7 Key Themes/Ideas

With Selected Publications: 1971 -  Present
 

  1. Mars has abundant water stored as ground ice mostly at high latitudes. Early evidence (35 yrs ago) for this…
     

“South polar and equatorial differences in central peaked Martian craters” (with R. Lingenfelter & G. Schubert) Nature, 234, 335 (1971).

 

  1. Mars is rich in usable resources (i.e. ore bodies). The first systematic assessment…
     

“A preliminary assessment of Martian natural resource potential” In The Case for Mars II, 627 (1985).

 

  1. It is possible and profitable to retrieve water from Mars for use in Earth-Moon space. The first scientific, technological, and economic evaluation of this new concept for interplanetary commerce…

“The Moons of Mars: A source of water for lunar bases and LEO.” In Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, 809 (1985).

"Implications of the NASA Lunar Initiative for a typical space transportation architecture" (with C. Varnado & C. McLain) In Symposium on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, Lunar & Planetary Inst., Houston, 1988.

“Exofuel – Presentation to NASA” (with C. Cassell, J. Che, D. Peterson, & T. Zuppero) General Dynamics, Space Systems Division
8362-89-040 (1989).

“An analysis of advanced space strategies featuring the role of space resource utilization” (with O. Steinbronn) Acta Astronautica 26, 19 (1992).
 

  1. Mars had an ancient magnetic field whose disappearance may have triggered climatic change.  An early theoretical case for ancient Martian magnetism and a new model (still viable) for climatic change on Mars…

“Martian climatic change: A magnetic trigger?” Geophys. Res. Lett. 7, 1065 (1980).

“Mars, Earth, and Ice” Sky and Telescope, July (1986).
 

  1. The planet Mercury’s surface displays compressive faults and probably experienced inhomogeneous accretion.

Global tectonics of Mercury and the Moon” (with R. Strom)  Physics Earth Planet. Int. 15, 146 (1977).

                        “Early fluctuations in the radius of Mercury”  Mod. Geol. 7, 209 (1981).

“Mercury: The World Closest to the Sun”  Mercury, Journal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific,  XIII, 136 (1984).
 

  1. We can send humans to Mars anytime we want to. Key beneficiaries will be K-16+ math/science education and international relations.

                        “Manned Mars mission overview – Invited Paper” AIAA-89-2766, Joint Propulsion Conference, Monterey, CA                                           (1989).

                       " Transportation Approaches for Manned Mars Missions" AIAA-90-3892, AIAA Space
                                         Programs and Technology Conference
, Huntsville, AL (1990).                   

                  “The Challenge of Mars” Ad  Astra, National Space Society, 2, 8 (1990).

                  "Interspace - Design for an International Space Agency"  Space Policy 8, 287, (1992).
 

  1. It is possible to scientifically forecast that the first manned Mars mission will occur around 2025.  Based on long-term economic, technological, and societal trends that have repeated for centuries…

“Forecasting the next major thrust into space” Space Policy 12, 45 (1996).

                 “Space planners can learn from Desert Storm – Commentary”  Space News, June 24 – July 7 (1991).

                  "21st Century Waves -- Forecasting Technology Booms and Human Expansion into the Cosmos"
                                Futures Research Quarterly  22, No. 3, (Fall, 2006).

Camelot, Apollo, and the Next Race to Space
              A book manuscript in progress (2007).