Space Program Should Focus on Mars, Says Editor of New Space

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Dec. 7, 2017 - PRLog -- The U.S. space exploration program should continue to focus on robotic sample recovery and human missions to Mars, says Scott Hubbard, Editor-in-Chief of New Space. He details the benefits and risks of this strategy in an editorial entitled "Keeping the Focus on Mars (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/space.2017.29012.gsh)," published in New Space, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/). The article is available free on the New Space (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/space.2017.29012.gsh) website until January 7, 2018.

Scott Hubbard, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University and former director of NASA's Ames Research Center, recounts the past four Administrations' commitments to space exploration, beginning with President Kennedy's promise in 1961 to send a man to the moon and return him safely -- the only initiative that has been successfully funded and completed. In October 2017, Vice President Pence proposed that NASA should plan "human missions to the moon" as a "stepping stone" for subsequent human missions to Mars. In the current editorial, Professor Hubbard presents possible ways to offset the large cost of space exploration, including international partnerships, and he discusses what makes Mars such a compelling scientific target.

"I strongly advocate completing the Mars Sample Return," says Professor Hubbard. "That initiative alone will show continued U.S. leadership and perhaps provide answers to the most fundamental questions humans ask: 'Are we alone?' I also believe that any future human exploration plan must keep moving toward Mars."

About the Journal
New Space (http://www.liebertpub.com/space) is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to facilitating and supporting the efforts of researchers, engineers, analysts, investors, business leaders, and policymakers to capitalize on the opportunities of commercial space ventures. Spanning a broad array of topics including technological advancements, global policies, and innovative applications, the Journal brings the new space community together to address the challenges and discover new breakthroughs and trends in this epoch of private and public/private space discovery. Complete tables of content and a sample issue are available on the New Space (http://www.liebertpub.com/space) website.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Big Data, Soft Robotics, and Astrobiology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com/) website.