Book Description

“An engrossing report.”—Booklist “Vividly captures the challenges and privations [Dr. Linenger] endured both before and during his flight.”—Library Journal One of the most gripping space survival stories of the 20th century is now available in paperback. Few episodes in man’s exploration of space can compare to Off the Planet—Dr. Jerry Linenger’s dramatic account of space exploration turned survival mission during his 132 days aboard the decaying and unstable Russian space station Mir. Not since Apollo 13 has an American astronaut faced so many catastrophic malfunctions and life-threatening emergencies in one mission. In his remarkable narrative, Linenger chronicles power outages that left the crew in complete darkness, tumbling out of control; chemical leaks and near collisions that threatened to rupture Mir’s hull; and most terrifying of all—a raging fire that almost destroyed the space station and the lives of its entire crew. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

A very human astronaut's tale
I was wrong. I picked up Jerry Linenger's long-overdue book expecting it to be a somewhat bland account of an astronaut's existence aboard Mir. Instead I found it to be eminently readable, and a truly facinating tale, with enough intensely dramatic content to keep me reading beyond each chapter heading. Other reviewers have mentioned his account of the fire aboard Mir - a very harrowing description indeed, but I was fascinated by some of the smaller vignettes, such as his terror at standing on the end of a robotic arm, thrust out and away from the shuttle, feeling like he was in perpetual freefall off a cliff. I've read many books by and about a lot of space explorers, and it was nice to find a solid, human account of life as a recent NASA astronaut. All too often these days the astronauts just seem to be the same person going up on the same shuttle doing the same things, and little is known about them beyond their names. Thank you Jerry for humanising the shuttle-Mir program. But above all else I wish to congratulate him for a superb book written without the ubiquitous ghost-writer. The words are his own, and I feel he's crafted this book superbly. I certainly enjoyed it a great deal, and wish it every success.

A Great Glimpse of Life in Space
This book is easy to read and has lots of good pictures, so when I first thumbed through the pages I thought it was going to be another PR job for NASA. Much to my delight, when I actually "dug in" I discovered an original, candid and insightful discussion of US-Russian collaboration and of the author's experiences on Mir. Sure, Linenger comes off as a "right stuff" astronaut: after all, you can't earn a series of degrees and succeed as a military officer, as a physician, and a spacefarer unless you have outstanding qualifications and high self confidence. Despite the author's occasionally overbearing "can do" mentality, Linenger offers a balanced view of life aboard an aging Space Station. It is full of useful but usually tasteful detail on how people survive psychologically and relate to one another under prolonged isolation and confinement. The stories are interesting, and in the telling Linenger gives us insights into everything from interpersonal to international relations. I finished this book reminded that living and working in space is a complex, multifaceted endeavor that defies simple analysis. Dr. Linenger's book not only entertains, it increases our understanding of people in exotic and stressful environments. I have read at least two other major books about life on Mir, and still found this one engaging and informative.

The truth about life on Mir
Jerry Linenger wrote "Off the Planet" to describe his out-of-this-world (literally) experiences on the Mir spacestation, as an American astronaut working with the Russians. This autobiographical book goes into Jerry's adventures with Mir's copious mechanical problems, his reflections on life on earth, and the politics of the cooperative space program between Russia and the United States. I received this book after Jerry spoke at a conference I attended. I do not usually read books in this genre, but to my surprise, it was an entertaining read and I ended up purchasing another copy for my father.

The format of the book is not exactly chronological. Each chapter could be a standalone essay, focusing on a different event or issue on Mir. The early chapters introduce Jerry, and show the progression of his career up to his training for Mir. The last few chapters go into Jerry's newfound perspective on existence, and the difficult adaptation back to earth life.

Jerry's writing style is as direct and unceremonious as his speeches. He explains complicated scientific issues with ease, and even this liberal arts major could understand what he was talking about. He talks about lofty topics, like Russian-US relations. Then he'll move on to discuss how astronauts use the bathroom, or the difficulties of eating pretzels in space.

There have been quite a few criticisms of this book. Some have said that Jerry is egotistical. If he hadn't admitted this fault in the book, I wouldn't have noticed it. It seems appropriate for an accomplished astronaut to be proud of his work. Others claim that there is another side to the story, but there is always another side to the story. I know that I am reading about Mr. Linenger's perspective of the events on Mir, and I can put it into context with other published works.

I already agree with the sentiments with which Jerry Linenger sums up his book. He tells us that we should live each day as if it is our last, to enjoy all the natural bounties that the earth gives us, and to value our precious time on the planet. Each breath of oxygen and moment in the sunlight should be cherished. I completely agree. One way that this book has changed me is that it has made me more aware of the space program. When I hear about unmanned landings on Mars or even events on Mir, I perk up and listen more closely than I had in the past.

A Good Book About One Astronaut's Life Onboard Mir
Jerry Linenger is a former NASA astronaut who spent just over 132 days in space, most of it aboard the Russian space station Mir. During his stay, Dr. Linenger accomplished many first for an American astronaut. He became the first American to conduct a space walk from a foreign space station and in a non-American made spacesuit. During this five hour EVA, he and his Russian crewmate tested the newly designed Orlan-M Russian-built spacesuit. He and his crewmembers also performed a flyaround of the Mir in the Soyuz spacecraft, undocking from one docking port of the station and redocking at a different location.

While living aboard the MIR space station, Jerry Linenger and his two Russian crewmembers faced numerous difficulties, such as the most severe fire ever aboard an orbiting spacecraft, clearly the best written and most interesting section of the book, the failures of onboard systems (oxygen generator, carbon dioxide scrubbing, cooling line loop leaks, communication antenna tracking ability, urine collection and processing facility), a near collision with a resupply cargo ship during a manual docking system test, loss of station electrical power, and loss of attitude control resulting in a slow, uncontrolled tumble through space. In spite of these challenges and the added demands on their time due to the repair work, they still accomplished all mission goals: the space walk, the flyaround, and the completion off all the planned U.S. science experiments. All of these harrowing adventures and many others, plus the grind of his daily life aboard Mir, are recounted in this book.

