“In August 1994, I was invited to have dinner with House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. At that time, I was a senior engineer working for Martin Marietta Astronautics in Denver, where I had been responsible for inventing a new plan called 'Mars Direct.'”

American aerospace engineer and author

Robert Zubrin is an American aerospace engineer, author, and advocate for human exploration of Mars. He is known for arguing that space will shape future military and political power, and for making the case for a stronger American role in space. His writing often turns on Mars exploration and on the strategic importance of space. He has also argued that control of space will matter in future conflict, and that peace on Earth depends on preparing for war beyond it.