Robert Zane Pearlman (born January 14, 1976) is an American space historian and the founder and editor of

collectSPACE collectSPACE is an online publication and community for space history enthusiasts featuring articles and photos about space artifacts and memorabilia, information on past, current, and upcoming space events, space history collecting resources, an ...

, a website devoted to news and information concerning

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by uncrewed rob ...

and space-related artifacts and memorabilia, especially in

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in ...

. He is also a contributing writer to Space.com.

Biography

Pearlman was born in

Livingston, New Jersey Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Progr ...

but considers

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.

his hometown. He attended the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

from 1994 to 1997 studying astronomy, physics and English. In 1996, he developed the website promoting

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, a ...

moonwalker

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin (; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission. As the Lunar Module ''Eagle'' pilot on the 1969 ...

's first novel. From 1997 to 2003, Pearlman served as first the director of communications and later marketing director for

Space Adventures Space Adventures, Inc. is an American space tourism company founded in 1998 by Eric C. Anderson. Its offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights (with the option to participate in a spacewalk), and other spacefli ...

, the first company to book privately financed spaceflight participants on flights to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

. He was communities producer for Space.com from 2000 to 2001. From 1998 to 2003, he was the on-air host for National Space Day webcasts from the National Air and Space Museum. In 1999, he founded collectSPACE, an online community and resource for space history enthusiasts. Pearlman is a member of the

US Space Walk of Fame The American Space Museum is a museum in Titusville, Florida. It includes the US Space Walk of Fame, an outdoor plaza on the Indian River that honors both the astronauts and the NASA and contractor personnel who made American manned space explora ...

Foundation Board of Directors, serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society and on the nominating induction committee for the

US Astronaut Hall of Fame The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Heroes & Legends building on Merritt Island, Florida, honors American astronauts and features the world's largest collection of their personal memora ...

. He is a director emeritus of the National Space Society, and former national chair of the Students for the Exploration and Development and Space. Pearlman is also a member of the Leadership Board of

For All Moonkind, Inc. For All Moonkind, Inc. is a volunteer international nonprofit organization which is working with the United Nations and the international community to manage the preservation of history and human heritage in outer space. The organization believes t ...

In 2001, his work on collectSPACE earned Pearlman the Collector of the Year Award from the Universal Autograph Collectors Club. In 2009, he was inducted into the

United States Space Camp Space Camp is an educational camp in Huntsville, Alabama, on the grounds of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center museum near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. It provides residential and educational programs for children and adults on themes such ...

Hall of Fame, in part for his work on collectSPACE. Pearlman lives in the

Nassau Bay Nassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The population w ...

area of Houston, Texas.

Footnotes

References

* * *

Bibliography

* Dubbs, Chris; ''Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Spaceflight; Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spacecraft;'' U of Nebraska Press, 2011;

External links

collectSPACE website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearlman, Robert 1976 births Living people People from West Orange, New Jersey Space advocates

Biography

See also

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

External links