I would have to agree with the numerous other reviewers that feel the Jerry Linenger has a big ego, but as someone who has had a lot of contact with astronauts over the years, his ego is only somewhat greater than the norm. The first example of this personality trait, is the title. The title states that he spend five months on Mir, but his stay on Mir, was just a little more than 4 months (132 days total mission time minus the travel time to and from Mir, about five days). There are lots of references to "I did ..." and he seems to forget that all of the hardware onboard any space vehicle has been designed for easy astronaut use to assure success. I know because that's what I do for a living.

All things considered, this book is definitely one of the better astronaut biographies and covers a period of human space flight that is not frequently examined, the Space Shuttle era. Furthermore, Dr. Linenger deserves kudos for writing the book himself.

a great book about living in space
this book shows the truth about living in space. the author describes all the hardships that he and the crew went through ... Read more

Book Description

This new fourth edition of Allen's classic ASTROPHYSICAL QUANTITIES belongs on every astronomer's bookshelf. It has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date by a team of more than ninety internationally renowned astronomers and astrophysicists, and with advice and participation of the American Astronomical Society. While it follows the basic format of the original, this indispensable reference has grown to more than twice the size of the earlier editions to accommodate the great strides made in astronomy and astrophysics.

It includes detailed tables of the most recent data on:- General constants and units - Atoms, molecules, and spectra- Observational astronomy at all wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays, and neutrinos- Planetary astronomy: Earth, planets and satellites, and solar system small bodies- The Sun, normal stars, and stars with special characteristics- Stellar populations - Cataclysmic and symbiotic variables, supernovae- Theoretical stellar evolution- Circumstellar and interstellar material- Star clusters, galaxies, quasars, and active galactic nuclei- Clusters and groups of galaxies - CosmologyAlso includes much explanatory material, 415 tables, 82 figures, and extensive and up-to-date bibliographies.

Authors of chapters and sections include: W.F.V. Atena, E. Avrett, N.A. Bahcall, C. Barnbaum, G. Basri, T. Bastian, S.A. Becker, S. Benetti, R.P. Binzel, T.J. Bowles, P. Bradley, K.R. Brownsberger, G. Chanmugam, K. Chen, P.S. Conti, C.A. Cowley, A.N. Cox, D.P. Cox, D. Crisp, W. Dappen, P. Demarque, J.S. Drilling, F.H. Eugene, J.D. Fernie, A.D. Fiala, P. Foukal, J. Fuhr, G.F. Gilmore, J.E. Grindlay, D. Guenther, D.S. Hall, M.S. Hanner, H.C. Harris, W.F. Harris, K. Harvey, W.C Haxton, F. Hill, R.M. Hjellming, R. Howard, S. Kahler, J.J. Keady, D.P. Kilcrease, E.W. Kolb, S. Koutchmey, L.A. Kuznetsova, A.U. Landolt, W. Lawson, P.J.T. Leonard, J.W. Liebert, R.E. Lingenfelter, W.C. Livingston, J.S. Mathis, J. Middleditch, R. Muller, H. Neckel, A. Oran, J.F. Ormes, G.S. Orton, D. Pascu, W.D. Pesnell, K. Pierce, S.S. Rayburn, S.T. Ridgway, R.E. Rothschild, G. Schubert, D. Scott, F.D. Seward, S.N. Shore, J. Silk, R.W. Sinnott, E.M Sion, A. Slettebak, M. Smith, S. Solanki, W.M. Sparks, S.G. Starrfield, D.I. Steel, T.J. Teays, V.G. Tejfel, D.J. Tholen, A.T. Tokunaga, V. Trimble, M.S. Turner, R.L. Walterscheid, R.F. Webbink, J.C. Wheeler, O.R. White, W.L. Wiese, B.J. Wilkes, P. Wilson, M. Zeilik, and J. Zirker.

FROM THE REVIEWS:

PHYSICS TODAY "ASTROPHYSICAL QUANTITIES - first published in 1955 - has been a dependable and indispensable reference on astronomy for decades, and the new edition promises to become just as vital a part of every astronomer's library. The new edition more than doubles the size and content of the previous edition, with new chapters on radio, infrared, ultra-violet, x-ray, gamma-ray, and neutrino astronomy, plus other modern topics, and a far more detailed treatment of all astrophysical topics, from Earth to cosmology...The fourth edition is immensely useful, providing detailed information on astronomical topics from basic diagnostic features in the Sun's spectrum to the locations and error boxes of gamma-ray bursts...Overall, [the book] is an impressive collection of astrophysical data and knowledge that will serve well astronomers, astrophysicists, and physicists working in astrophysics. For this fourth edition, Cox has my heartfelt thanks for undertaking - and completing - a Herculean labor." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

From a fan of the third edition
Allen's third edition was one of those reference books that you develop a personal relationship with. It was small enough to get to know, and quirky enough to require getting to know. This fourth is a committee effort, bigger, more authoritative, more up to date. I doubt that I will develop a warm affection for it, as I did it's predecessor, but I will use it just the same. ... Read more

Book Description

Parameter Estimation and Inverse Problems primarily serves as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and introductory graduate courses.Class notes have been developed and reside on the World Wide Web for faciliting use and feedback by teaching colleagues.

The authors' treatment promotes an understanding of fundamental and practical issus associated with parameter fitting and inverse problems including basic theory of inverse problems, statistical issues, computational issues, and an understanding of how to analyze the success and limitations of solutions to these probles. The text is also a practical resource for general students and professional researchers, where techniques and concepts can be readily picked up on a chapter-by-chapter basis.

Parameter Estimation and Inverse Problems is structured around a course at New Mexico Tech and is designed to be accessible to typical graduate students in the physical sciences who may not have an extensive mathematical background. It is accompanied by a Web site that contains Matlab code corresponding to all examples.

* Designed to be accessible to graduate students and professionals in physical sciences without an extensive mathematical background
* Includes three appendices for review of linear algebra and crucial concepts in statistics
* Battle-tested in courses at several universities
*MATLAB exercises facilitate exploration of material ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a unified treatment of the characteristics of telescopes of all types, both those whose performance is set by geometrical aberrations and the effect of the atmosphere, and those diffraction-limited telescopes designed for observations from above the atmosphere. The emphasis throughout is on basic principles, such as Fermat's principle, and their application to optical systems specifically designed to image distant celestial sources.
The book also contains thorough discussions of the principles underlying all spectroscopic instrumentation, with special emphasis on grating instruments used with telescopes. An introduction to adaptive optics provides the needed background for further inquiry into this rapidly developing area.

