Mark Lupisella Author

Mark Lupisella, Ph.D. has a doctorate in evolutionary biology (Program in Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics), with his dissertation on A Theoretical Microbial Contamination Model for a Human Mars Mission, and also has a B.S. in Physics, and a M.A. in Philosophy of Science with a thesis on Using Artificial Life to Assess the Typicality of Terrestrial Life), all from the University of Maryland at College Park.   He founded The Horizons Project which aims to improve Humanity's ability to address long-term survival challenges.  He’s worked for NASA for 30 years and presently serves as the Exploration Research and Development Manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  He has worked on Hubble Space Telescope,  Exploration and Constellation Programs (with an emphasis on human mission architectures and advanced systems), and areas in astrobiology such as planetary protection, artificial life, and societal issues.  Dr. Lupisella assisted the Secure World Foundation in its initial stages of development and also helped lead the development of an Ethics Committee for Planet Labs (now called Planet). He also serves on the Advisory Council for METI International (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence).  He has authored over 35 published works ranging from human Mars missions to the search for extraterrestrial life and space ethics, and is co-editor of the NASA book, Cosmos and Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context with previous NASA Chief Historian, Steven Dick.