People
Contents |
A
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews and Robert Zubrin have done considerable study on magnetic sails, which use a magnetic field to deflect charged particles for propulsion.
B
Pierre Boulle
David Brin
C
Arthur C. Clarke
D
Benjamin L. Diedrich
Alfred W. Differ
K. Eric Drexler
Eric Drexler invented the high performance solar sail for his MS thesis at the MIT department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His current field of research is in nanotechnology, as chairman of the Foresight Institute and author of Engines of Creation.
E
Anthony Ewing
Systems engineering consulting specializing in research, design, and analysis of solar sail powered spacecraft.
F
Robert L. Forward
Robert Forward wrote numerous papers on space travel, including many novel solar sail designs and applications. These have included, but are not limited to, microwave sails, designs for flyby, one way, and two way laser driven solar sails, the solar photon thruster, and sail levitated orbits. Robert Forward was most recently a partner and chief scientist of Tethers Unlimited. He died on September 21st, 2002.
- Robert L. Forward Obituary
- Books#Rocheworld, Martian Rainbow, Timemaster, and others
Louis Friedman
Louis Friedman is the executive director of The Planetary Society.
L
Geoffrey A. Landis
Manfred Leipold
mailto:Manfred.Leipold@kayser-threde.de
Manfred Leipold currently works for Kayser-Threde on a solar sail demonstration mission. Kayser-Threde is the prime contractor/operator of this mission on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and German Aerospace Center (DLR). Older information on this project is available at the DLR Solar Sail Homepage.
M
Colin R. McInnes
mailto:colin.mcinnes@strath.ac.uk
- Books#Solar Sailing: Technology Dynamics and Mission Applications
- Books#Gossamer Spacecraft: Membrane and Inflatable Structures Technology for Space Applications
Patricia Mulligan
mailto:Patricia.Mulligan@noaa.gov
Gregory L. Matloff
- Books#The Starflight Handbook: a Pioneers Guide to Interstellar Travel
- Books#Deep Space Probes: To the Outer Solar System and Beyond
Eugene F. Mallove
Esther Morrow
N
Larry Niven
P
Jonothan Vos Post
S
Dorothy M. Souza
Robert L. Staehle
Robert Staehle was the president of the World Space Foundation and currently works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Daniel J. Scheeres
T
Fridrikh Tsander
Fridrikh Tsander was an early Russian space visionary who discussed using large, lightweight mirrors for spacecraft propulsion.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was an early Russian space visionary who discussed the possibility of propelling spacecraft by using a beam of light like rocket exhaust.
W
Jerome L. Wright
Jerome Wright developed a trajectory to rendezvous with Halley's Comet by solar sail in a little over four years from a 1981 launch. Wright joined a JPL project prompted by his work to design a solar sail for a Halley rendezvous. This was the most thorough study of solar sailing to date, which produced much valuable information on solar sailing in general and on specific configurations. Unfortunately, funding was cut for the solar sail in favor of ion engine propulsion, which was also cut. After the JPL project was canceled, Wright and others started the World Space Foundation, which built square solar sail engineering models and manufacturing equipment. Their design was to be launched on a race against other sail designs by groups around the world in a race to the moon and mars.
Z
Robert Zubrin
mailto:rzubrin@marssociety.org
Robert Zubrin and Dana Andrews have done considerable study on magnetic sails, which use a magnetic field to deflect charged particles for propulsion. Robert Zubrin is a founder of the Mars Society, president of Pioneer Astronautics, and is on the executive commitee of the National Space Society.