* Geometrical aberration theory based on Fermat's principle
* Diffraction theory and transfer function approach to near-perfect telescopes
* Thorough discussion of 2-mirror telescopes, including misalignments
* Basic principles of spectrometry; grating and echelle instruments
* Schmidt and other catadioptric telescopes
* Principles of adaptive optics
* Over 220 figures and nearly 90 summary tables ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good for Spectrometer Optics
This book has some unique features. It treats the subject matter carefully, and in detail. The content is very useful. The treatment of spectrometer optics is particularly useful. The weakness of the book is that the diagrams are not well done, and the notation can be confusing. Overall, a useful book. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1965, Vera Rubin was the first woman permitted to observe at Palomar Observatory. In the intervening years, she has become one of the world's finest and most respected astronomers. This particular collection of essays is compiled from work written over the past 15 years and deals with a variety of subjects in astronomy and astrophysics, specifically galaxies and dark matter. The book also contains biographical sketches of astronomers who have been colleagues and friends, providing a stimulating view of a woman in science. About the Author Since 1965 Vera Rubin has been a staff member at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Dr. Rubin has authored nearly 200 papers on the structure of our galaxy, motions within other galaxies, and large scale motions in the universe. She has been a distinguished visiting astronomer at the Cerro Tololo Inter American Observatory in Chile; a Chancellor's Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Berkeley; a President's Distinguished Visitor at Vassar College; and a Beatrice Tinsley visiting professor at the University of Texas, Austin. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Richard Feynman, the rock star of theoretical physics, has left an image that belies his nerdy side. Not many bongo-playing surfer beatniks would have spent hours of their spare time proving Newton's law of elliptical planetary motion using only plane geometry. But Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun shows that the great man did just that. Originally delivered to an introductory physics class at Caltech in 1963, this 76-minute CD and book set contains everything the math-savvy listener needs to savor the pleasures of applied math. Caltech physicist David L. Goodstein and archivist Judith R. Goodstein found the notes and tape amid another professor's papers and set to work making sense of them; unfortunately, photographs of the blackboard drawings didn't survive. The book briefly covers their find and recovery work, then presents the proof as reconstructed--crucial reading if one is to follow the lecture. There's nothing easy about it, as Feynman acknowledges in the lecture:

I am going to give what I will call an elementary demonstration. "Elementary" means that very little is required to know ahead of time in order to understand it, except to have an infinite amount of intelligence.

Book Description

Book Description

In anontechnical fashion, this book tells the story of how astronomy and physics work together to unravel many mysteries of stars and nebulae. Professor Aller's descriptions stress deeper understanding of these objects, not just a mere review of facts. After a succinct, nonmathematical excursion into the principles of radiation and atomic structure, he explains in simple terms the physical processes at work in stars and gaseous nebulae. A survey of masses, dimensions, luminosities, temperatures, and chemical compositions of stars is followed by an exploration of their interiors and how stars generate energy. The life histories of stars, from origin through final demise, sometimes through variability to beautiful nebulae, sometimes via violent explosions as supernovae, is recounted in detail. The exotic life histories of many double stars, some of which produce novae, are also described, and the origins of chemical elements in dense stellar cores and the vital role played by gas and dust between the stars is explained. The book closes with an account of the exciting new field of high-energy astronomy and the origin of cosmic rays.This is the ideal introduction to the important field of modern astrophysics for physics and astronomy students. It should also appeal to amateur astronomers interested in the life history of a star, be it a modest one such as our sun or a massive object destined to become a supernovae. ... Read more

Book Description

The field of astrophysics is in the midst of a technologically driven renaissance, as fundamental discoveries are being made with astonishing frequency. In the last decade, new detectors in space, on earth, and deep underground have, when coupled with the computational power of modern computers, revolutionized our knowledge and understanding of the astronomical world. This is a great time for a student of any age to become acquainted with the remarkable universe in which we live. This volume is a collection of essays, originally presented orally to a diverse group of students and professionals, which reveal the most fertile areas for future study of astronomy and astrophysics.The emphasis of this work is on the clear description of the current state of our knowledge as a preparation for the future unraveling of the mysteries of the universe that appear today as most fundamental and most amenable to solution.

A stellar group of astronomers and astrophysicists describes the directions and styles of work that they think are most likely to lead to progress. Bibliographical notes at the end of each presentation provide guidance for the reader who wishes to go more deeply into a given subject. Unsolved Problems in Astrophysics is a uniquely stimulating introduction to some of the most important topics in modern astrophysics. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good book on a wealth of topics
This book provides a great amount of information on a wide variety of hot topics in contemporary astronomy, such as cosmology, AGNs, GRBs, and dark matter. My only complaint is that the material does tend to slant towards extragalactic astronomy. However, otherwise the material is extremely useful for someone looking for fresh material to work on. The references also provided within are great. The reading level is also easy, and is probably similar to Scientific American or Sky & Telescope.

the information contained therein is accurate and readable!
As far as I have been able to see with cross-referencing and my own checks and double-checks, the information in this publication is accurate. The layman ought be able to understand it with minimal effort. Very readable. ... Read more

Book Description

On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when two Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, walked on the moon. Now the greatest event of the twentieth century is magnificently retold through the eyes and ears of the people who were there. Based on the interviews with twentythree moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, journalist Andrew Chaikin conveys every aspect of the missions with breathtaking immediacy: from the rush of liftoff, to the heartstopping lunar touchdown, to the final hurdle of reentry. ... Read more

Reviews (92)

If you could have only one book about the Apollo missions...
This is it. Man on the Moon is an indepth read of all the Apollo missions, and the numerous individuals involved in fulfilling President Kennedy's desire to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before 1970. Man on the Moon influenced, to a large extent, the HBO mini series "From the Earth to the Moon", which is my opinion,one of the best pieces of television ever made.

All the Apollo missions are covered, beginning with the illfated Apollo 1, when Grissom, White and Chaffee died of asphyixation, to Apollo 7 (the first manned mission after Apollo 1), to the last mission Apollo 17, when Cernan and Schmitt were the last men to walk on the moon. Some missions naturally have more attention focussed on them; Apollo 8, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13. Despite this, Chaikin still devotes much time to the other missions, and the circumstances surrounding them.

