Mark is based in Houston, where he has written on aerospace for more than 25 years. While at the Houston Chronicle, he was recognized by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation in 2006 for his professional contributions to the public understanding of America's space program through news reporting. He has written on U. S. space policy as well as NASA's human and space science initiatives.
Mark was recognized by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and Headliners Foundation as well as the Chronicle in 2004 for news coverage of the shuttle Columbia tragedy and its aftermath.
He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University.
Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is developing a an algorithm to eliminate imperfections in carbon fiber composites for materials used in the production of propellant tanks and other spacecraft components.
Communications between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander were lost moments before a scheduled landing at the Moon’s south pole Sept. 6 U.S. time, during the braking phase with the spacecraft and its Pragyan rover about 2.1 km above the lunar surface. The autonomous descent, which got under way at 4:08 p.m. EDT, was considered to be going as planned until that point. The loss of signal was reported by the ISRO control center at Istrac, Bengaluru at 4:24 p.m. EDT.
Russia’s unpiloted Soyuz MS-14 test spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Sept. 6, headed for re-entry and a parachute-assisted landing in south central Kazakhstan.
