OpinionApril 24, 2025
Slashing NASA’s Programs Will Squander America’s Place in Space
The Trump administration’s plans to cut NASA’s science missions will destroy the U.S. space legacy
Stories by Louis Friedman
Louis Friedman holds a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked on deep-space missions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and he co-founded the Planetary Society with Carl Sagan and Bruce Murray, serving as the organization's executive director for 30 years. He was co-leader of the Keck Institute for Space Studies Asteroid Retrieval Mission and Interstellar Medium Exploration Studies at the California Institute of Technology.
OpinionOctober 3, 2023
Mars Sample-Return Missions Could Reduce Tensions with China on Earth
The U.S. may not beat China at retrieving Martian rocks first, according to an independent review board’s conclusion. But the U.S. can still lead with an exchange of samples here on Earth
Space & PhysicsNovember 13, 2015
Oh the Places We Won't Go: Humans Will Settle Mars, and Nowhere Else [Excerpt]
Planetary Society co-founder Louis Friedman argues the Red Planet will be humanity’s final destination, but our robots could reach the stars