Chaikin has a particularly easy reading style, which given the technical backdrop for the book, is impressive. He introduces the reader to all the major players, Astronauts, Engineers, and Officials of NASA, all brought vividly to life. He provides plenty of ancedotes in his discussions of each particular mission, making for entertaining reading. If you want to know about the manned Apollo missions, get this book. You won't regret it.

Great book! This is what got me interested in space flight!
I would have to say that this is my all-time favourite book! Chaikin takes you through each of the Apollo missions that went around the moon. He has interviewed almost all of the Apollo astronauts, so his story is as close as the real thing as you can get. Also, to add excitement to his book he has included several pages of pictures of the humans on the moon, plus the crews and ships involved in getting them there. Chaikin has also used a map of the moon to show you where each of the lunar missions landed. The text is easy to read and exciting. Compared with James A. Michener's "Space" and Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon", this book is the best

A dream for many, a reality for a few
Space flight - the dream of so many youngsters, is the topic of Andrew Chaikin's book "A Man on the Moon". Chaikin has given us the story of the Apollo space program - the only program launched by NASA that has landed humans on another world.

Chaikin launches the book with the story of the tragic fire that claimed the lives of three astronauts - the first three austronauts to die either in preparation for or during a mission for NASA. The loss of Grissom, White, and Chaffee would pave the way to significant improvements in the Apollo program and probably helped to save the crew of Apollo 13 a few years later.

The book races through the thrills of the Apollo 11 mission and the first humans to set foot on another world - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, as they landed on the moon. Chaikin captures the tribulations of the Apollo 13 mission where Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise were nearly the first space casualties and the heroic efforts of the NASA staff to return them safely to Earth. He continues through the remaining Apollo missions, concluding with Apollo 17, the final moon landing.

Chaikin has taken terrific interviews and conversations with the astronauts and other members of the Apollo program into account when writin this book. The book covers every topic from the exhiliration of launch to the post-recovery doldrums experienced by some of the astronauts. He explains how space flight changed some of the men, and merely enhanced traits seen in others.

This book is a tremendous piece of literature that belong in every space afficinado's library, and any historian of space travel must read this to understand how the Apollo missions paved the way for the Space Shuttle program and any upcoming manned missions that humans may have planned for the Moon, Mars, or beyond. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in the history of space travel. It is easy to read, and very enjoyable.

Been there...
I am one of the lucky few to have been on the moon. Six times. Thanks to Andrew Chaikin.

Man's Greatest Voyage of Exploration Superbly Presented
My review is of the sumptuous three-volume slipcased Time-Life edition of Chaikin's original work. On the jacket of these volumes that describe the amount of work that went into them, the editors wrote concerning the photographs: "The result, published here, is hundreds of compelling, often lyrical images assembled into a collection that may well never be equaled."

After enjoying hours of reading Chaikin's text and viewing the wonderful photographs compliled to complement it, I would have to agree that this will remain the definitive history of the Apollo program. It certainly would mean most to those who were old enough to witness the first landing on the Moon, as I was.

On July 20, 1969, I was in the lobby of the Seaview Hotel in Ocean City, New Jersey with other guests watching the most momentous event of the 20th century unfold. Our eyes were riveted to a television set and we were watching Neil Armstrong leave the lunar module and work his way down the ladder to the surface of the Moon. No one could say a word; we could only watch in wonder as Armstrong placed his boot on the lunar surface and spoke those immortal words.

This three volume set was published 1999 by Time-Life on the 30th anniversary of that first lunar landing. Chaikin's original book was published five years before; the entire text is included and the Time-Life editors compiled hundreds of the best photos from their own vast collection as well as those from NASA and other sources to complement the text. The result was too big for one or even two volumes, so it was published in three volumes and slipcased. What a treasure this set is!

After an appropriate introduction covering the Mercury and Gemini programs that were necessary stepping stones to reaching the Moon, the books cover each Apollo mission, including the diastrous Apollo 1 pad fire. Each manned mission to the Moon is covered--from Apollo 8 to Apollo 17--in engaging text and memorable photographs. However, much of what was done on Earth in preparation for reaching the Moon is also covered, the training as well as the engineering, written in an understandable style.

This multi-volume set is out of print but can be found through online auctions and used booksellers for a very reasonable price. When you find it, buy two sets--one for yourself and one for a friend would can appreciate it as much as you. We probably will never see another opportunity to go to the Moon in our lifetime. This multi-volume set is the best published record that we actually went there and is a wonderful tribute to the countless dedicated men and women who worked to make it happen. ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating introduction to the basic principles of orbital mechanics

It has been three hundred years since Isaac Newton first formulated laws to explain the orbits of the Moon and the planets of our solar system. In so doing he laid the groundwork for modern science's understanding of the workings of the cosmos and helped pave the way to the age of space exploration.

Adventures in Celestial Mechanics offers students an enjoyable way to become acquainted with the basic principles involved in the motions of natural and human-made bodies in space. Packed with examples in which these principles are applied to everything from a falling stone to the Sun, from space probes to galaxies, this updated and revised Second Edition is an ideal introduction to celestial mechanics for students of astronomy, physics, and aerospace engineering. Other features that helped make the first edition of this book the text of choice in colleges and universities across North America include:
* Lively historical accounts of important discoveries in celestial mechanics and the men and women who made them
* Superb illustrations, photographs, charts, and tables
* Helpful chapter-end examples and problem sets ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Needs a proof-reader
I read this book for pleasure as a first introduction to celestial mechanics (I am an astrohypsics major at my college), and found the selected topics coherently explained in comprehensible language. Perhaps more importantly, the mathematics (at least at the beginning) is covered more or less step-by-step - you won't get lost by any "it is therefore obvious..." and then a skip of five or six steps.
Unfortunately - -The books is rife with typos, and nothing so simple as a misspelling. At least every other page (and often several times on one page) an equation would have an exponent or operation error (such no division sign) and references in the explanations to earlier equations were regularly mistaken.
With a few more thorough proof-readings (and some more work on the second half of the book, which whizzes through a topic many times more complicated than the first half but in the same amount of time/pages), this book could easily move up to 5-stars.

