Technology leader and builder. Writing on technology leadership, AI strategy, and space exploration.https://jamesburk.com/en-ushttps://jamesburk.com/writing/20-mars-related-technology-development-ideas/https://jamesburk.com/writing/20-mars-related-technology-development-ideas/Twenty technologies needed for human civilization on Mars — each representing both an engineering challenge and a potential startup opportunity.Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jamesburk.com/writing/march-executive-directors-letter/https://jamesburk.com/writing/march-executive-directors-letter/An update on how I see things progressing in my new role as Executive Director of The Mars Society.Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jamesburk.com/writing/mars-analog-mission-engineering-leadership/https://jamesburk.com/writing/mars-analog-mission-engineering-leadership/The principles that make a Mars analog mission work are the same ones that make an engineering team work. Not metaphorically. Literally the same principles, applied to different environments.Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://jamesburk.com/writing/my-history-with-the-mars-society/https://jamesburk.com/writing/my-history-with-the-mars-society/From founding member in 1998 to Executive Director — two decades of building technology infrastructure for the world's largest Mars advocacy organization.Sat, 15 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jamesburk.com/writing/the-space-race-of-the-2020s/https://jamesburk.com/writing/the-space-race-of-the-2020s/An analysis of the concurrent space races unfolding across lunar exploration, Mars missions, and outer solar system destinations — and the concrete milestones that define them.Sat, 20 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jamesburk.com/writing/we-grew-martian-tomatoes/https://jamesburk.com/writing/we-grew-martian-tomatoes/Using compost, spirulina, and a custom PhotoBioReactor, our MDRS Crew 261 mission grew tomato seedlings in Mars regolith simulant.Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT