He held several patents and was the author of nearly 100 publications in aircraft, spacecraft, electrodynamic tethers, SETI, and global climate control.
After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he became an aerospace engineer for the NASA Langley and Ames research centers during the Apollo Program.
He joined the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 1971, and developed vibration control for high-power lasers and a kinetic-kill vehicle concept for President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s.
[2] Arthur C. Clarke then contacted Pearson for the technical background of his novel, "The Fountains of Paradise", published in 1978, and acknowledged this contribution in the Afterword.
[8][9][10] Pearson developed a space-based solar shield to counteract global warming and control Earth's climate,[11] and multi-winglets for improved aircraft performance.