A Review of "Adventures in Celestial Mechanics"
This book is an introduction to celestial mechanics.It assumes some knowledge of calculus and vectors; given the subject matter, an unavoidable assumption.It contains a number of nicely chosen numerical and mathematical examples in each chapter so that the reader can see both application and extension of the results presented in the chapter.Each chapter ends with some problems, without answers, that continue to extend the basics from the main text.Each chapter contains references to books and papers that supplement and extend the subject matter of the chapter.It ends with a glossary, an appendix of physical constants, and an annotated list of books for further reading for the very interested reader.The book list is particularly valuable if the reader wishes to continue learning celestial mechanics; it covers elementary to advanced texts.

The first chapter provides a historical review of progress in celestial mechanics with a list of notable (dead) practitioners of celestial mechanics.A subjective list of living practitioners might have been helpful in this chapter.Chapters two through six establish the basis of orbital motion, starting with circular motion in chapter two.The mathematical basis for orbital motion is established in chapter three using the law of gravitation and Newton's laws of motion.Successive chapters generalize and expand on the results of chapters two and three.Chapter five introduces rockets and powered flight trajectories. Chapter six introduces parabolic and hyperbolic orbits.

Chapter seven discusses two topics of great practical importance, Kepler's law and Lambert's theorem.While both of these topics are several hundred years old they continue to be rich areas for current development in celestial mechanics.These two crucial topics are well covered.Chapter eight applies the previous material to the subject of orbital transfer; this chapter is the basis for flight between planets.Chapter nine digresses into spacecraft attitude dynamics, a complete discipline in its own right.It introduces the mathematics of the physical motion of a spacecraft about a local reference system.At 25 pages, it is a tight and tidy introduction to the subject.Chapter ten is titled "Planetary Exploration" although it also covers the creation of the solar system and trajectory modification by gravity assistance.More heavily illustrated than the other chapters, chapter ten's main topic is exploration of the solar system by spacecraft.Chapter eleven introduces perturbation theory; what happens to an orbit when more than two bodies make up the gravitational system.Chapter twelve applies perturbation theory to artificial satellites of Earth.(Chapters nine and twelve ought to make you appreciate how hard it is to get those great Hubble Space Telescope images.)Chapter thirteen must have been both the easiest and hardest chapter to write since Szebehely was one of the masters of this subject.It introduces the three-body problem and solar system stability with a nod to chaos theory.

All in all, this book is an excellent introduction to the topic of celestial mechanics.To the depth that the subject is explored, there are no loose ends.(The reviewer does regret that the Introduction from the first edition of this book was omitted from the second edition.) ... Read more

Book Description

Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control provides a solid foundation in dynamic modeling, analysis, and control of space vehicles. More than 200 figures, photographs, and tables are featured in detailed sections covering the fundamentals of controlling orbital, attitude, and structural motions of space vehicles.

The textbook highlights a range of orbital maneuvering and control problems: orbital transfer, rendezvous, and halo orbit determination and control. Rotational maneuvering and attitude control problems of space vehicles under the influence of reaction jet firings, internal energy dissipation, or momentum transfer via reaction wheels and control moment gyros are treated in detail. The textbook also highlights the analysis and design of attitude control systems in the presence of structural flexibility and/or propellant sloshing. At the end of each chapter, Dr. Wie includes a helpful list of references for graduate students and working professionals studying spacecraft dynamics and control. A bibliography of more than 350 additional references in the field of spacecraft guidance, control, and dynamics is also provided at the end of the book.

Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control requires a thorough knowledge of vector and matrix algebra, calculus, ordinary differential equations, engineering mechanics, and linear system dynamics and control. The first two chapters provide a summary of such necessary background material. Since some problems may require the use of software for the analysis, control design, and numerical simulation, readers should have access to computational software (i.e., MATLAB) on a personal computer. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great addition to the literature
Bong Wie's "Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control" is, by far, one of the best books ever published in the AIAA Education Series. It packs a lot of info on a multitude of subjects which don't usually come together in a single book. The mathematical preliminaries and the sections on dynamics and control of flexible structures are particularly well done. (This is perhaps the first time a textbook covers the interlacing property of poles & zeros of certain transfer functions, particularly those associated with flexible structures.) In addition, the inclusion of the "H-infinity" topic the way the author did it is very good since, in general, books do not feature the subject in such a concise, objective, useful way. The same is true of the section on halo orbits, as well. Best of all, Wie's having included Kharitonov's theorem comes as a blessing, since the issue is rarely seen in non-European texts.

Unfortunately, in its present form (first edition), the book is not without its flaws. The alphabetical index should indicate explicitly where one can find subjects like the aforementioned interlacing property, as well as bang-bang-type controls. Also, a couple of topics have been omitted altogether: yo-yo devices (possibly deemed too simple) and the more advanced issues pertaining to the extremely important time-varying nonlinear systems (e.g.: time-varying eigenvalues). This is arguably OK, as this last subject, requiring a lot of preliminary material on operator theory, might be considered too advanced for a non-systems book, especially one in the Education Series.

In closing, one must acknowledge Bong Wie for bringing this more-than-welcome addition to the controls literature. ... Read more

Book Description

On February 1, 2003, the unthinkable happened. The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated 37 miles above Texas, seven brave astronauts were killed and America's space program, always an eyeblink from disaster, suffered its second catastrophic in-flight failure. Unlike the Challenger disaster 17 years earlier, Columbia's destruction left the nation one failure away from the potential abandonment of human space exploration. Media coverage in the immediate aftermath focused on the possible cause of the disaster, and on the nation's grief.But the full human story, and the shocking details of NASA's crucial mistakes, have never been told -- until now.

Based on dozens of exclusive interviews, never-before-published documents and recordings of key meetings obtained by the authors, Comm Check takes the reader inside the conference rooms and offices where NASA's best and brightest managed the nation's multi-billion-dollar shuttle program -- and where they failed to recognize the signs of an impending disaster. It is the story of a space program pushed to the brink of failure by relentless political pressure, shrinking budgets and flawed decision making. The independent investigation into the disaster uncovered why Columbia broke apart in the sky above Texas. Comm Check brings that story to life with the human drama behind the tragedy.

Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, two of America's most respected space journalists, are veterans of all but a handful of NASA's 113 shuttle missions. Tapping a network of sources and bringing a combined three decades of experience to bear, the authors provide a rare glimpse into NASA's inner circles, chronicling the agency's most devastating failure and the challenges that face NASA as it struggles to return America to space. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Very enlightening
I have no reservations in recommending this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Columbia disaster. This book isn't "technical," in the sense of giving lots of equations etc. Rather it gives a thorough non-technical, managerial, and cultural description of events.

