Mark A. McDonald

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About

Mark A. McDonald is a leading voice in the intersection of asteroid science and human spaceflight strategy. His research centers on the technical and programmatic frameworks for sustainable deep-space exploration, with a particular focus on leveraging near-Earth objects as waypoints for crewed missions. McDonald’s most influential work, "The Asteroid Redirect Mission and sustainable human exploration," has garnered 20 citations and serves as a foundational reference for integrating robotic asteroid retrieval with long-duration human expeditions. In this paper, he articulates a clear pathway for using captured asteroid material to test propulsion, life support, and resource utilization technologies—critical steps toward a permanent human presence beyond low-Earth orbit. McDonald’s contributions have shaped NASA’s evolving architecture for the Moon-to-Mars campaign, emphasizing cost-effective, incremental milestones. His ability to bridge planetary science and mission design makes his work essential reading for students and researchers interested in the practical challenges of interplanetary travel. Through clear, systems-level thinking, McDonald continues to influence how we plan for humanity’s next giant leap.