science

Peter Diamandis

Peter Diamandis is a 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 Peter Diamandis rather than just read about it. In short: Peter H. Diamandis ( DEE-ə-MAN-diss; born May 20, 1961) is an American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur.

Peter Diamandis — illustration

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Peter H. Diamandis ( DEE-ə-MAN-diss; born May 20, 1961) is an American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, and the cofounder and executive chairman of Singularity University. He is also cofounder and former CEO of the Zero Gravity Corporation, cofounder and vice chairman of Space Adventures Ltd., founder and chairman of the Rocket Racing League, cofounder of the International Space University, cofounder of Planetary Resources, cofounder of Celularity, founder of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and vice chairman and cofounder of Human Longevity, Inc.

Early life Diamandis was born in the Bronx, New York City, to Greek immigrants. At age 12, Diamandis won first place in a rocket design competition. After graduating from Great Neck North High School in 1979, Diamandis attended Hamilton College for his first year, then transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study biology and physics. During his second year at MIT in 1980, he cofounded Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Diamandis graduated from MIT in 1983 and entered Harvard Medical School to pursue his MD through the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. During his second year of medical school, he cofounded the Space Generation Foundation to promote projects and programs that would help the "Space Generation"—all those born since the flight of Sputnik—get off the planet. In 1986, Diamandis put his medical degree on hold and returned to MIT to pursue a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, conducting research at NASA Johnson Space Center, the MIT Man Vehicle Laboratory and MIT's Whitehead Biomedical Institute. After completing his M.S. at MIT, Diamandis returned to Harvard to complete his M.D. During his last year of medical school in 1989, Diamandis acted as managing director of the International Space University and CEO of International Micro Space, a microsatellite launch company.

Career Diamandis has founded over 25 companies in the areas of longevity, space, venture capital, and education.

International Space University In 1987, during his third year of medical school, Diamandis cofounded International Space University with Todd Hawley and Robert Richards. Diamandis served as the university's managing director and chief operating officer until 1989. Today, ISU offers a Space Studies program and two accredited Master of Space Studies degrees. Its $30 million campus is headquartered in Strasbourg, France.

International MicroSpace, Inc. Diamandis cofounded Microsat Launch Systems, later renamed International MicroSpace Inc., in 1989 during his fourth year of medical school and served as the company's CEO. IMI designed a small launcher called Orbital Express (later renamed "ORBEX") for taking 100-kg payloads to low-Earth orbit, collaborating with Bristol Aerospace for the manufacture. The company won a $100 million SDIO contract for one launch plus nine options and was sold to CTA Inc of Rockville, MD in 1993 for $250,000. Diamandis joined CTA for one year as VP of Commercial Space Programs post-acquisition. The ORBEX contract was eventually canceled "because of a glut of small launchers," and CTA put the project on hold and eventually canceled the project.

Constellation Communications and Angel Technologies Corporation In 1991, Diamandis founded Constellation Communications, Inc., one of five low-Earth orbit satellite constellations for voice telephony. The company planned to deploy an equatorial ring of 10 satellites to provide communications primarily to Brazil and Indonesia. Diamandis remained director until 1993, when it was acquired by Angel Technology. Between 1995 and 1999, Diamandis was the president of Angel Technologies Corporation, a commercial communications company that intended to develop wireless broadband communications networks based on a high-altitude aircraft.

XPRIZE Foundation

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peter Diamandis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peter Diamandis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In 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 Peter Diamandis 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 Peter Diamandis 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 Peter Diamandis

In research: Peter Diamandis appears in 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 Peter Diamandis 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: Peter Diamandis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1961 births, American chief executives, American people of Greek descent, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peter Diamandis 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Peter Diamandis” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Peter Diamandis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Peter Diamandis 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 Peter Diamandis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peter Diamandis in simple terms?

Peter H. Diamandis ( DEE-ə-MAN-diss; born May 20, 1961) is an American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur.

Why does Peter Diamandis matter?

Because it connects several 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 Peter Diamandis?

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 Peter Diamandis.