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Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The Hill

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Jared Isaacman is a brilliant choice for NASA administrator

Reaction to Isaacman’s nomination has been all but universally positive. 

sunday 8

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The NASA-SpaceX launch to Titan sparks dreams of colonization

It turns out that the moon of Saturn has certain advantages for future space colonists not present on the moon or Mars.

08.12.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The next NASA administrator needs to clean house for commercial space

Commercial programs financed by NASA have run into some problems, many inflicted by space agency managers.

01.12.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Can Blue Origin and Rocket Lab ever compete against SpaceX?

While SpaceX has revolutionized space launches, vastly decreasing their cost and increasing their reliability, the company founded by Elon Musk has...

24.11.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

An Elon Musk-inspired pivot to Mars would be a mistake

Firming up plans to go to Mars would be fine, so long as it is not done at the expense of returning to the moon.

17.11.2024 8

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

A few helpful suggestions for President Trump on NASA space policy

We have a chance for a reset that will enable a space future for the United States and the world.

10.11.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Vast’s commercial space station could create opportunities that ISS couldn't

The resulting Haven-2 facility will be immense and filled with capabilities that could meet the needs of a wide variety of customers, both commercial...

03.11.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Can Jim Bridenstine rescue NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission?

If Bridenstine becomes administrator of NASA again, his first task would be to get the Artemis program on track.

27.10.2024 7

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

How SpaceX caught a rocket in midair and launched the Europa Clipper

The test flight and its spectacular conclusion was a tiny step in the Starship’s development and a giant leap on the journey back to the moon and...

20.10.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Which commercial explorer will be the next to land on the moon?

The moon landing missions planned to take place in the next few months are the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost, the Intuitive Machines IM-2 Nova C and...

13.10.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Could SpaceX and Elon Musk get people on Mars by 2028?

Two problems must be solved before SpaceX lands anything on Mars, one technical, one bureaucratic.

06.10.2024 40

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

America should welcome India’s rise as a space power

The situation sets up an interesting dynamic that the United States and India both can use to their mutual advantage.

29.09.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Polaris Dawn is as much about art as it is about science

The history of space exploration can be said to be written in images as much as in words.

22.09.2024 50

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

How a Trump-Musk government efficiency commission might affect NASA

Such a commission would be the perfect vehicle for looking at NASA, an agency with a storied history beset with a slew of problems.

15.09.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Robert Reich wants the US to cut ties with SpaceX 

His suggestion that the United States government cut all ties to SpaceX would be an unmitigated disaster for NASA and the United States military.

08.09.2024 50

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Space policy could become partisan in the 2024 election

The sticking point seems to be developing not so much around what space policy should be, but how it is being executed.

01.09.2024 5

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

NASA can save its VIPER rover with private-sector help

The prospect of VIPER becoming more of a public/private partnership illustrates the great advantage of a thriving commercial space sector to pick up...

25.08.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Everybody's talking about space debris, but who will take action?

Left alone, the clouds of flying space junk will make low Earth orbit space increasingly hazardous to navigate.

18.08.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

What space policy could look like after the 2024 election

Whoever gets sworn in on Jan. 20 is going to face some monumental challenges going forward.

11.08.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Why SpaceX is running away with the commercial space race

SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, is beating the competition hands down for NASA contracts.

04.08.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

NASA’s VIPER cancellation is more than a disappointment, it’s a scandal

The space agency has run out of money and, absent a last-minute salvation by Congress or either a commercial or international entity, the mission will...

28.07.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Can the Boeing Starliner bring back its astronauts and its reputation?

The first crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station was supposed to last just eight days. 

21.07.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Apollo 11's memories are fueling excitement for the Artemis generation 

Just as Apollo 11 did, Artemis 3, whenever it happens, will provide a realization that there is still the capacity for greatness in the world.

16.07.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Why is Jeff Bezos launching another lawfare attack on SpaceX?

Despite having deep pockets and access to engineering talent, Bezos has failed to make Blue Origin into the cutting edge, entrepreneurial company that...

07.07.2024 5

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

China’s latest lunar success includes a swipe at America

In 2026 or slightly later, the “second giant leap for mankind” should occur with the Artemis III mission.

