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An Interview With Jim Pass
Dr Pass, CEO of the Astrosociology Research Institute, is a devited member of the National Space Society as well as the Planetary Society. He established astrosociology as a multidisciplinary social science committed to the study of astrosocial phenomena.
Where did you grow up, and how much did your upbringing have an impact on your pursuit of sociology and space exploration?
I grew up in southern California. My parents were always supportive of the pursuit of my interests. They bought me a book about the solar system when I was 7 years old or so that had a strong impact on my interest in space (even though many of the “facts” were incorrect). I followed the space program and watched Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. That had a strong impact on me as well. In college, I actually pursued criminal justice, criminology, and then sociology in graduate school at the University of Southern California (USC). Space was always an interest although it became of secondary importance to me over time until I read an article by Allen Tough who suggested that an academic field such as “socio-astronomy” or “astrosociology” was needed due…
