The predominant theory of the origin of the universe is the Big Bang. John C. Mather More Quotes by John C. Mather More Quotes From John C. Mather A mentor enables a person to achieve. A hero shows what achievement looks like. John C. Mather mentor achievement hero looks My work at NASA has always been about team efforts, and so it's intrinsically about mentoring. I have been blessed with some brilliant colleagues who were able to take on huge challenges without a lot of guidance. John C. Mather colleagues blessed challenges work Astronomers can look back in time. We can look at things as they used to be. We have an idea there was a Big Bang explosion 13.7 billion years ago. We have a story of how galaxies and stars were made. It's an amazing story. John C. Mather amazing look stars time I think my proper response is complete amazement and awe at the universe that we are in, and how it works is just far more complicated than humans will ever properly understand. John C. Mather will understand think universe There is strength in numbers, but organizing those numbers is one of the great challenges. John C. Mather great strength challenges numbers One of the most powerful scientific tools ever invented is the telephone. John C. Mather telephone ever powerful tools Easytrak is no guarantee against mismanagement. But you cannot manage a large program without software like it today. It is a project information management system that helps people develop a solution to a problem with many parts to track. John C. Mather you management today people My experience from working with people is that you can have a conversation with someone or have a meeting with a group of people, and from that meeting will derive an answer to a question that no individual could have ever thought of by him or herself. John C. Mather you experience conversation people Even your chin is made up of exploded stars. John C. Mather your up stars made I think a well-rounded education keeps us from being bored and boring! John C. Mather think bored boring education When we see what the universe has to show us, we can go no further. John C. Mather us go see universe Do not make grand plans. Be flexible. John C. Mather grand make flexible plans I tried without much success to learn a little of the humanities and the arts, but even passing the courses in art history and music history was a challenge. John C. Mather music success history art Stars are extremely far apart. We cannot imagine any way currently available to get to the nearest one, besides the sun. John C. Mather imagine stars sun way In 100 billion years, the universe will be a very strange place. John C. Mather will place universe strange There is no limit to what astrophysicists can do. We can be very curious. John C. Mather no-limit limit very curious We are now able to put our minds in other places in the universe with the use of telescopes. That is very exciting. John C. Mather minds places now universe When you have a deadline, or when you know that your equipment is about to go up in a rocket and you won't have another chance to fix it, your mind works in a way that it otherwise never would. John C. Mather you chance mind way I was thrilled and amazed when I found out we won the Nobel Prize. The dedicated and talented women and men of the COBE team collaborated to produce the science results being recognized. This is truly such a rare and special honor. John C. Mather women team men science Many of the problems facing the nation and the world today may only be solved if their technical elements are understood - climate change, energy supply, health care, and infrastructure, to name just a few. John C. Mather climate-change health change today