Robert Zubrin

Recognized under Tier 1 — Interplanetary Logistics, Robert Zubrin is known for visionary and tireless advocacy for human Mars exploration and colonization. As originator of the Mars Direct mission architecture — a landmark concept demonstrating a practical, lower-cost pathway to Mars using in-situ propellant production — and as founder and president of the Mars Society, Zubrin has done more than perhaps any other individual to keep human Mars colonization on the agenda of the space community and the public. Zubrin's technical work on Mars mission design, combined with decades of broader advocacy and education, has shaped how the world thinks about when and how humans might reach Mars — work marked by extraordinary persistence and creativity in making the case, both technically and publicly, that humans can and should go to Mars within our lifetimes.