Lambright’s new book explores NASA’s Mars program
For decades,
Mars has captured the human imagination.
Since NASA’s establishment in 1958, the space agency has looked to Mars
as a compelling prize, the one place beyond the Moon where robotic and human
exploration could possibly converge. In
his new book, Why Mars: NASA and the Politics of Space Exploration,
W. Henry Lambright explores the history of the robotic Mars exploration program
and examines the politics and policies behind NASA’s multi-decade,
billion-dollar quest.
Calling Mars
exploration a striking example of “big science,” Lambright describes the ways
in which a powerful advocacy coalition -- including NASA decision makers, the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Mars academic science community – has
influenced governmental decisions on Mars exploration. Ultimately, the book suggests that from Mars
exploration we can learn lessons that apply to other large-scale national
endeavors in science and technology.
Lambright,
professor of public administration and international affairs, is also the
author of Powering Apollo: James E. Webb of NASA and Space Policy in the Twenty-First
Century. All three books are
published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
Lambright also appeared as a guest on The Space Show, where he discussed his new book. 07/16/14