Levine. "We’re happy we were able to apply technology, originally developed at Langley for atmospheric science, remote sensing, laser spectroscopy and wind tunnel measurements, to ensure the future stability of the Charters of Freedom."{{Cite web|date=March 17, 1999|title=NASA – Space-age Technology Peeks at American History|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/1999/Mar99/99-013.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-09|website=NASA|language=en|archive-date=April 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418153139/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/1999/Mar99/99-013.html}}
= Role in rescue mission to save trapped miners =
{{Further|2010 Copiapó mining accident}}
File:Senator_Mark_Warner_with_Chilean_Miners_Rescue_Support_Team.jpg
On Thursday, August 5, 2010, a cave-in occurred at an active copper-gold mine in northern Chile, trapping thirty-three men 700 meters (2,300 feet) underground and 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the mine's entrance.{{Cite news|last=Illiano|first=Cesar|date=2010-10-09|title=Rescue near for Chile miners trapped for 2 months|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-mine-rescue-idUSTRE6973I920101009|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-09|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091224/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-mine-rescue-idUSTRE6973I920101009}} An international rescue mission ensued, and on October 13, 2010, after 66 days underground, the men were winched up in a specially built capsule, as over 7.1 million people around the world watched the event live on TV.{{Cite web|last=Indvik|first=Lauren|date=October 18, 2010|title=How Massive Was the Chilean Miners' Rescue Online? [STATS]|url=https://mashable.com/2010/10/18/chilean-miners-rescue-news-numbers/|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=Mashable|language=en|archive-date=August 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815060919/https://mashable.com/2010/10/18/chilean-miners-rescue-news-numbers/}} That capsule, the Fénix 2, was constructed by the Chilean Navy with design input from NASA.{{Cite web|last=Parker|first=Laura|date=October 9, 2010|title=NASA Engineer Clinton Cragg Thought Small to Design Rescue Capsule for Chilean Miners|url=http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/nasa-engineer-clinton-cragg-thought-small-to-design-rescue-capsule-for-chilean-miners/19667140|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011090743/http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/nasa-engineer-clinton-cragg-thought-small-to-design-rescue-capsule-for-chilean-miners/19667140|archive-date=October 11, 2010|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=AOL News}}
Levine was brought in as a consultant for the rescue mission due to his unique experiences.{{Cite web|title=NASA Langley Scientist is Brooklyn College Commencement Speaker|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=33712|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=www.spaceref.com| date=May 31, 2011 |archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091230/https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=009217316079420695036:u6mkq7brjyy|url-status=live}}
“I was working in my office at the NASA Langley Research Center in 2010 when the phone rang,” Levine said in an interview with the Virginia Gazette. “It was a call from the director of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center. He asked what do I know about gases in mines. I said, “Very little, but a great deal about gases on Mars!”{{Cite web|last=Shatz|first=Frank|date=January 13, 2020|title=Reunited with some dramatic history|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-ed-shatz-0115-20200113-nuqpfchtzzaynmepomezfpg7bu-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=The Virginia Gazette|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201181220/https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-ed-shatz-0115-20200113-nuqpfchtzzaynmepomezfpg7bu-story.html}}
NASA needed to know if there would be any gas-related dangers to the miners as they were being carried up, if oxygen needed to be sent down with the capsule, and if the miners would need gas masks to survive the journey. Levine spent the next 24 hours studying the issue, and wrote a report to NASA outlining the concentration of gases the miners were expected to deal with, and concluded that there did not appear to be any likelihood of toxic gases present in the mine, and that it would be unnecessary to send down oxygen with the capsule. NASA engineers designed the Fénix 2 with Levine's help, and the rescue capsule was built and deployed by the Chilean Navy without issue. All 33 miners were saved and were found to be in good medical condition upon rescue.{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2010|title=Chilean miners in 'good condition,' but long recovery awaits|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/13/chile.miners.health/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|website=CNN|language=en|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211716/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/13/chile.miners.health/index.html}}{{Cite news|date=October 12, 2010|title=How the Phoenix Rescue Capsule Works|work=FOX News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/how-the-phoenix-rescue-capsule-works|url-status=live|access-date=March 10, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091230/https://www.foxnews.com/science/how-the-phoenix-rescue-capsule-works}}
Public education, TV programs, and diversity initiative
In 1984–1986, WHRO-TV in Norfolk, Virginia partnered with NASA to produce a 32-lecture video series titled "Earth Science for Teachers." Levine served as organizer and coordinator of the atmospheric science series and appeared in eight 1-hour lectures. The series was televised nationally, and viewers were able to receive college credits for viewing at some universities.{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=March 28, 1986|title=New Atmospheric Science Television Series to Begin April 3|url=|journal=Langley Researcher|volume=25|issue=6|pages=6|via=}} In 1986, Levine authored an article based on his lectures in the educational journal Science Activities titled "The Early Atmosphere: A New Picture,"{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |title=The Early Atmosphere: A New Picture |journal=Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas |date=March 1986 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=6–16 |doi=10.1080/00368121.1986.9958010 }} which became the lead article of the journal and formed the basis around which the rest of volume was written.{{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |title=Ozone, Climate, and Global Atmospheric Change |journal=Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas |date=March 1992 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=10–16 |doi=10.1080/00368121.1992.10113007 |hdl=2060/20040139827 |hdl-access=free }}
= Diversity in NASA Space Program =
File:Astronaut_Leland_Melvin_presents_the_Levines_with_award.jpg presents Arlene and Joel Levine with the National Alliance of Black School Educators Presidential Award.]]
