PLANETARY ADVENTURES: FROM MOSCOW TO MARS 

BACK COVER SUMMARY

As the Cold War was ending and the Soviet Union collapsed, Louis Friedman traveled to Russia more than 50 times. Between 1984 and 2005, he worked to advance international space cooperation to explore Mars and other worlds in our solar system. In this book, he recounts his personal stories from those adventures in Russia. Among them are observing a Submarine Launched Ballistic Mission on a Russian Navy ship in the Barents Sea, and testing Mars Rover prototypes on volcanic mountains in Kamchatka. He chronicles the time he travelled to the secret Soviet nuclear laboratory in Chelyabinsk-70 with Edward Teller, the inventor of the hydrogen bomb! And he flew in hot air balloons on a Soviet airfield in Lithuania, all seeking to advance the idea of the United States and Russia leading a world effort to explore Mars together. 

This book will be dedicated to our very good friend and colleague, Slva Linkin, who passed away Jan. 15, 2019.  I wrote this obituary for The Planetary Society

Accompanying map: Russia Adventures 

​

“Individuals matter in shaping the course of events in outer space. Lou Friedman was such an individual. This lively book traces the unique and valuable role Friedman played in bridging the U.S. and Soviet- then Russian- space programs over a transitional two decade period as the Cold War came to its end.”, 

                                                    -Dr.  John Logsdon, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University

​

“This is an important and exciting book. The role that possible joint Mars exploration played in ending the Cold War is a critical, and largely unknown story. Lou Friedman was central to this endeavor.  His stories are both revealing and entertaining” 

                                                 - General (Ret.) Dr. Simon P. Worden, Former Director of NASA Ames Research Center

“This book recounts many innovative and exciting private contributions to planetary exploration and international cooperation.    I remember Lou Friedman's early adventures in Russia pursuing human and robots and American and Russians exploring Mars Together. His interesting stories are prescient and prove the value of citizen supported science.”    

                                                        -Dr. May Bee More

Chapters/ Table of Contents
o Introduction: Pursuing Mars Together
1. The Beginning: An (almost) clandestine meeting: “U.S/U.S.S. Cooperation in
Exploring the Solar System” – Graz, Austria 1984
2. To Mars Via Flying in Hot-Air Balloons – Soviet Lithuania August 1988
3. Protecting Earth from Armageddon (Asteroid Impact): Chelyabinstk-70 in
Sept. 1994
4. Sweating Out a Coup: Kamchatka August 1991
5. Space Tour and a Message: Baikonur May 1990
6. Lost: Baikonur Nov 1996
7. Red Rover, Red Rover – Send NASA on Over! Mars Rover Advocacy and
Events, 1992-94
8. No Such Thing as a Free Launch: Murmansk July 2001
9. Glasnost: Public Relations in a Closed Society Comet Halley: Moscow: March
1986
10.A Camping Trip: Belorussia, Russia, Ukraine: Aug 1990
11.Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Sputnik: Moscow, October 1987
12. Visions of Mars – Creating the First Library on Mars: 1991-2006
13.Together to Mars: Humans & Robots: Spacebridge. Geopolitics – ReaganGorbachev Summit, The Shuttle-Mir and International Space Station
Engagement, Gore Chernomyrdin; Mars Together, on NASA One
Considering this as possible first chapter
14. Where Next? What Next?

APPENDICES
A. The Planetary Society Mars Declaration
B. The Political History of Human to Mars Goal

_______________________________

Excerpt from the Book's Conclusion

​

In the mid-1980s, American planetary scientists flocked to Russia and sought space on Soviet planetary mission because that is where the action was. In these years, government support was limited  nd government obstructions were high. Nonprofit organizations, universities, private individuals, and some few business entrepreneurs filled the gap, driven not by ideology but by opportunity (and inspiration). I cannot claim The Planetary Society turned the tide (of government hostility and mutual fear), but I will claim that we prevented or reduced at least a little of the flood damage that tide might have caused. This gives me hope and underlies the chief lesson learned that I want to offer from all the Russian adventures of which I write here. When the national policies are inhibiting, work around them. Engage with interesting, exciting, inspiring ventures to set the stage for when, with 100 percent certainty, those national policies will change. Now is the time to refocus international cooperation efforts for space exploration, with China and with all spacefaring
nations. As we showed with The Planetary Society, nonprofit, public-interest groups can help bring about that change.

​

​