Les is the author or co-author of both popular science and science fiction. His latest science fiction novel, “Mission to Methone,” was released by Baen Books on February 6, 2018. Coincidentally, his latest non-fiction book, “Graphene: The Superstrong, Superthin, and Super-versatile Material That Will Revolutionize the World,” with co-author Joe Meany, was published the same day (from a different publisher – Prometheus Books)!
By day, Les is Principal Investigator (lead scientist) for NASA’s first interplanetary solar sail mission, The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In the early 2000’s, Les was NASA’s Manager for Interstellar Propulsion Research and later managed the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project. He has worked for NASA since 1990 and has served in various technical and management roles.
Books in order of publication:
Back to the Moon – 2011
Sky Alert!: When Satellites Fail – 2013
Harvesting Space for a Greener Earth – 2014
Rescue Mode – 2014
Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel – 2015
On to the Asteroid – 2017
Mission To Methonē – 2018
Graphene: The Superstrong, Superthin, and Superversatile Material That Will Revolutionize the World – 2018
Stellaris: People of the Stars – 2019
Going Interstellar – 2021
Saving Proxima – 2021
A Traveler’s Guide to the Stars – 2022
The Spacetime War – 2022
Interstellar Travel: Purpose and Motivations – 2023
The Ross 248 Project – 2023
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