In the early 2000s, Levine and his wife, Arlene Levine, began investigating what they determined to be a conspicuous lack of gender and racial diversity in the NASA space program, despite NASA's previously stated goal of hiring a more diverse workforce. After initial investigation, Arlene Levine determined that the education of black and minority students at the elementary school level had received lackluster attention from NASA. In 2004, in partnership with NASA and the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), the Levines created a series of interactive programs discussing topics in space science for use in schools across the country, to be shown monthly.{{Cite web|date=July 30, 2019|title=Dissecting Science: Getting to Mars|url=https://vpm.org/articles/5145/dissecting-science-getting-to-mars|url-status=live|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=VPM.org|language=en|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091223/https://vpm.org/articles/5145/dissecting-science-getting-to-mars}}
“We did that for six years,” Levine said. “I was the lecturer and she was the director. I spoke for 45 minutes and then we had questions transmitted back to us in the NASA studio live … and when we ran out of our 60 minutes, they would email them, and sometimes I would spend a day the next day answering questions.”
In addition to their educational work with NABSE, the Levines also helped develop a summer space science program for Native-American students living on reservations, in partnership with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). On November 20, 2010, the Levines received the National Alliance of Black School Educators President's Award, which was presented to them by astronaut and personal friend Leland Melvin.{{Cite web|last=Lineberry|first=Denise|date=December 15, 2010|title=Diversity Education Work Earns NASA Langley Employees Award|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/pplnews_levinesaward.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=NASA|language=en}}
= TED talks =
In November 2009, Levine gave a TEDx NASA talk titled "Why we need to go back to Mars,"{{Cite web|last=Levine|first=Joel|title=Transcript of "Why we need to go back to Mars"|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/joel_levine_why_we_need_to_go_back_to_mars/transcript|url-status=live|access-date=January 21, 2021|website= TED|date=March 25, 2010 |language=en|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091231/https://www.ted.com/talks/joel_levine_why_we_need_to_go_back_to_mars/transcript}} which was viewed over 600,000 times as of August 6, 2017. In 2015, he was invited again, and gave a talk at TEDxRVA titled "The Exploration and Colonization of Mars by Humans: Why Mars? Why Humans?" which was based on a 2011 article published in The Atlantic by the same name.{{Cite web|last=Levine|first=Joel S.|date=April 12, 2011|title=The Exploration of Mars by Humans: Why Mars? Why Humans?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/the-exploration-of-mars-by-humans-why-mars-why-humans/237143/|access-date=January 21, 2021|website=The Atlantic|language=en|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128214954/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/the-exploration-of-mars-by-humans-why-mars-why-humans/237143/|url-status=live}}
Personal life
File:Joel and Arlene Levine.jpg
In 1968, Levine married Arlene Spielholz,{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=March 25, 1968|title=Joel Levine Weds Arlene Spielholz (Published 1968)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/25/archives/joel-levine-weds-arlene-spielholz.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203092451/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/03/25/archives/joel-levine-weds-arlene-spielholz.html}} and has a daughter and grandson.{{Cite news|last=Shatz|first=Frank|date=February 17, 2021|title=Accomplished scientist earns online honor|work=Virginia Gazette}} Arlene Levine worked at NASA for 27 years, studying the psychological effects of astronauts spending long time periods in space.{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-1-4612-3012-0_29 |chapter=Psychological Effects of Long-Duration Space Missions and Stress Amelioration Techniques |title=From Antarctica to Outer Space |date=1991 |last1=Levine |first1=Arlene S. |pages=305–315 |isbn=978-1-4612-7759-0 }}{{Cite news|last=Shatz|date=March 8, 2017|title=Shedding light on NASA's 'Hidden Figures'|work=The Virginia Gazette|url=https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-edit-shatz-0308-20170308-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 10, 2021|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091250/https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-edit-shatz-0308-20170308-story.html}} The Levines retired on the same day on June 30, 2011, holding a joint retirement party.