Dr. Doug Plata

Doug Plata, M.D., MPH is President and Founder at The Space Development Network (SDN). He is also Physician and Family Medicine Specialist at Concentra in Loma Linda, California. He has over 28 years of experience in the medical field.

His primary interest outside of his main profession is in space, specifically in the development of a cost-effective transportation to the Moon based upon lunar polar ice for propellant and the establishment of humanity’s first permanent foothold off Earth.

A description of this plan for Sustainable Space Development can be found at DevelopSpace. He has founded a new type of free-to-join space advocacy organization called The Space Development Network.

The Network is a group of volunteers organized into working groups to advance the Plan. They work in connection and support of different space advocacy organizations where their approaches to space development overlap. They strongly support space settlement as the ultimate goal of space development and, indeed, their goal is to see the establishment of humanity’s first, small but permanent, off-Earth settlement as soon as possible. They believe that the Moon will be that location with Mars very shortly thereafter.

Doug earned his Doctorate from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1994. His undergraduate degree was in Biophysics. He earned his Master’s Degree of Public Health with specialty training in Family and Preventive Medicine.

In 2019, Doug was the Chair of the International Space Development Conference —Back To The Moon To Stay — organized by the National Space Society.

Doug presented and introduced a plan on Earth Independence. He describes the different aspects of achieving Earth independence and why he believes that it is not only good to pursue increasing levels of Earth independence but that full Earth independence could be achieved far earlier than many space advocates would imagine.

Doug was also a guest Speaker at the 2020 Lunar Development Conference.

Watch Reality Check on BFR — 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention. Listen to Musk’s Grand Plan: To Save Humanity … By Inheriting The Solar System!

Read Doug Plata Positively Reviews SpaceX Super Heavy Starship. Follow and listen to Doug’s appearances as the Guest at the Space Show. View and read the Space Advocate Project and Paraterraforming: Achieving an Earth-like Environment Much Earlier presentations.

Visit his LinkedIn profile. Follow him on WebMD and The Space Show.