Part history, part technology, and part policy analysis, this
one-of-a-kind, landmark book reviews the history of NASA's space
exploration program, its astronaut safety program, the present status of
the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, and the options
and strategic opportunities that present themselves as NASA enters its
next phase of space exploration with Project Constellation. Written by
one of the foremost experts on space policy, Space Exploration and
Astronaut Safety, presents in a highly readable format the state of
today's space technology, along with the concerns about safety in space
exploration as it applies to current and future programs, and whether
these issues can be reconciled and translated into a viable future space
policy. The book thoroughly explores NASA's options and how these
options are tempered and influenced by astronaut safety considerations
as well as by uncertain Congressional funding and complex organizational
management issues. It also considers the impact of international
participation and the increasing prospect of the privatization of space
travel. Shuttle tragedies, interviews with key experts, surveys, and
extensive research on the Shuttle, ISS, and related NASA space safety
programs, the author lays out a comprehensive presentation on where
space exploration has been, where it stands today, where it is going,
and where it has the potential to go. Decision makers in government
(especially those involved with NASA policy and safety), members of
space agencies around the world, aerospace scientists and engineers,
space enthusiasts, and academicians will all find this book an
indispensable and enlightening guide. Investment in the future of space
exploration will cost billions of dollars; this book provides ample
background and the impetus to enable policy makers, the aerospace
community, and the general public to make balanced, educated decisions
on how those dollars can best be spent.
