- The Space Elevator: A Spacecraft to the Stars (1995)
- Experimenting with Solar Sails (with Robert L. Forward) (2008)
- New Era of Exploration: Rockets to Mars...and Beyond (with Robert L. Forward) (2008)
- The Lunar Base Handbook: An Insider's Guide for Scientists, Engineers, and Space Enthusiasts (with Andrew L. Chaikin) (2010)
- Exploration Mars: The Challenges of Exploring and Settling the Red Planet (with Robert Zubrin and Christopher P. McKay) (2012)
- Exploring Space in the Twenty-First Century: Human Adaptation and Beyond (with Michael D. Griffin and Alan B. Bond) (2013)
- Frontiers of Space Exploration (with Michael D. Griffin and Alan B. Bond) (2015)
- Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets (with Charles A. Lurio and Jeffrey O. Bennett) (2016)
- The Martian Chronicles: A Graphic Novel (with Ray Bradbury and Dennis Calero) (2020)
Articles and papers:
- "Space Elevators: A New Era in Space Development" (1989)
- "The Future of Space Transportation: A Roadmap to Space" (1990)
- "Solar Sails: A Low-Cost Approach to Interplanetary Travel" (2000)
- "Lunar Bases: A Key to Exploring the Solar System" (2001)
- "Mars Direct: A Bold Vision for Human Exploration of Mars" (2002)
- "The Solar System: A Frontier for Human Exploration" (2003)
- "Astrobiology: The Search for Life Beyond Earth" (2004)
- "The Space Elevator: A New Era in Space Access" (2005)
- "The Journey to Mars: A Multidisciplinary Challenge" (2006)
- "The Lunar Renaissance: A New Era of Exploration and Utilization" (2007)