All of this book's sections are well written, and fit into a cohesive whole. There's the required section describing how things unfolded on that awful morning. The authors also describe the doomed members of Columbia's crew, and the unusually long period of training and delays they had to go through to get to space in the first place. This gives a glimpse into the space station and shuttle politics within NASA, and also gives a real human touch to the tragedy. Esp. with details such as Rick Husband's decision to make Kalpana Chawla the flight engineer, helping her to redeem her career as an astronaut after an earlier mistake.

There's background from previous flights to set the stage, esp. the near-catastrophic foam strike on Atlantis, 2 flights before Columbia. This section shows NASA's inadequate response on a past flight, which then leads into the description of the debris assessment team's work during Columbia's mission. I found this section particularly enlightening, and I could relate very much to it, working in a large organization myself. All too understandable, and thus even more frustrating.

The work of the CAIB is described more in broad-brush strokes, since it took place over a much longer period. But its points are well taken. NASA's organization repeated the mistakes of Challenger, despite some very good work on some other safety concerns with the shuttle. The author's give a blow-by-blow account of how Columbia came apart in this section, which is gripping reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a great deal, esp. the sections on the work of the debris assessment team, and the account of how Columbia came apart. The authors' epilogue on the need for a vision at NASA is also well taken. Thoroughly recommended.

"No, not again! It can't be!"
A great first telling of the Columbia disaster. The authors interviewed a score of persons involved at some point with the shuttle program, and seemingly spared no one's feelings, regardless of the access they were given. We share the sinking dread of the junior engineers as they watch the foam strike, and are then denied photos of the orbiter by senior management from military surveillance vehicles. And then comes the awful moment, to observers across the country, in Houston, and at NASA, when disaster strikes...

The final report of the investigative board saw little hope for NASA to effectively manage the shuttle program at the levels of quality control that the program required. So the macro problem was not a case of sub-par people doing sub-par work, but of normal people doing normal work. For the most complex machine ever invented, normal wasn't good enough. Bureaucratic inertia would build up over time, trumping any system of feedback and cross-checks. People in any organization eventually come to see what they expect to see, swamping the efforts of those individuals who strive to "pound a problem flat."

Ultimately of course, if everyone is to blame then no one is to blame. Every snowflake in an avalanche can plead "not guilty". That, plus the creeping obsolescence of the shuttle design and components led the investigative board to recommend replacing the shuttle altogether. Does this mean the end of manned space flight from America? I personally hope so. We've learned so much more from projects like Voyager, Hubble, Chandra, and the like than from using the shuttle to put some elementary school's bean sprout dixie cup gardens into orbit. But I suspect that the general public will not support the space program unless they have live astronauts to cheer for. So, who knows what will come next. For now, this book is a thorough, and thought-provoking account of what everyone hopes will be the final shuttle disaster.

SpaceFan
I just finished reading Comm Check and while I found little new beyond the news reports, I thought it was an excellent narrative about the Columbia accident. I admit I was skeptical about a book written by news reporters because they have a tendency to sensationalize things to the point that it is no longer factually accurate. However this was not the case with Cabbage and Harwood, a pleasant surprise. I would highly recommend this book.

Well written fact-based book
"Comm Check" does an excellent job of telling the Columbia accident by pulling from many sources. The story covers from the initial idea to send an Israeli into orbit to Congress cutting NASA's 2004 budget shortly after the accident report was released. The authors save their opinions on the space program and its future for the ten-page epilogue.

NASA's conflicting mandate
I thought the most important revelation in this book was the space industry's inability to design a replacement for the shuttle that can reach space cheaply and routinely. It sounds like we might simply lack the technology at this point in history.

As the book points out, the shuttle is a dangerous, expensive, experimental vehicle. To build and operate a space station we need a cheap, reliable "space truck". Otherwise, inevitable delays for vehicle repairs will fatally disrupt the station's construction and operation schedules. That is exactly what NASA was trying to avoid when they decided to continue launching after a nearly disastrous foam strike (during the October 2002 launch of Atlantis). Continuing to launch RISKED a major setback, but stopping the program to deal with a technical glitch that had already proved all but insoluble GUARANTEED a major setback. Not an easy choice.

We, the public, give NASA a conflicting mandate. We want the space program to accomplish something, and we also want it to be safe. The reality seems to be that we humans are still struggling just to reach space, and to insist that something more meaningful be done there requires compromising safety. ... Read more

Book Description

Eugene Savov's theory of interaction presents Occam's razor carved picture of the universe, which is one quite unexpected mind blowing proof of the famous Galileo's remark that in the questions of science the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. In a humble style Savov digs for the unknown underlying structure which creates what we find in our minds. He models this dynamic structure and confirms his astonishing findings with many observations from the near, distant and micro universe. To make his grand challenge even stronger Savov offers testable predictions and does some calculations. What creates what we see is the question that finds a revolutionary answer in his theory of interaction. The revealed universality in the behavior of the Earth's magnetosphere is traced in systems as different as galaxies, stars, planets, atoms and forms of life. The proposed vibrating fabric of reality simply accounts for many of the great mysteries of the cosmos, the solar system, the Earth and the ambient space. Everything shows up with certain interaction. So the understanding of the patterns of interaction casts new light on the puzzling arrow of time, the elusive meaning of existence and the enigmatic appearance of self-organization, life and consciousness. The creation of mind images and the properties of perception are considered in the modeled texture of reality that tells for the first time why things happen as they do. Savov's theory of interaction originates from spacecraft observations contemplated in a mind tuned to the basic concepts of the most modern science. The deep running ideas and breakthroughs described in this eye-opening essential book will be helpful to scientists and non-scientists alike. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Shockingly simple and self-consistent
The big bang cosmology and its standing questions are briefly described in the book at most popular level. Eugene Savov tackles the problems of infinity, perception, space and time. He offers a pattern for the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction and then he makes a miraculous jump from this pattern into the structure of the universe. Afterwards Savov reveals an amazing world where everybody comes from its discovered source. The principle of economy says to avoid the vanity of doing with more what can be done with less. This principle is followed in the author's quest for a simpler and clearer picture of the universe. The suggested theory of interaction explains the origin of life and consciousness and also offers unexpected answers to many hard problems and puzzling observations.

