Robert Zubrin | |
|---|---|
 Photo of Zubrin by the Mars Society | |
| Born | April 9, 1952 New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Rochester (BA) University of Washington (MS, PhD) |
| Known for | Mars Direct Mars Society The Case for Mars Energy Victory |
| Spouse | Hope Zubrin |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Institutions | Martin Marietta Pioneer Astronautics |
Robert Zubrin (/ˈzuːbrɪn/; born April 9,[1] 1952[2]) is an American aerospace engineer, author,[3] and advocate for human exploration of Mars. He is also an advocate for U.S. space superiority, writing that "in the 21st century, victory on land, sea or in the air will go to the power that controls space" and that "if we desire peace on Earth, we need to prepare for war in space."[4]
He and his colleague at Martin Marietta, David Baker, were the driving force behind Mars Direct, a proposal in a 1990 research paper intended to produce significant reductions in the cost and complexity of such a mission. The key idea was to use the Martian atmosphere to produce oxygen, water, and rocket propellant for the surface stay and return journey. A modified version of the plan was subsequently adopted by NASA as their "design reference mission". He questions the delay and cost-to-benefit ratio of first establishing a base or outpost on an asteroid or another Apollo program-like return to the Moon, as neither would be able to provide all of its own oxygen, water, or energy; these resources are producible on Mars, and he expects people would be there thereafter.[5]
Disappointed with the lack of interest from government in Mars exploration and after the success of his book The Case for Mars (1996), as well as leadership experience at the National Space Society, Zubrin established the Mars Society in 1998. This is an international organization advocating a human mission to Mars as a goal, by private funding if possible.
- ^ @robert_zubrin (April 9, 2019). "Today is my birthday. Hope gave me ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Mckay". National Space Grant Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "Op-Ed by Robert Zubrin: U.S. Space Supremacy Now Critical". Space News. January 22, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Zubrin, Robert (April 21, 2005). "Getting Space Exploration Right". Space Daily (Press release). Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2013.