Advancements in rocketry, spacecraft and instruments of exploration have opened an epic new era of cosmic discovery. Complex challenges driving such achievements yielded countless technological advancements and business opportunities that continue to enhance the quality of our everyday lives. In total, these advancements have expanded human experience while making our world seem smaller. Buzz Aldrin and Larry Bell bring us up to date on the current state of space exploration and make a case for establishing a permanent human presence on Mars.

Takes amateur spacefarers on a flight into the future.

When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, limits on NASA funding and the lack of direction under the Nixon and Carter administrations had left the U.S. space program at a crossroads. In contrast to his predecessors, Reagan saw outer space as humanity’s final frontier and as an opportunity for global leadership. His optimism and belief in American exceptionalism guided a decade of U.S. activities in space, including bringing the space shuttle into operation, dealing with the 1986 Challenger accident and its aftermath, committing to a permanently crewed space station, encouraging private sector space efforts, and fostering international space partnerships with both U.S. allies and with the Soviet Union. Drawing from a trove of declassified primary source materials and oral history interviews, John M. Logsdon provides the first comprehensive account of Reagan’s civilian and commercial space policies during his eight years in the White House. Even as a fiscal conservative who was hesitant to increase NASA’s budget, Reagan’s enthusiasm for the space program made him perhaps the most pro-space president in American history.