Ed Lu Status: Retired 7/1/1963 – Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Edward Tsang “Ed” Lu (simplified Chinese: 卢杰; traditional Chinese: 盧傑; pinyin: Lú Jié) is an American physicist and former NASA astronaut. He flew on two Space Shuttle flights, and made an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. In 2007, Lu retired from NASA to become the program manager of Google’s Advanced Projects Team. In 2002, while still at NASA, Lu co-founded the B612 Foundation, dedicated to protecting the Earth from asteroid strikes, later serving as its chairman. As of 2014, he is currently its chief executive officer (CEO).