My work at MIT had focused on what we could build in space once we had inexpensive space transportation and industrial facilities in orbit. And this led to various sorts of work in space development.

The moon gravitates towards the earth, and by the force of gravity is continually drawn off from a rectilinear motion and retained in its orbit.

If it’s a new planet, sign me up. I’m tired of driving around the block, boldly going where hundreds have gone before in orbit around earth-give me a place to go and I’ll go.

When NASA says they’re going into space, they don’t mean up and back. They mean orbit.