Scientists and laymen will find the ideas of the theory of interaction attractive and rewarding. This book is a must for everybody sensitive of the enigmas of the space bodies, life and consciousness.

Become a highbrow hero
This book rigorously proves at a general reader level that we live in one existing and unique universe made of multiscale bodies, whose cores are dense enough to create the visible matter. These discovered sources of reality elegantly account for everything, e.g. the dark matter and the structure formation in the universe. I deeply confused my professor and thrilled my girl friend by telling them how the space bodies, atoms and light are created in Savov's "firework universe". His theory of interaction essentially improves the current understanding of nature. If you comprehend this simple all-penetrating theory, then you will become irrefutable highbrow hero in classrooms and cocktail parties.

After grasping Savov's theory of interaction you will know why some experts don't want you to read it. They would like to keep you way from the discovered complete picture of the universe because it is quite different from the incomplete current one and yet it is logical and confirmed with a compelling number of poorly understood observations.

Show your professor how the quantum uncertainty and the inverse square laws are simply derived from the discovered underlying structure when it is considered at the scales of observation. Then watch his face growing longer. I feel pity for those who will try to falsify the discovered fundamental structure of nature because they will fail. They simply want us to believe in their far less convincing, incomplete and old-fashioned stories. They would like to send us to chase the wild geese in well-explored fields.

The enigmatic wind bands of Saturn and the other gas-giant planets and the creation of the planetary rings are elucidated. The revealed texture of reality clearly explains gravitation, space, time, life and consciousness. You can fold and unfold the found complete picture of the universe in your mind - see how the galaxies and stars come, evolve and pass away. See how the discovered picture of reality fits with observations and thus feel the unique taste of immortality during your mind flights in the past, present and future of the universe.

This book is not a brief history of time or a brief history of nearly everything. It is the discovered complete history of everything because it shows how every body comes and ends.

Only for people who really care how this world works
This book is finally a breath of fresh air in the stagnated field of modern cosmology. To see what I mean you may read the Open Letter to the Scientific Community, publish in New Scientist, May 22, 2004 and signed by dozens of top scientists from around the world. In this letter the big bang universe is rejected and the necessity for funds allocation to alternative theories is made clear /cosmologystatement org/.

I liked the apple and the other thought experiments in this book. The apple cut many times by Democritus to demonstrate his atomic theory. The apple that helped Newton to discover the law of gravity by falling on his head. Eugene Savov's apple is seen from within in a search for the objects whose motion draws its shape in one's mind. Savov has a unique point of view. He considers the properties created from the fact of one's existence and then derives from these properties a new picture of the universe, which is in agreement with many observations.

The notions of the physicist Eugene Savov are so much qualitatively new that they need some repetition to enter one's mind. You'll see the stunning basic simplicity of nature after you grasp how the suggested structure of reality works. You'll know how galaxies, strings of galaxies and heavy elements are created at the outskirts of the observable universe. You'll understand what brings the space bodies together and what keeps them apart. Many unsolved mysteries of cosmology and geospace find shockingly simple explanations in Savov's "firewok universe".

I bet that this book will become more actual after each new discovery in the deep cosmos. The recently discovered association of quasars with humdrum galaxies and the found surprisingly huge binary stars can be easily explained in the terms of the proposed structure of the universe.

I highly recommend Savov's Theory of Interaction as a good investment that will deepen your understanding of nature, life and consciousness.

Five bright stars for the all-explaining structure of reality and three faint stars for the rest.

Groundbreaking
Eugene Savov's "firework universe" creates galaxies and heavy elements at every distance from the Earth in a full agreement with the latest findings at the edge of the observable cosmos.

You should carefully study the all-revealing simplicity of the discovered 3D-spiral code of the fabric of reality.

Don't trust anybody who violates the basic principle of parsimony by doing with more, e.g. with more assumptions, what can be done with less and in this way draws the incomplete picture of the big bang universe.

Trust the simple inborn logic of your mind to understand the presented complete picture of reality made of finite sources of interaction.

The back cover of Savov's Theory of Interaction shows that you've got a book far beyond your best expectations.

A review of these reviews
To understand whether this book has any value whatsoever, all you need do is read the reviews posted to date (March 31, 2004). The negative reviews are detailed and damning, and they were written by people who clearly know what they are talking about. That is to say, they are scientifically literate.

The positive reviews are, frankly, nonsensical when they are intelligible at all. Like Savov's book, these reviews read like a parody of real science. While using the language of science, they are utterly lacking in experimental evidence, coherent theory, and mathematical modelling.

I came to this book because it was recommended in a LISTMAINIA listing. Curiously, though, the writer of that list recommended Savov's book **in addition to every other book on his list.** Now I realize that he was shilling for this thoroughly disreputable book by attempting to associate Savov's worthless tome with many other books that contain real science.

If you are looking for science, stay away from Savov. ... Read more

Book Description

In the past two decades, scientists have made remarkable progress in understanding stars. This graduate-level textbook provides a systematic, self-contained and lucid introduction to the physical processes and fundamental equations underlying all aspects of stellar astrophysics. The timely volume provides authoritative astronomical discussions as well as rigorous mathematical derivations and illuminating explanations of the physical concepts involved. In addition to traditional topics such as stellar interiors and atmospheres, the reader is introduced to stellar winds, mass accretion, nuclear astrophysics, weak interactions, novae, supernovae, pulsars, neutron stars and black holes. A concise introduction to general relativity is also included. At the end of each chapter, exercises and helpful hints are provided to test and develop the understanding of the student. As the first advanced textbook on stellar astrophysics for nearly three decades, this long-awaited volume provides a thorough introduction for graduate students and an up-to-date review for researchers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Worthy Successor to Chandrasekhar's "Stellar Structure"
"Advanced Stellar Astrophysics" is an exact title for this book. It is an advanced monograph on stellar structure. It is, both in style and substance, strongly reminiscent of Chandrasekhar's work on the same structure. Like Chandrasekhar, Rose works every topic out in his own way, including as much background as he needs (e.g. both his succinct treatments of electron gases and of general relativity). This gives the book a remarkable unity and intelligibility, and is a most welcome change tor the usual run of "advanced monographs" which all too often are half-assimilated hodge-podges of other people's work.

