James R. French, after receiving a BSME from MIT in 1958, worked at the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International on the development and testing of the H-1, F-1, and J-2 engines for the Apollo/Saturn launch vehicles, and at TRW on the Apollo Lunar Module descent engine. While with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1967 to 1986, he participated in the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and SP-100 programs and many advanced-mission studies. During 1986 and 1987 he was VP-Engineering of the American Rocket Company. Since 1987 he has been in private practice as a consultant in space systems engineering.