“Planetology” in Aerospace America — January 2009

Mt. St. Helens, imaged from the International Space Station

The latest issue of AIAA’s Aerospace America carries my “View from Here” column: Planetology and the Future of Our Species. This month my subject is the exploration of our solar system, and its importance for the survival of our species, and our home planet. We can’t understand and protect our own Earth without the knowledge gained from examining our neighboring worlds. Establishing human explorers off this planet in the coming decade is the natural extension of this drive to know where we’ve come from, and where humanity is headed.

I further explore this theme with Ellen Stofan in our new book from National Geographic, Planetology: Unlocking the Secrets of the Solar System.