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James W. Benson is our founder and served as our chairman of the board from October 1997 until September 2006. Mr. Benson also served as our chief executive officer from October 1997 until December 2005, at which time he was succeeded by Mark N. Sirangelo in such position, and became our chief technology officer. In September 2006, Mr. Benson resigned from employment at SpaceDev to found Benson Space Company, a space tourism company of which he is chief executive officer, but remains a member of our board of directors. In 1984, Mr. Benson founded Compusearch Corporation (later renamed Compusearch Software Systems), which was engaged in the development of software algorithms and applications for personal computers and networked servers to create full text indexes of government procurement regulations and to provide instant full text searches for any word or phrase. In 1989, Mr. Benson started the award-winning ImageFast Software Systems, which later merged with Compusearch. In 1995, Mr. Benson sold Compusearch and ImageFast, and retired at age fifty. Mr. Benson started SpaceDev, Inc., a Nevada corporation, which was acquired by Pegasus Development Corp., a Colorado corporation, in October of 1997. Mr. Benson acquired a controlling ownership in Pegasus and later changed its name to SpaceDev, Inc. Mr. Benson holds a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Missouri. He founded the non-profit Space Development Institute, and introduced the $5,000 Benson Prize for Amateur Discovery of Near Earth Objects. He is also vice chairman and private sector representative on NASA's national Space Grant Review Panel, and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers subcommittee on Near Earth Object Impact Prevention and Mitigation. | 