REGULATIONS/STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL BLASTING AND USE OF EXPLOSIVES IN SPACE ENVIRONMENTS  

I have worked in the blasting and explosives industry for over 29 years both as a professional blaster and as a regulatory official. I have also studied and have a passion for space science and exploration. Any real effort humanity makes to harness the resources found in non-terrestrial environments will require new and specialized technologies for accessing and harvesting the natural resources found there. Working with energetic materials and processes in these environments will require the development of highly specialized products, methods, standards, and regulations.

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BLASTING AND EXPLOSIVES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

In the years I have worked in the blasting and explosives industry I have developed a keen interest in several areas of study and application, such as: forensic analysis of blast report data, focusing of seismic waves and air overpressure, the effect of blasting vibration and gasses on wetlands and other wildlife, vibration frequency change over distance and its application in improving prediction equations, and the development of new blasting agents from mined materials, and structural response of atypically constructed buildings.

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THE RECOVERY OF ENVIRONMENTS FOLLOWING CATASTROPHE

I am very interested in understanding how environments recover following natural catastrophic events, such as floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. This also has application to understanding the recovery of environments following disturbance from mining activities. This area of study includes understanding the reestablishment of life in decimated areas, adaptation of species in radically changing environments, such as sudden changes in ocean salinity, wide-ranging temperature fluctuations, and excessively wet and dry periods.

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INTEGRATED RECREATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

I love to travel, vacation, and explore, so as I think about humanity heading out into the solar system for extended periods of time, I recognize that those intrepid souls will lack one essential thing I believe humans need: the opportunity to rest, relax, and recharge in environments that approximate natural earth environments. That will be hard to do in places where there are no beaches, hiking trails, and fresh air. I believe an integral part of long-term human survival on a world such as Mars will require adequate opportunities to recreate earth-like recreational environments.