Ken Souza, a space biologist who worked for both NASA and the SETI Institute, passed away on March 22.  He was 72.

Souza worked for nearly three dozen years for the space agency, during which time he was the lead for many hundreds of experiments designed to learn how space, and in particular low gravity, affects living systems.  While these experiments flew on numerous American missions including the Space Shuttle, he also successfully arranged for research efforts on Japanese, European, and Russian craft.

In addition to various positions at NASA, including Associate Director of Life Sciences and Chief of the Life Sciences Division at the Ames Research Center, Souza worked for other organizations that collaborated with NASA.  He was a Senior Scientist at the SETI Institute from 2004 to 2008, and was working most recently for Logyx LLC.

He was known for his enthusiasm, his remarkable, in-depth knowledge, and a love of the outdoors.

His peers have said that much of what we know about the effects of space on living things is directly attributable to Ken Souza’s leadership and expertise.  That is a considerable legacy.

Read Ken's Obituary in the San Jose Mercury News at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=179254240&tc=eml