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In books and articles, he wrote about the militarization of space and believed that investing in exploration would “protect the Earth and ensure the survival of humanity. “
By Sam Roberts
William E. Burrows, who as a journalist explored the promises and dangers posed by space, adding the proliferation of weapons and spy satellites and the risk of potentially destructive asteroids, died on June 29 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. 87.
His death, which occurred in the hospital, was known by his ex-spouse, Joelle Hodgson, who said the cause was kidney failure.
Foreshadowing his career through crash-landing-style airplanes in his family’s living room in Queens near Idlewild Airport (now Kennedy International Airport), and surreptitiously taking flight lessons to pilot a Piper Cub as a teenager, Mr. Burrows covered air travel, technology, government secrecy and other topics for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
He has written 14 books and established a graduate program in science writing at New York University; he taught journalism.
In view of the increasing militarization of the outer area and the demanding situations posed by environmental hazards and weapons of mass destruction, Burrows believed that making an investment in exploration of the area was crucial, if only to potentially save the human race and one day colonize other planets. . .
“The question we must ask is whether the risk of space is worth it,” he wrote in The Journal in 2003. “The answer is emphatically yes, but not just for the reasons often raised in the space community: the need to exploration, clinical functionality and the option to earn advertising revenue.
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