On to Mars!

Peter grew up in San Diego, CA and attended La Jolla High School, Stanford University M.S. (EE), and Pennsylvania State University Ph.D. (Physics). Work experience includes duty as Lt. U.S.Navy, Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C.;  Prof (Applied Physics) U.C. San Diego; Prof (Physics), Utah State University; Prof (Electrical Engineering, Stanford University), Dean of Engineering (Univ. Michigan).  Other activities:  Partner in several venture capital firms in Palo Alto, CA, and Senior Advisor to the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
Professional Interests:  Space plasma physics, upper atmospheric phenomena, startup technology companies
Personal Interests:  Hiking, Sailing, Skin-diving, Reading, Photography

September 15 topic: On to Mars! 

 The USA and other advanced technology countries of the world are engaged in an informal competition to send and return the humans to Mars.  The first step of this new space race is the identification and development of national bases on Earth’s Moon, from which space vehicles will be able travel between Earth and the Moon and from the Moon to Mars.  With respect to deployment of cargo and personnel to Mars,  it seems reasonable to consider building a specialized a space vehicle which carries cargo between Earth’s Moon and one of the moons of Mars.  Transport of goods between Earth and our Moon would be based on current designs of spacecraft.  At Mars, transfer of cargo between the surface of Mars and one of its moons would be done via a new cargo transport optimized to that planet's smaller gravity and its much lower atmospheric density. In any case, the first steps to go to Mars are underway in terms of overall goals and international partners participating in the U.S. plans for creating transportation and occupancy capabilities for sustained human presence on Mars.