Goddard Astrophysicist Wins Major Writing Award

Dr. Yoji Kondo, an astrophysicist in code 682, recently won the Isaac Asimov Memorial Award. The award, presented by the New York Science Fiction Society during their annual convention Lunacon March 21 - 23, honors "Those who have contributed significantly to increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of science through his or her writings, and who exemplify the personal qualities which made the late Dr. Asimov so admired and well-loved," according to the citation.

"I was very pleased to receive this award, especially in light of the fine authors who are previous recipients," said Kondo. Previous recipients of the award are prominent figures in the science fiction and popular science writing fields, including Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Hawking, Frederik Pohl, Ben Bova, Stephen Jay Gould, Michio Kaku, Charles Sheffield, Charles Pellegrino, and Hal Clement (Harry Stubbs).

Isaac Asimov, one of the most respected science and science fiction writers of the 20th century, died in 1992, and the New York Science Fiction Society created the award with the blessing of his widow, Janet Asimov.

Kondo has published seven science fiction novels under his pen name Eric Kotani with such authors as John Maddox Roberts and Roger Mac Bride Allen. He also edited an anthology of stories in tribute to the legendary science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, in addition to editing eleven books on astrophysics and publishing over two hundred scientific papers.

Many prospective science fiction authors struggle for years to get a manuscript published, but Kondo's experience was not typical. "The publishers came to me," said Kondo with a laugh at his good fortune, "I had a market before I even proposed a topic. I guess in that respect I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. At first I was reluctant to try it, and the first page of 'Act of God,' my first novel, is the hardest writing I've ever done. But once I grew accustomed to it, I became fascinated by storytelling, and now you could even say I'm addicted to it."

When asked what advice he has for first-time authors, Kondo paraphrases Heinlein's famous rules: "First, start writing. Second, finish writing. Third, stay finished. Fourth, send it out. Fifth, keep sending it out until published." The first and second rules mean to avoid excuses that delay beginning and completing your work. The third rule means to avoid the temptation to rewrite endlessly. The fourth and fifth rules mean to have the courage to submit your manuscript for publication and to keep submitting regardless of rejection, which is almost a certainty for new writers. "The same rules apply to scientific papers," notes Kondo, who related the experience of a colleague who avoided publication for fear of rejection.

Kondo is currently a Co-Investigator on NASA's Kepler mission, a spaceborne telescope scheduled for launch in 2006 that will search for Earth-like planets around other stars. "I'd like to give my characters a real destination," jokes Kondo. He was the NASA Project Scientist for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer and the International Ultraviolet Explorer missions, and has received numerous awards for his scientific contributions, including the NASA medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and the National Space Club Science Award. He even has an asteroid named after him: four kilometer-wide main-belt asteroid "8072" was renamed "Yojikondo" by the International Astronomical Union in his honor.

Between research and writing, Kondo manages to find time to teach martial arts. He has been teaching a class for the past few decades, and holds sixth-degree black belts in Judo and Aikido. For a complete biography of Kondo and a list of his published science fiction, refer to: http://www.sfwa.org/members/kotani/

For more about Isaac Asimov, refer to: http://www.asimovonline.com/

For more about the New York Science Fiction Society, visit http://www.lunacon.org/

For more on the Kepler mission, refer to: http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/