{{Cite web|last=Firstman|first=Richard|date=Winter 2013|title=A Life in Pursuit of the Secret Mars|url=https://studylib.net/doc/8154335/salute-to-scholars|url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Salute to Scholars|language=en|archive-date=March 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331091243/https://studylib.net/doc/8154335/salute-to-scholars}} According to the Daily Press, Levine still has close ties to NASA since his retirement and is recognized as an expert on its history.{{Cite web|last=Holtzclaw|first=Mike|date=July 16, 2019|title=Shadow of a doubt? There are those who still insist we never went to the moon.|url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-apollo-50-hoax-20190627-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 21, 2021|website=The Daily Press|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128140312/https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-apollo-50-hoax-20190627-story.html}}
In 2017, Levine and his wife spoke about the history of women at NASA and their relationship with Mary Jackson at a special screening of Hidden Figures in Williamsburg, Virginia. Levine described Jackson as “Very friendly and outgoing, and very interested in helping her fellow employees, male and female and black and white. She was extremely helpful and always had a smile.”{{Cite news|last=Harris|first=Andrew|date=February 28, 2017|title=NASA colleague of real-life 'Hidden Figures' to speak at Kimball Theatre|work=WYDaily|url=https://wydaily.com/local-news/2017/02/28/nasa-colleague-of-real-life-hidden-figures-to-speak-at-kimball-theatre/|access-date=May 19, 2021}} When asked at the event who had had the greatest influence on his career, Levine said: "Arlene, my wife of 50 years. She has always been very supportive of my career, its development and its demands." In 2020, Levine visited the Colchagua Museum in Chile, where the Fénix 2 capsule that he helped design is located.
Honors
File:Joel Levine, Brooklyn College commencement ceremony.jpg
- New York Academy of Sciences Halpern Award for Photochemistry (1982).
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1983).
- Virginia's Outstanding Scientist Award (1987).{{Cite web|title=Virginia Outstanding STEM Awards {{!}} Science Museum of Virginia|url=https://smv.org/about/virginia-stem/virginias-outstanding-stem-awards/|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Science Museum of Virginia|language=en|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224122652/https://smv.org/about/virginia-stem/virginias-outstanding-stem-awards/|url-status=dead}}
- New York International Film and Television Festival Award for the Best Distance Learning Program (1994–1995).
- NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2006).
- University of Michigan College of Engineering Alumni Merit Award, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Space Sciences (2003).{{Cite web|title=Alumni Awards – The College of Engineering|url=https://www.engin.umich.edu/alumni-friends/awards/|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.engin.umich.edu|archive-date=March 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316140407/https://www.engin.umich.edu/alumni-friends/awards/|url-status=dead}}
- National Alliance of Black School Educators Presidential Award (2010).{{Cite web|last=Hodges|first=Jim|date=January 10, 2010|editor-last=Lineberry|editor-first=Denise|title=Diversity Education Work Earns Levines Award from NABSE|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_levinesaward.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707133633/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_levinesaward.html|archive-date=July 7, 2017|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=NASA|publisher=The Researcher News|language=en}}
- Brooklyn College Distinguished Alumni Award (2011).{{Cite web|date=June 25, 2011|title=Dr. Joel S. Levine, '64: Distinguished Alumni Award, Keynote Speaker|url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/pub/levine.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625191023/http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/pub/levine.htm|archive-date=June 25, 2011|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Brooklyn College}}
- Induction into the NACA and NASA Langley Research Center Hall of Honor (2017).
Select bibliography
= Books =
- Levine, J. S. (1985). The Photochemistry of Atmosphere: The Earth, The Other Planets, and Comets. Orlando, Florida: Academic Press, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-12-444920-6|}}.
- Levine, J. S. (1991). Global Biomass Burning: Atmospheric, Climatic, and Biospheric Implications. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. {{ISBN|9780262121590|}}.
- Levine, J. S. (1996) Biomass Burning and Global Change, Volume 1. Remote Sensing, Modeling and Inventory Development, and Biomass Burning in Africa. The MIT Press. {{ISBN|9780262122016|}}.
