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.
NASA’s canceled Constellation return to the Moon initiative has helped ignite new interest in In-Situ Resource Utilization and its potential for future Mars exploration.
A new effort is underway to re-establish communications with the Mars Opportunity rover, which went silent last year during a global Martian dust storm.
A study of natural killer immune cell function in astronauts during long stays on the ISS suggests explorers on much lengthier space voyages could face health risks severe enough to challenge mission success.
