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From the High Desert

A Cultural History of Art Bell

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John C. Mankins

John C. Mankins

SpaceSolar PowerTechnology

John C. Mankins is a space engineer and former NASA technologist recognized for his advocacy of space-based solar power as a transformative energy source capable of providing clean, abundant electricity to Earth from orbiting collection systems. As a guest on late-night radio, his technical expertise and his vision of harvesting solar energy in space brought scientific credibility to discussions of revolutionary energy technologies.

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Episode thumbnail for September 16, 2006: Space Solar Energy & Launch Systems - John C. Mankins

September 16, 2006: Space Solar Energy & Launch Systems - John C. Mankins

Sep 16, 2006
2h 38m
Art Bell speaks with John C. Mankins, a 25-year NASA veteran who spent a decade at JPL and 15 years at headquarters overseeing advanced technology programs. Mankins explains how breakthroughs in lightweight thin-film reflectors now make solar power viable even in the outer solar system, challenging NASA's long relia...