- Levine, J. S. (1996) Biomass Burning and Global Change, Volume 2. Burning in South America, Southeast Asia, and Temperate and Boreal Ecosystems, and the Oil Fires of Kuwait. The MIT Press. {{ISBN|9780262122023|}}.
- Levine, J. S. and Rudy E. Schild. (2010) The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet. Cosmology Science Publishers. {{ISBN|0982955235|}}.
- Levine, J. S. et al. (2018) Dust in the Atmosphere of Mars and its Impact on Human Exploration. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. {{ISBN|1-5275-1172-3|}}
- Levine, J. S. (2021) The Impact of Lunar Dust on Human Exploration. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. {{ISBN|1-5275-6308-1|}}
= Papers<!-- The formatting here is a little different than in the "Books" sub-section, which I'm not sure is optimal. --> =
- {{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Iris Cofman |last2=Levine |first2=Joel S. |title=Relative Rates of Nitric Oxide and Nitrous Oxide Production by Nitrifiers, Denitrifiers, and Nitrate Respirers |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology |date=May 1986 |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=938–945 |doi=10.1128/aem.51.5.938-945.1986 |pmid=16347068 |pmc=238991 |bibcode=1986ApEnM..51..938A }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Cahoon |first1=Donald R. |last2=Stocks |first2=Brian J. |last3=Levine |first3=Joel S. |last4=Cofer |first4=Wesley R. |last5=Pierson |first5=Joseph M. |title=Satellite analysis of the severe 1987 forest fires in northern China and southeastern Siberia |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |date=20 September 1994 |volume=99 |issue=D9 |pages=18627–18638 |doi=10.1029/94JD01024 |bibcode=1994JGR....9918627C |hdl=2060/20040139298 |hdl-access=free}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Cahoon |first1=Donald R. |last2=Stocks |first2=Brian J. |last3=Levine |first3=Joel S. |last4=Cofer |first4=Wesley R. |last5=O'Neill |first5=Katherine P. |title=Seasonal distribution of African savanna fires |journal=Nature |date=October 1992 |volume=359 |issue=6398 |pages=812–815 |doi=10.1038/359812a0 |bibcode=1992Natur.359..812C |s2cid=4337134 |hdl=2060/20040139836 |hdl-access=free }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Levine |first1=Joel S. |last2=Cofer |first2=Wesley R. |last3=Cahoon |first3=Donald R. |last4=Winstead |first4=Edward L. |title=A Driver for Global Change |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |date=March 1995 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=120A–125A |doi=10.1021/es00003a746 |bibcode=1995EnST...29..120L }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Iris Cofman |last2=Levine |first2=Joel S. |title=Simultaneous field measurements of biogenic emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |date=20 January 1987 |volume=92 |issue=D1 |pages=965–976 |doi=10.1029/JD092iD01p00965 |bibcode=1987JGR....92..965A }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.dvidshub.net/video/179373/nasa-destination-tomorrow-dt11-charters-freedom How NASA helped preserve the Charters of Freedom], NASA Destination Tomorrow, 2009
- [https://www.ted.com/speakers/joel_levine Joel Levine] at TED
- [https://www.ted.com/talks/joel_levine_why_we_need_to_go_back_to_mars "Why we need to go back to Mars"], TEDxNASA, 2009
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzhSmnGcSkE "The Exploration and Colonization of Mars: Why Mars? Why Humans?"], TEDxRVA, 2015
- [http://flathatnews.com/2017/09/11/from-mars-to-mcglothlin-joel-levine-discusses-research-for-nasa-struggle-for-diversity-in-science/ Joel Levine discusses research for NASA, struggle for diversity in science], The Flat Hat, September 11, 2017
- [https://www.nasa.gov/langley/hall-of-honor/joel-s-levine NASA Hall of Honor — "Dr. Joel S. Levine"], August 6, 2017
- [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5573659 NPR interview with Levine — "Revisiting the Viking Missions to Mars"], NPR, July 21, 2006
- [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/the-exploration-of-mars-by-humans-why-mars-why-humans/237143/ "The Exploration and Colonization of Mars: Why Mars? Why Humans?"], The Atlantic, April 12, 2011
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Joel S.}}
Category:American atmospheric scientists
Category:20th-century American earth scientists
Category:American climatologists
Category:College of William & Mary faculty
Category:Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
Category:Scientists from Brooklyn
Category:Writers from Brooklyn