Inventor William Shockley won a Nobel Prize for his work on transistors, work that launched the modern electronic age. He also became widely known for controversial ideas on eugenics and race. Join Ira Flatow in this hour of Science Friday for a conversation about Shockley and his troubled legacy.

Plus, a look back at the Mars Viking missions -- the first Viking lander touched down on Mars thirty years ago this week. We'll talk to a scientist from the Viking mission about the program, and talk about how what Viking found is teaching us today.   learn more about Viking

We'll also get a primer on missile defense technology, and talk about what systems the US and other countries have in place and in development to defend against enemy missiles. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Victoria Samson
Research Analyst
Center for Defense Information
San Antonio, Texas

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Joel Shurkin
Author, 'Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age' (Macmillan, 2006)
Washington, DC

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Joel Levine
Senior Research Scientist
Principal Investigator, Mars ARES program
NASA's Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia

Books/Articles Discussed:

'Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age,' by Joel Shurkin. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

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This segment produced by Charles Bergquist