David Criswell
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David R. Criswell, Ph.D is currently the Director of the Institute for Space Systems Operations at the University of Houston. ISSO is the operational agent for the Houston Partnership for Space Exploration.
Criswell received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1963 (graduating cum laude) and a Master of Science degree in Physics in 1964 from the University of North Texas, in Denton, Texas. In 1968, he received a Doctorate degree in space physics and Astronomy from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
He is an active member of the Power from Space Committee of the International Astronautics Federation and participates in IAF and United Nations Summits dealing with supplying energy to Earth. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a non-profit space advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.
[edit] Views on exploiting lunar resources
For over thirty years, Criswell has been an advocate for obtaining solar power from the moon. He proposes the large-scale construction of solar collectors on the lunar surface, using local lunar materials. The solar energy would be converted to microwave energy and transmitted to Earth.
Criswell argues that this energy source would spur an unprecedented amount of global economic growth, allowing poorer nations to approach the living standards of wealthier ones, while having zero environmental impact. Advantages of lunar-solar energy that he cites include that it would not generate nuclear waste, and is is not a finite resource in the sense that fossil fuels are a finite resource. He estimates that the entire lunar-solar power generation system could be built over a ten-year period for approximately US$50 billion.