Excellent coverage of a fundamental subject.
This is a great book for anyone interested in advanced stellar phenomena. Easy to read with adequate math rigor, this book is a pleasure to work through. The layout of the book is pleasing to the eye and flows well. Equations are displayed in a spacious and predictable manner which allows quick reference and reduces distractions. Pedagogical discussion is succinct and cogent. Dr. Rose is an excellent teacher and, as usual, Cambridge Press has printed an outstanding book with outstanding attention to detail. ... Read more

Book Description

Double stars are the rule, rather than the exception: our solar system, having a single sun, is in the minority. Orbiting satellites, ground based observatories and interferometers have all helped discover many hundreds of new pairs - but this has left enormous numbers of wide, faint pairs under-observed or not observed at all.

This is where amateur astronomers can help. Bob Argyle, a professional astronomer at Cambridge University, shows where enthusiastic amateur observers can best direct their efforts. The book caters for the use of every level of equipment, from simple commercial telescopes to micrometers and CCD cameras.

Amateur astronomers who have gone beyond "sight-seeing" and want to make a genuine scientific contribution will find this a fascinating and rewarding field - and this book provides all the background and practical information that's needed. ... Read more

Book Description

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astrobiology. It begins with an examination of how life may have arisen on Earth and then reviews the evidence for possible life on Mars, Europa and Titan. The potential for life in exoplanetary systems and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence are also discussed. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur enthusiasts as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms.The book is also supported by a webstite hosting further teaching materials. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Humans are not native to the Earth. So posits astronautical engineer Bob Zubrin in the opening of Entering Space. We're native to just a small sliver of it, the spot where our species originated in tropical Kenya. We set out from that paradise about 50,000 years ago, north into "the teeth of the Ice Age," and all the ground we've gained since then has been thanks to our tenacity and our tools.

Zubrin reasons that it's time we cover a little more ground. Written with a boyish enthusiasm and formidable techie know-how, Entering Space urges us to realize "the feasibility, the necessity, and the promise" of becoming a space-faring civilization, of colonizing our own solar system and beyond. And Zubrin, author of the influential and widely acclaimed The Case for Mars, knows his stuff--NASA adapted his plans for near-term human exploration of Mars, and Carl Sagan gave the author no less credit: "Bob Zubrin really, nearly alone, changed our thinking on this issue."Entering Space plots the second and third phases of humanity's course--now that we've mastered our own planet, Zubrin says we must first look to settling our solar system (beginning with Mars) and then to the galaxy beyond.

With its practicable visions of using "iceteroids" to terraform Mars and harnessing the power of the outlying gas giants ("the solar system's Persian Gulf"), Entering Space succeeds at making the fantastic seem attainable, the stuff of science fiction, science fact. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (36)

A touch preachy, speculative and stodgy
Robert Zubrin is obviously dissatisfied with the state of affairs with NASA. He complains about the lack of funding for certain programs and the lack of direction from the top brass. He makes his point but he should have cut it short.

The author seems to overlook potential pitfalls in his ideas. On using nuclear fusion for propulsion, Zubrin states that exhaust speed could reach 5 percent lightspeed, therefore Alpha Centauri could be reached in 86 years. This assumes that extra time for acceleration is negligible. For acceleration time to be negligible, the power involved would be well beyond what current research in fusion power suggests is reasonable. This oversight makes be doubt the feasibility of his much wilder proposals.

I appreciate technical details but Zubrin uses a pedantic style of writing more suitable for a textbook than a leisurely read. Zubrin's previous work, The Case for Mars, was never so tedious.

However, Zubrin does a good job on explaining many principles and concepts that would be of great interest to the space enthusiast--mainly on how to best exploit the solar system's resources while achieving inspirational goals for humanity. He also gives a concise overview of the debate on extraterrestrial intelligence an their detection.

I do recommend this book for space enthusiasts, but they should take it with a grain of salt.

....And comes the revolution
Two detractionist notions have been posed since the dawn of spaceflight as to why travel to other planets, and indeed, the great stars that lay beyond--were the stuff of science fiction. A)That such ideas were either impossible or impractical and B)That there is no real reason to go into space when we have problems here on earth.

Robert Zubrin simultaneously destroys both excuses in Entering Space.

In a literary style that is both eloquent yet simple, straight hard science yet common sense, Robert Zubrin lays out an explanation for why the atrophied space program is the way it is, and from there goes on to paint a practical and awe inspiring vision of what humanity could be, and why we should.

Pages are filled with highly detailed tables, diagrams, and equations...yet what he writes is put so easy-to-understand, that you can skip over them entirely. The plan for a space faring civilization is laid out in three steps(Type 1: Planetary, Type 2: Interplanetary, and Type 3: Interstellar). And it cannot be overstated that this is perhaps the most perfect book ever written on the subject, and anyone from astronomers to scientists, to car mechanics will all understand and be inspired by Entering Space.

It can be said that Robert Zubrin is no less than a modern day Wherner Von Braun...although I wouldn't want to give undo credit to Von braun :-)

Check the numbers!
I have only read the first seven chapters of this book so far, but I feel compelled to point out some errors of information. Zubrin attacks any idea that doesn't go to Mars directly without proper research. A few hours of web searching have shown that his pessimistic numbers about solar power and lunar agriculture are not up to par. Zubrin is a rocket engineer, and so he thinks only in terms of rockets. So far in my reading I haven't seen anything about light sails or his own magnetic sail idea (for an interesting breakthrough on magsails, run a web search for M2P2). Zubrin really, really wants to go to Mars right now, and so he tries to discredit any colonization ideas that don't accomplish that objective. Personally, I don't know why we would go to all of the trouble to escape one gravity well only to go and crawl down another one.

On the good side, the initial chapters have educated me on the reasons why space travel is so expensive, and I am looking forward to the chapters about colonizing the outer solar system. The book is very well written, with a comfortable level of technical detail, and even its negative aspects have caused me to learn much more than I expected to get out of this book when I purchased it. Absolutely worth the money, but I can only give it four stars becasue of Zubrin's unreasonable treatment of other people's ideas.

Truly thought-provoking
Some of Zubrin's ideas are rather wacky (like the prospect of humans somehow firing up a brown dwarf into a full-fledged star), but for the most part, this book is thought provoking and raises numerous good reasons for mankind to launch itself into space. His argument that we will stagnate if we remain solely on earth is quite convincing, as is his theorizing that our galaxy teems with other civilizations. For the most part, you can skip Zubrin's eq