This seminar series is designed to encourage faculty to take a look back at a career but also a look ahead. In looking back, some key turning points led to my role as a faculty member. The focus, however, has always been on understanding the paths of the natural objects within the solar system as well as the capabilities of artificial spacecraft in terms of both scientific discovery and their supporting role for human life on this planet.

Globally, the space community now sits at a crossroads. The potential paths to move forward in exploration and exploitation of the space environment -- in the Earth-Moon neighborhood and beyond -- are still evolving. To maintain an artificial and/or human presence in space and to extend scientific understanding of a wide variety of phenomena, it is critical to develop knowledge of the dynamical behavior in any particular environment and to create access to any desirable destinations. These goals are the foundations of celestial mechanics and astrodynamics.  Exciting developments over the last few decades by astrodynamics researchers and practitioners across the globe have greatly expanded the options. The contributions and the directions of this research program are discussed as well as the next steps looking forward.