Beyond: Our Future in Space
Chris Impey
W. W. Norton and Company
Nonfiction, Science
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Countless generations ago, an upright-walking primate left the plains of its origins, eventually to reach and colonize nearly every extreme on planet Earth, from icy tundra to lush jungle, from low river valley to thin-aired mountain. Not so long ago, the ape turned its eye to the last frontier it could see, sending explorers into space and even, briefly, as far as the moon. Some believe space travel to be a momentary blip on the radar, a brief but ultimately unprofitable fad. Others, looking back on ancestors who took unimaginable journeys, aren't so sure our wandering days are over. In this book, author Chris Impey explores the past, present, and possible future of space travel, from earliest imaginings to bleeding-edge hypotheses that could take us to the edge of the solar system and beyond.
REVIEW: Watching the squabblings and backsliding of so much of the world today, it's difficult to imagine an interplanetary future as anything but fantasy, but it's closer and more plausible than one might think. Impey points to a seeming genetic imperative that drives H. sapiens to explore seemingly-inhospitable environments and make them livable as evidence that we not only can overcome vast obstacles, but - given time, ingenuity, and a little luck - we will. Of course, making a Mars colony or interstellar vessel work is exponentially more difficult than anything our species has attempted, but the theories are there, and the science is moving forward... science with practical applications here on Earth as we deal with a changing climate and accumulated damage from centuries of planetary mismanagement. The science can get a little thick, but Impey does a decent job breaking it down for those of us whose last major exposure was in high school, with several charts and illustrations. He covers a broad range of topics, touching on the people who broke ground on keystone concepts of space travel and the ones still digging at the problems, and ventures into the possibility of ever encountering (or even recognizing) intelligent alien species. He even acknowledges the works of science fiction pioneers in exploring the technology and the psychology of space exploration and colonization. A frame story attempts to provide context, the tale of a future colonist and humanity's first interstellar voyages - a story that feels incomplete, and isn't really necessary. All in all, for armchair explorers like myself, Beyond offers a decent overview of space travel for those curious about the concept beyond the pages of science fiction.
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Unbound (Richard L Currier) - My Review
Thing Explainer (Randall Munroe) - My Review
Red Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson) - My Review
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