earth science

James F. Reilly

James F. Reilly is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James F. Reilly rather than just read about it. In short: James Francis Reilly II (born March 18, 1954) is an American geologist, retired astronaut, and honorary United States Marshal who served as the 17th director of the U.S. Geological Survey from 2018 to 2021.

Key takeaways

James F. Reilly belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James F. Reilly to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James F. Reilly from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Francis Reilly II (born March 18, 1954) is an American geologist, retired astronaut, and honorary United States Marshal who served as the 17th director of the U.S. Geological Survey from 2018 to 2021. He flew on three Space Shuttle missions with the NASA Astronaut Corps: STS-89, STS-104 and STS-117.

Early life and education Reilly was born at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, on March 18, 1954, though considers his hometown to be Mesquite, Texas. He graduated from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas in 1972. He has received three degrees in geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas: a Bachelor of Science in 1977, a Master of Science 1987, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1995.

Career

During graduate school, Reilly was selected to participate in the 1977–1978 scientific expedition to Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, as a research scientist specializing in stable isotope geochronology. In 1979, he started work as an exploration geologist with Santa Fe Minerals, in Dallas. From 1980 to the time he was selected for the astronaut program, Reilly was employed as an oil and gas exploration geologist for Enserch Exploration, in Dallas, rising to the position of Chief Geologist of the Offshore Region. At the same time, he was involved in applying new imaging technology for industrial applications in deep water engineering projects and biological research. Reilly spent approximately 22 days in deep submergence vehicles operated by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Navy. NASA selected Reilly for the astronaut program in December 1994. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995 and completed a year of training and evaluation, and qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially, he was assigned to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch. Reilly flew on STS-89 (Endeavour) in 1998, STS-104 (Atlantis) in 2001 and STS-117 (Atlantis) in 2007. He has logged over 850 hours in space, including five spacewalks (3 on STS-104, 2 on STS-117) totaling 30 hours and 43 minutes. He has worked both on the ISS and Mir space stations. Reilly was next assigned as the Astronaut Office lead on Shuttle training. Concurrent with his crew assignment he is designated as Payloads and Procedures Operations lead for the Astronaut Office ISS Branch. From January 2010 to May 2014, Reilly worked as the American Public University System's Dean of the School of Science and Technology. In January 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Reilly to be the director of the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Senate confirmed him in April 2018. After leaving government service in 2020, Reilly later joined defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton the following year as an executive adviser.

Organizations Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Member, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Naval Reserve Association, Tailhook Association, Reserve Officers Association, Association of Space Explorers.

Special honors US Navy ROTC scholarship, 1972 Antarctic Service Medal, 1978 Seventh Honorary U.S. Marshal, 2001

Criticism After James Reilly was appointed by President Trump to lead the U.S. Geological Survey he then instructed his office to abandon the traditional practice of using climate models that stretch to the end of the century and instead to only use climate models projecting the impact of climate change through 2040. His statements on the National Climate Assessment focused on scientific uncertainties rather than directly stating concurrence with opinions expressed by some scientists.

References

External links

Spacefacts biography of James F. Reilly

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James F. Reilly

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James F. Reilly claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James F. Reilly before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James F. Reilly ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James F. Reilly

In research: James F. Reilly appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James F. Reilly in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James F. Reilly is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1954 births, American astronauts, First Trump administration personnel, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James F. Reilly outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James F. Reilly in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James F. Reilly means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James F. Reilly out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James F. Reilly in simple terms?

Why does James F. Reilly matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James F. Reilly?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James F. Reilly.