GARY KITMACHER is the mission manager for education and outreach at the Johnson Space Center. He has played a direct and vital role in NASA's ISS program. RON MILLER is an artist and author who specializes in writing and illustrating books on astronomy, astronautics, and science fiction. He recently published Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined. He has served on the faculty of the International Space University, as contributing editor for Air & Space/Smithsonian magazines, and as art director for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium. ROBERT PEARLMAN is an American space historian and the founder and editor of collectSPACE, a website devoted to news and information concerning space exploration and space-related artifacts and memorabilia, especially in popular culture.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
NASA project manager Kitmacher, science writer Miller (Aliens:
Past, Present, Future), and space historian Pearlman deliver a
generously illustrated crash course in the history, present, and
future of space stations. After describing early cosmology, the
authors move through the first theoretical and fictional
descriptions of permanent space-based structures, the early days of
space travel, the first working stations, and a longer look at the
International Space Station. A section on space stations’ depiction
in pop culture, from German author Karl Laffert’s 1926 novel about
a “Weltraumstation” to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, provides an
intriguing perspective, and the authors finish with the possible
implications for humanity, such as outposts like the ISS becoming
“the means by which we leave our planet behind and find new places
to live.” The layout is visually appealing, with plentiful
drawings, diagrams, and photos to aid understanding. The physics
and early historical background are at times rushed and repetitive,
but the technical descriptions are unimpeachable and wonderfully
complemented by accounts of the minutiae of everyday life in space.
The authors have created an information-packed starting point
perfect for anyone interested in space stations, but unsure where
to begin. 400 color illus.
BOOKLIST
Although NASA scientists are still a long way from constructing a
version of the iconic wheel-shaped space station in 2001: A Space
Odyssey, since 1971, several well-designed research stations have
successfully made it into orbit, from the ill-fated Skylab, which
famously fell to earth after only six years, to the still
operational International Space Station (ISS), launched in 1998.
Weaving together history, popular culture, and aeronautical
engineering details, Johnson Space Center consultant Kitmacher
joins space memorabilia expert Pearlman and science fiction
illustrator Miller in presenting a beautifully illustrated guide to
these spectacular orbiting edifices from the past, present, and
future. In seven richly informative sections, the authors look at
the visionary prehistory of space stations, such as nineteenth
century author Edward Everett Hale’s bizarre “brick moon,” survey
the challenges behind building the Soviet Mir and ISS stations, and
flash forward to images of futuristic space colonies. Covering
technical breakthroughs as well as Star Trek and comic book
references, their work will win high marks from space buffs and sf
fans alike.
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