the POLITICS AND PERILS OF SPACE EXPLORATION who will compete, who will dominate?.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
1: The Excitement of Current & Future Space Exploration
	The U.S. Focus in Outer Space Today
	International Space Programs and Partnerships
	The European Space Agency
	China
	Russia
	Japan
	India
	Other Asian Space Activities
	Other Space Agencies
		The Israel Space Agency
		Iran
		The United Kingdom
		United Arab Emirates
	The Politics of the New Space Age
2: The New Space Race
	The New International Space Race
	The Asian Space Race
	The New Commercial Space Race
	Reflections on the New Space Race
3: Commercial Interests in Outer Space
	The Commercial Development of Outer Space
	Space Contests and Prizes
	Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Development
	Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Projects
	The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
	Sierra Nevada Corporation Development of Dream Chaser
	Blue Origin
	Bigelow Aerospace Inflatable Habitats
	Reflections on Commercial Interests in Outer Space
4: Why Not Go Back to the Moon?
	Going Back to the Moon
	The Politics of Returning to the Moon
	Commercial Interests in Returning to the Moon
	Reflections on Returning to the Moon
5: Going to Mars
	A Dangerous High Tech Landing on Mars (August 6, 2012)
	The Case for Mars
	The Supporters of Mars Colonization
		Robert Zubrin
	Elon Musk
	Unmanned Mars Exploration
	Life From and on Mars
	The Cost of Going to Mars
	The Mars 2020 Mission
	NASA’s Manned Mission to Mars
	Comparison of the SLS and the Falcon Heavy Rocket
	The Mars One Mission
	China’s Plans for Mars
	Russia’s Plans for Mars
	Commercial Efforts for Red Planet Manned Missions
	Final Thoughts on Humans Going to Mars
6: Politics, the Military, and the Space Force
	Politics and the Military in Outer Space
	The History of NACA and NASA
	The U.S. Air Force
	Threats to Outer Space Military Resources
	The U.S. Space Force: The Debate
	X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6)
	Reflections
7: The Science and Dangers of Outer Space
	Lost in Space
	The Space Environment
	The Dangers of Spaceflight
	Microgravity Issues
	Protein Concentrations
	Muscle Atrophy
	Bone Loss
	Radiation
	Professor James Van Allen and Space Travel
	Radiation and Space Missions
	Cardiovascular Effects
	Aging
	Changes to the Human Mind in Space
	Space Debris
	Final Thoughts on the Dangers of Outer Space
8: Politics and the Space Race
	An Introduction to Modern Rocketry
	Robert Goddard, the Father of American Rocketry
	Rocket Development During World War II
	Wernher Von Braun, the Father of Space Travel
	The Early History of Space Politics
	Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the Founder of the Soviet Space Program
	The Space Race Heats Up
	Yuri Gagarin, the First Man in Space
	Alan Shepard, the First American in Space
	Next Steps in Space
	Final Thoughts on the Politics of the Space Race
9: The Post-Apollo and Space Shuttle Era
	Post-Apollo Space Exploration Politics
	Space Stations
	The U.S. Air Force vs. NASA
	Skylab
	The Space Shuttle
	The Visions of Max Faget
	The Accomplishments of the Space Shuttle System and the Future in Space Transportation
	The Spacelab Module
	Legacy of the Space Shuttle
	The Military Influence on Space Shuttle Operations
10: Politics, the ISS, and Private Enterprise
	International Space Station Politics
	The Legacy of the International Space Station
	Post-International Space Station Politics
11: Politics and Commercial Space Activities
	Government Policy of Commercial Space Activities
	Successful NASA Partnerships
	Additional NASA Partnerships with Private Enterprise
	The Politics of Future Commercial Exploits
12: Technological Risks of Space Flights and Human Casualties
	Technological Risks of Spaceflight
	Apollo 1 (January 27, 1967)
		Historical Context
		Accident Analysis
	The Space Shuttle Challenger (January 28, 1986)
		Historical Context
		Accident Analysis
	The Space Shuttle Columbia (February 1, 2003)
		Historical Context
		Accident Analysis
	Lessons Learned from NASA Space Disasters
	SpaceShipTwo Crash (October 31, 2014)
		Historical Context
		Accident Analysis
	SpaceX Explosion (June 28, 2015)
		Historical Context
		Accident Analysis
	Risks in the Commercial Launch Vehicle Industry
	Lessons Learned from Commercial Space Disasters
13: New Technology and Deep Space
	Deep Space Exploration Technological Challenges
	Methods of Propulsion
	Ion Propulsion
	Solar Sails
	Thermal Fission
	Habitat Technology
	Radiation Protection Technology
	Communication Technology
	Enhanced Power Technology
	Food Crops for Deep Space Applications
	Water: A Precious Resource
	New Technology and the Road to Deep Space
14: Future Topics in Space
	Future Human Space Exploration
	Space Tourism
	Interplanetary Contamination
	The Reality of Deep Space
	The Search for Alien Life
	Reflections on the Future of Space Exploration and Colonization
Index