An engineer’s journey in NASA

Space technology and policy on the final frontier

It was time. I have published my prior writing in a more unified format as a book – “An engineer’s journey in NASA: Space technology and policy on the final frontier.” It’s difficult to describe the process of looking back and making sense of my years of experiences, people, studies, projects, and technology. Now, imagine looking back again at what I wrote about it all. Yes, so meta.

The book is divided into four parts – NASA, reusability and sustainability, commercial space, and space technology. It’s a natural progression if thinking about what came before as valuable to chart a course ahead. That journey never ends, not in a world where our technology advances daily.

From the book – “From NASA to SpaceX, and from Space Shuttles to Starships. Here are the reflections of long-time NASA engineer Edgar Zapata providing a sense of the connections between these worlds. What lessons must we take to heart if we are to achieve our spacefaring future, sooner rather than later? Combining stories, experience, and unique insights, this book is a compilation and distillation of prior writings in a newly unified format. It is an essential read covering issues in space technology and policy, the barriers ahead, and the benefits of what may come. Combining the practical, lived experience of an engineer with work in future, advanced and innovative projects, this book presents perspectives making complex topics understandable through writing with distinct takeaways.”

Enjoy. The book has ample figures, pictures and graphs, many of which come from my collection of old documents. I suggest starting with the Preface, of course, then skipping to the Epilogue, and the Afterword, and then jumping around in sections as the topics call you. But that’s just me.

May everyone have a happy and joyous New Year!

Ad Astra.