Bill's picture

Bill Wohler

“Once science has been established, once a scientific truth emerges from a consensus of experiments and observations, it is the way of the world. What I'm saying is, when different experiments give you the same result, it is no longer subject to your opinion. That's the good thing about science: It's true whether or not you believe in it. That's why it works.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Stuff

Amusements

Bill happy to dive in Monterey
Diving

Monterey offers some of the best diving in the world. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've dove locally, but hope to get back into it someday. I'm still diving where it's warm though. More...

Bill on Foredeck
Sailing

I've crewed on Bullet, an Express 37, under the helm of Mike Maloney. Previously, I crewed for three years on Shenanigans, a C&C 36, first with Mike Maloney and then with Dave Fiorito. I also crewed for Tom Sanborn for a couple of years on City Lights, a Santa Cruz 52. More...

Johannes Kepler
Space

I worked in the Kepler Science Operations Center (SOC) at NASA Ames Research Center from 2006 through 2011 and then off and on until Kepler's closeout in 2020. Kepler was NASA's first mission to find planets in the habitable zone (around other stars, silly!). Check out the Kepler page for the science behind the mission, photos, and videos of the assembly of the rocket, and the countdown to and webcast of the launch! See me on NPR! The mission ended in 2020.

In 2011, I joined the SOFIA mission, a 747 with a 2.5 m infrared telescope mounted in the tail. See me discuss the mission with a couple of colleagues at a SETI Facebook Live event. The mission ended for me at the end of 2022.

I joined the Kepler follow-on mission TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, in 2016.

My latest project Ziggy, started in 2020, is to port the Kepler and TESS pipeline to other NASA missions such as the Surface, Biology, and Geology (SBG) survey, which is a part of the Earth System Observatory (ESO). See also the JPL site.

Journals

This section contains photo essays of trips I have taken. The ones listed here are annual highlights, but you can also view all of the journals if you wish.

The Capitol Reflecting Pool earns its name in this shot that Lori will use when she runs for US Senator
Washington DC, 2024

Where Bill gets invited to speak at NASA Headquarters, and Lori and Bill take the opportunity to tour around Washington, DC.

Lori soaks in the dramatic coastline of the Giant's Causeway
Hiking across northern Ireland, 2023

Bill and Lori hike across northern Ireland to get back to Bill's roots and tip a few pints.

A southern stingray (Dasyatis americana) has buried itself in the sand
Diving in Little Cayman Island, 2023

We met up with Lori's brother Steven and a bunch of his friends at the Little Cayman Beach Resort.

Crinoids, sea fans, and soft corals oh my!
Diving in Lembeh Strait/Raja Ampat, 2019

Our gang goes muck diving and beyond.

Loxodonta africana
Africa, 2019

Bill and Lori revel in the amazing wildlife with Dan, Deb, and Jeanne.

Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)
Diving in Roatan, 2018

Bill and Lori revisit Roatan with Deb.

Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus)
Diving in Cuba, 2017

Bill and Lori and Steven's dive buddies book an entire boat and enjoy the last of the best diving in the Caribbean.

Fish and coral
Diving in Belize, 2016

Bill and Lori and Deb all go diving in the Caribbean (again) in search of the legendary Blue Hole .

batfish
Diving in Turks & Caicos, 2013

Bill and Lori and Deb go diving with Lori's brother Steven on another Aggressor in the Caribbean and see big stuff, weird stuff, and really small stuff.

Legend has it that these sea stacks called Reynisdrangar off the coast of Vik were trolls that were turned to stone
Hiking across Iceland, 2013

Bill and Lori hike across Iceland. In the rain.

SOFIA under the rainbow (NASA photo by Carla Thomas)
SOFIA Flies to New Zealand, 2013

The NASA SOFIA 747 SP outfitted with 2.5 m infrared telescope is deployed to Christchurch, New Zealand, and Bill goes along for the ride.

Self-portrait with grouper--and Deb, the queen of the photobombers
Diving in Cayman Islands, 2012

Bill and Lori go diving with their hiking bud Deb on another Aggressor in the Caribbean.

Shark! (Photo by Hector Manglicmot)
Diving in Palau, 2012

Bill and Lori hang out with the big fish in Micronesia.

A very large green moray eel
Diving in Roatan, 2009

Bill, Lori, her brother Steven and his girlfriend Denise dive in a tropical paradise.

Go Delta II! Go Kepler!
Kepler Launch, 2009

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! In which Bill and Lori get to see the Kepler spacecraft get launched into outer space. Kepler is NASA's first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars. Bill has been writing software for the Science Operations Center (SOC) which is responsible for the mission's data analysis.

Hawaiin dascyllus at Molokini, HI
Hawaii, 2008

Bill and Lori fly to Maui for diving and a wedding, and hop over to the big island for some volcanoes.

Bill, Steven, Andrew, and Lori diving in Bonaire
Diving in Bonaire, 2007

Bill, Lori, her brother Steven and his son Andrew take their first dive trip together. And live to tell the tale.

ALKI north
USGS 2006 GPS Survey

Bill finds brass survey marks in the middle of nowhere.

Land iguana
Lori & Bill's 2004 Galápagos Tour

Where Bill and Lori discover how little we've evolved.

Bill & Ken in the Lahaina Yacht Club
Bill & Ken's 2003 Aloha Tour

Bill and Ken's solution to a down economy--go cruising!

Bill & Lynn in Wisconsin
Lynn & Bill's 2002 US Tour

A pictorial of a camping trip around the US that Lynn and I took the summer of 2002.

Bill & Yves give Australia four big thumbs up
Bill & Speedy's 1993 Fais-toi Plaisir World Tour

Here you'll find the pictures of our tour through Asia and Australia which can be viewed by roll, or by keyword. Someday, it'll have text and the quality you've come to expect.

More...

Odds and Ends


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