Date of Award
8-2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts - History
Department
History
First Advisor
Randi Barnes-Cox, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Philip E. Catton, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Lydia Towns, Ph.D.
Fourth Advisor
Dan Bruton, Ph.D.
Abstract
From the late 1950s to the early 1990s, NASA’s human spaceflight programs repeatedly encountered political and bureaucratic pressures that prioritized short-term interests over long-term planning. These constraints shaped the development of the Apollo, Space Shuttle, Space Station, and other human spaceflight programs, limiting NASA’s ability to pursue a sustained strategic vision. This thesis traces the evolution of long-term human spaceflight policy through documents and memos produced by advisory committees, research councils, and key individuals during this period. Despite shifting administrations and their respective politics, these sources reveal a consistent goal of human spaceflight ultimately leading beyond Earth to the Moon and Mars. However, minimal political interest in long-term space policy proposals frequently left NASA and human spaceflight plans without clear guidance.
Repository Citation
Peralta, Angel J., "Charting the Martian Future: Long-Term Space Policy Planning of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program, 1957-1988" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 668.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/668
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Political History Commons, United States History Commons
Tell us how this article helped you.