30.06.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

How wine and chocolate can fuel Earth’s interstellar travels

Scientists have started to investigate the flavanols from red wine and dark chocolate as a way to keep astronauts on long-duration space missions...

23.06.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Starship’s live-streamed Test 4 is a giant leap toward our lunar future

For the most part, the fourth test met the objectives for the launch vehicle that promises to take humans back to the moon, on to Mars, and beyond.

16.06.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Boeing’s Starliner is ready for human flight, but is it too late?

Is it time to cut losses and just cancel the Starliner?

09.06.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Finding a Dyson sphere could be our first contact with alien life 

Such a confirmation would be the most significant in the history of the world.

02.06.2024 40

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

NASA should let a commercial mission save Hubble 

No reason exists to prevent NASA and Isaacman from sitting down, airing the space agency’s concerns and developing a plan for a Hubble servicing...

26.05.2024 50

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Moon settlement concepts could open the door for our first lunar city

A lunar settlement would be a center of science, commerce and diplomacy, the first such community established on another world.

19.05.2024 60

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Is China ahead of the US in the new race for the moon?

The Chinese lunar effort is going quite well, with three successful landing missions and a fourth on the way.

12.05.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The age of the solar sail is arriving sooner than expected

A working solar sail system creates a range of possibilities for cheap planetary missions.

05.05.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Could sending an Israeli and an Arab to the moon spark peace on Earth?  

Recent events in the Middle East and the reaction to them globally suggest that a joint American-Israeli-Arab mission to the moon is needed now more...

28.04.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Japan's planning its first lunar steps with the Artemis program

The United States and Japan have entered into an agreement that will change the course of space exploration. 

21.04.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Elon Musk, SpaceX and benevolent megalomania 

History has given megalomania a bad name.

14.04.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Artemis astronauts should add a Zoom call for the ages to their schedule

The lunar Zoom call could be part of a worldwide STEM education program related to the Artemis III expedition.

07.04.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Why does Obama oppose Elon Musk’s plan for a Mars colony?

Musk, Bezos and others in the commercial space sector are keen to explore and settle space and take care of Earth.

31.03.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

SpaceX Starship’s third flight was not only a success, it was awesome

Starship’s awe-inspiring capacity is without dispute. 

24.03.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Biden’s tax proposals would hurt commercial space

Either the United States, and by extension the world, will enjoy a future of limitless possibilities fueled by opening space to business, or it will...

17.03.2024 40

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Richard Truly and the death of the Space Exploration Initiative

His term as NASA administrator during George H. W. Bush’s presidency was fraught with controversy.

10.03.2024 9

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Could Elon Musk’s Mars colony turn a profit?

Unlike the moon and asteroids, the answer to that question is not immediately obvious.

03.03.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The first US moon landing in decades validates NASA’s commercial goals

Nova-C’s successful landing represents the first success of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program approach to lunar exploration.

25.02.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Axiom 3’s return to Earth comes with a potential cancer breakthrough

Hope doesn’t begin to describe the prospect of adding yet another weapon in the war on cancer.

18.02.2024 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Commercializing Mars exploration could be NASA’s best bet

The idea of commercializing Mars exploration will have profound implications for how NASA handles voyages beyond the Earth-Moon system, even up to the...

11.02.2024 20

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Trump’s revival of a US missile defense plan is a job for the Space Force

If former President Trump wins the 2024 election and carries out his promise to deploy a modern version of an SDI system, he should order the...

04.02.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Japan’s moon landing sets the stage for humanity's increasingly lunar future

Soon, people will walk on the lunar surface, making the moon a new frontier of human endeavor.

28.01.2024 30

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

NASA’s approach to returning to the moon: Better safe than sorry

If it means that a return to the moon takes longer and costs more, so be it.

21.01.2024 5

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

The US should secure strategic positions between the Earth and the Moon before China

The United States military could secure the Earth-moon Lagrange Points — areas where the gravities of the Earth and moon cancel out — against the...

07.01.2024 7

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

Now, it’s America’s turn to land on the moon. Again. 

If all goes well, 2024 will mark America’s return to the moon and prove that human beings are still capable of accomplishing great things.

31.12.2023 10

The Hill

Mark R. Whittington, Opinion Contributor

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