A life in science.
Now told in stories.
Written Word
From peer-reviewed research to science fiction, from Mission Control memoirs to technical references — Dr. Bob Dempsey has been writing about space since he was fourteen years old.
Three manuscripts. One lifetime of material.
books in progress
All three books draw from the same source: thirty years at the frontier of human spaceflight. Each tells a different facet of that story — for a different audience, in a different voice.
Science Fiction
The Last Scroll of Alexandria
Three people history would normally overlook—a fugitive enslaved girl, an autistic oblate, and a disabled scientist— who may determine whether a new dementia can be stopped are linked by a scroll from the famed Library of Alexandria. A propulsive plot with emotional stakes, The Last Scroll of Alexandria explores themes of family, legacy, and what it means to be remembered.
Historical Fiction
The Fate of Second Chances
A science fiction narrative that asks what might have been preserved — and what might have been lost — if history had bent differently. Dr. Bob's first foray into pure speculative fiction.
Non-Fiction
Of Rockets and Reckoning
An insider's view of NASA's Commercial Crew Program
The behind-the-scenes story of how NASA partnered with Boeing and SpaceX to hand off human spaceflight to commercial industry — told by someone who was in the room when the most consequential decisions were made.
Available now
Published
Technical Reference
The International Space Station
Operating an Outpost in the New Frontier
The definitive technical reference on operating the International Space Station — written and edited by the people who flew it. Executive edited by Robert Dempsey, this book is essential reading for the next generation of spaceflight professionals. It covers spacecraft operations, flight crew interfaces, Mission Control culture, and the hard-won lessons of the ISS era.
Role
Executive Editor
Publisher
NASA / Government
Available
Free Download
Peer-reviewed & conference papers
tECHNICAL aRTICLES
Selected works from a career of research spanning spacecraft automation, crewed operations, and commercial spaceflight. Full bibliography available here.
Enabling Innovative Research on the International Space Station to Solve the Challenges of a Human Mission to Mars
Waid et al. · REACH v27-28 · 2022
Automated Software for Manned Spacecraft — Bridging the Gap from Sci-Fi to Reality
Dempsey, Van Cise, Lammers, Jones · SpaceOps 2021
Books worth your time
reading list
Recommended reading from Dr. Bob — colleagues, contemporaries, and essential books on spaceflight, operations, and the human side of aerospace.
Stuck in Space
CAPT. bARRY "bUTCH" wILMORE
Wilmore's personal account of his experience on Starliner's Crewed Flight Test — and his faith through it. His story will be featured further in Rockets and Reckoning.
Inside Mission Control: My Time During NASA's Shuttle Era
Wayne Hale, former NASA Flight Director
A firsthand account of the Shuttle era from one of NASA's most respected Flight Directors. Essential reading for anyone interested in Mission Control culture.
To See Far: Conflict and Cooperation on the Space Frontier
Jim Van Laak, former ISS Operations Manager
Outstanding history of the ISS partnership with Russia — essential context for understanding how the Station came to be what it is.
