Why subscribe?
Hi! I’m Maxwell, and for the next year, I’ll be writing about civil space policy (e.g. science, exploration, regulation etc). I’m currently a grad student at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Full bio here if you’re curious but TLDR I like space and I like Congress.
Here’s what I’m currently working on/thinking about:
🌧️⛱️ Which Earth/climate science capabilities are mission-critical for Golden Dome and missile defense?
⛏️ ⚛️ Is mining helium-3 on the Moon for quantum computer supercooling a sustainable business model?
🧪 🚀 Has government-funded cancer research in microgravity led to any major therapeutic breakthroughs?
I especially like unraveling questions that are awkwardly wedged between science/technology/engineering and policy analysis/business strategy/federal regulation. These questions often lie in a no-man’s-land, unclaimed by both groups, but we need the answers to craft effective policy.
My work has been featured in publications like Payload, SpaceNews, and Planetary Radio, but some of my findings are best-suited for Substack. If you’re interested in these answers, consider subscribing! (And thanks in advance if you choose to buy me a cup of coffee every month.)
Why Galileo V?
The West Wing, Season 2, Episode 9 - Galileo
SAM
Write this: "Good morning. Eleven months ago a 1200 pound spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Eighteen hours ago..." Is it eighteen hours ago? We're on the air at noon eastern.
C.J.
Yeah.
SAM
"Eighteen hours ago it landed on the planet Mars. You, me, and 60,000 of your fellow students across the country along with astroscientists and engineers from the Jet Propulsion Lab in Southern California, NASA Houston, and right here, at the White House, are going to be the first to see what it sees, and to chronicle an extraordinary voyage of an unmanned ship called Galileo V."
BARTLET
[taps C.J. on the arm] He said it right.
C.J. nods.
