NASA Hosts Launch of NASA-Inspired Book Series

The Innovative Technology Partnerships Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., hosted an event as part of the “NASA-Inspired Works of Fiction” series. The event was held on Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Goddard’s Visitor Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Author William Forstchen discussed his new book ” Pillar to the Sky.” NASA engineer Dr. John Panek, who consulted on the book, discussed how advancements in engineering and technology fit into the story.

NASA has partnered with Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, a New York-based publisher, to inspire young adults to examine the rewarding careers that science and technology have to offer. “Pillar to the Sky” is the first book in this series.

In “Pillar to the Sky” Forstchen explores the concept of trying to solve very real problems of the 21st century — dwindling oil supplies, increasingly dangerous pollution levels — through construction of a space elevator that could enable unprecedented access to space.

The goal of the series is to raise awareness and inspire the study of the STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering and math, while educating the general public on the significant role NASA plays in everyday lives through the popularity of science fiction.

Forstchen is a professor of history at Montreat College, Asheville, N.C. Panek is an aerospace engineer in the Mission Systems Engineering Branch at Goddard.

For more information about Goddard’s Innovative Technology Partnerships Office, please visit:

http://itpo.gsfc.nasa.gov