Future Challenges for NASA: The Moon, Mars, and More

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

All best wishes. I have just finished my latest book: Future Challenges for NASA: The Moon, Mars, and More. I think this is my 72nd book to write, co-write, or co-edit. I hope you might at least find the foreword or key findings of interest. NASA has enormous difficulties to overcome to achieve a safe moon landing for the Artemis Program with key problems unresolved with the Human Landing System, the Orion capsule heat shield, and the run away costs for the Space Launch System launcher that is now over $4 billion per launch.

Jared Isaacman is to be the new Administrator of NASA. Along with fellow billionaire Elon Musk, he has signalled some changes. They seem more interested in sending astronauts to Mars than the Artemis lunar exploration activity. Artemis has had significant problems with delays and budget overruns, with over $100 billion in costs. There are huge problems with the Space Transportation System, the Orion crew vehicle, and the Human Landing System. There are key concerns about the timing and safety of the Artemis III moon landing. Against this background, Pelton and Marshall's book seeks new ways to improve NASA’s approach to safety and longer-term strategic planning. It wants NASA to improve goal-setting mechanisms and to become more innovative, more productive, and less bureaucratic. This includes better and safer spacecraft, fusion-ion driven rockets, bio-regenerative life-support systems, and better use of commercial innovation. It explores 30-year pathways towards self-sufficient space habitats with radiation protection and artificial gravity for the Moon, Mars, deep space stations and more. NASA must find a safe, and sustainable way for astronauts and space pioneers to live safely in deep space. Pelton and Marshall's advice pulls no punches on needed NASA reforms.

For a limited time you may download a PDF version of the book for free, right from my website.

Download Future Challenges for NASA