Louis Friedman is co-founder of The Planetary Society and a longtime space engineer. Before participating in a panel on the importance of NASA, he sat down in the Zócalo green room to talk fashion (his hat), books (sci-fi), and why he doesn’t feel the need to go hang-gliding (it’s not for lack of nerve).
What is the best advice you have ever received?
In the business world, the best advice I ever received was, no one ever gives you time—you have to take it.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I can’t remember exactly what I wanted to be except that I wanted to make a difference—to do something that affected things. I remember wanting to be involved. I don’t remember wanting to be a fireman or an engineer, and I can’t say a space person because we didn’t have the space age when I was a kid, although I was interested in the subject in the science fiction days.
Do you have a favorite science fiction novel?
I have certain favorite authors like Isaac Asimov and the Foundation Trilogy and the Robots series, and I certainly like Arthur Clarke and 2001. And Carl Sagan’s Contact.
What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
I don’t feel I missed out on things because I didn’t have the nerve to do it. That doesn’t mean I’m courageous. I would not go hang-gliding off of this balcony. Do I wish I had the nerve to do it? I suppose we all want to be heroes. But the things I wanted to do I had the nerve to do. I don’t think I said, “I’m not going to do this because I didn’t have the nerve to try it.”
Do you have a recommended mnemonic device for remembering the order of the planets?
I’ve taught the mnemonic, and I can’t remember it. I can remember the planets but not the mnemonic. My very easy machine …? I don’t know what the rest of it is. I really don’t have a mnemonic!
What do you typically eat for breakfast?
I don’t have a typical breakfast. I’ll have a bagel, I’ll have granola and yogurt some days. This morning I had leftover crabmeat that we had in a salad last night. To me, breakfast is catch-as-catch-can. I like toast, sometimes. I’ll make eggs. Anything!
If you could live in any time period, which would you choose?
I’d choose the present. I would like very, very much to time travel 75 years from now and stay there a while. I would like to visit it; I don’t know if I’d like to live there. You’ll have to wait and ask me after I do it.
Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday morning?
Saturday’s my day for longer walks, so I may still be finishing my two or two-and-a-half hour hike, it depends. If it’s a hot summer day, then I’m done, and I’m sitting at home drinking and eating breakfast. But if it’s typical [weather] like now, I’m still on the walk.
Where do you like to hike?
I love to hike on the beach—I used to be a runner, and I ran on the beach all the time. But I don’t live near the beach, so I hike up in the San Gabriel foothills, and I like that very much too.
Do you always wear a hat?
I started this just this year. I didn’t wear hats, and it happened as a result of my walking around Shoreline Village in Long Beach, going to the hat shop, and saying this is the first hat I ever tried on that feels comfortable. I was going on a trek to Machu Picchu, and I figured it was the perfect trekking hat. I said I need something distinctive for this trek, and I fell in love with this hat, and now I always wear this hat.