Beyond: Our Future in Space - Rilegato

Impey, Chris

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0393239306 ISBN 13: 9780393239300

Casa editrice: W W Norton & Co Inc, 2015

Riassunto

Human exploration has been an unceasing engine of technological progress, from the first homo sapiens to leave our African cradle to a future in which mankind promises to settle another world. Beyond tells the epic story of humanity leaving home—and how humans will soon thrive in the vast universe beyond the earth.A dazzling and propulsive voyage through space and time, Beyond reveals how centuries of space explorers—from the earliest stargazers to today’s cutting-edge researchers—all draw inspiration from an innate human emotion: wanderlust. This urge to explore led us to multiply around the globe, and it can be traced in our DNA.Today, the urge to discover manifests itself in jaw-dropping ways: plans for space elevators poised to replace rockets at a fraction of the cost; experiments in suspending and reanimating life for ultra-long-distance travel; prototypes for solar sails that coast through space on the momentum of microwaves released from the Earth. With these ventures, private companies and entrepreneurs have the potential to outpace NASA as the leaders in a new space race.Combining expert knowledge of astronomy and avant-garde technology, Chris Impey guides us through the heady possibilities for the next century of exploration. In twenty years, a vibrant commercial space industry will be operating. In thirty years, there will be small but viable colonies on the Moon and Mars. In fifty years, mining technology will have advanced enough to harvest resources from asteroids. In a hundred years, a cohort of humans born off-Earth will come of age without ever visiting humanity’s home planet. This is not the stuff of science fiction but rather the logical extension of already available technologies.Beyond shows that space exploration is not just the domain of technocrats, but the birthright of everyone and the destiny of generations to come. To continue exploration is to ensure our survival. Outer space, a limitless unknown, awaits us.

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Recensione:

In Beyond, by far my favorite of his books to date, Chris Impey speaks of an explorer gene that has propelled humanity from Africa to the Moon. I suspect Impey of harboring that particular gene himself, given the enthusiasm he brings to this swashbuckling story of the coming human presence in space. Though my own DNA may be lacking, this book prepares me to follow him into the inevitable. --Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

...an irresistible, highly readable book.-- Monica Grady, British space scientist Impey has done a brilliant job of introducing us to the entrepreneurs that have made and are making space exploration possible...a compelling book with great attention to detail and science that is awe-inspiring - it is a stellar read indeed. --Astronomy Now Magazine

[Impey's] vision of space includes noble colonists on interstellar adventures, but also zero gravity sex motels. It has nations working together for the good of humanity, but also battles over planetary property ownership. The space exploration of Impey s imagination is powered by a rocket fuel far more combustible than idealism: money. --The Times

L'autore:

Chris Impey is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona. In addition to his critically acclaimed books How It Begins and How It Ends, he has written two astronomy textbooks and has won many teaching awards. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0393239306
• ISBN 13: 9780393239300
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 321