About The Gravity Well Project

Steve Sandford wanted to solve a problem: NASA's purchasing power has declined by 25%. since the days we put astronauts on the Moon, America's research and development efforts have dropped dramatically. Most American Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math are being rewarded to foreign students; too few young Americans are interested.At the same time, many Americans mistakenly believe that NASA's days are over.

So he set out to prove that, by fully funding the mandates Congress has given the space agency, America could stimulate its economy, regain its technological prowess,and inspire students to go into STEM. He approached journalist and content consultant Jay Heinrichs. The two of them focused on the next great frontier: a million-mile-high region in space called the Gravity Well. Rather than focusing on a single goal--such as bringing tourists into space, or landing people on Mars--we would show that an economy is being developed in the Gravity Well.

Right now, the Well looks a little like the East Coast of North America in the 1600s, with a small but rapidly growing economy based on ever-cheaper satellites. Beyond that, our government, working with private industry, is forging the way with new technology, exploring the "unsettled" parts of the Gravity Well. Within a generation or two, the economy in the Well will rival, and even exceed, the one on Earth, with jobs and wealth created through mining, energy, microgravity manufacturing, and transportation in space.

Starting with the book, The Gravity Well, Steve and Jay have created this website and a social media program, and Steve is giving entertaining talks on America's next, most rewarding mission. 

Stephen Sandford spent 28 years as an engineer and researcher at NASA, including senior assignments at Johnson Space Center and NASA headquarters. As Director for Space Technology and Exploration at NASA’s Langley Research Center, he led teams of engineers, researchers, and mission architects to enable human space exploration. Currently System Engineering Director at Stinger, Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., his work spans a range of space challenges, from asteroid utilization to space policy. He has degrees in physics, electrical engineering, and optical science.

Jay Heinrichs has worked in publishing as a magazine and book executive for many years. He helps clients communicate complex issues through compelling, storytelling content. He's the author of the bestselling book, Thank You for Arguing.

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