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davidsandilands's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
ithaca's review against another edition
3.0
There’s a lot of good information if you don’t know much about recent ideas and goals for Mars. Unfortunately I have listened to way too much Neil Degrasse Tyson’s Star Talk and most of this was old news. The audiobook narrator was also super boring.
korikam's review against another edition
3.0
First a question for you - How often do you really think about "space" these days? I know when I was younger, I felt like everyone was always talking about it, every kid I knew wanted to be an astronaut, and oh my god, we all wanted to go to space camp.
Now? Other than the Curiosity Rover, you don't hear a whole lot about what's going on with space exploration. It's still happening though, and Buzz really lays it ALL out. What's being researched, what the next steps need to be, and just how important it is for the United States to make it a priority again. He's thought it all through, and he did his best to break it all down. After finishing it, I'm still a bit awestruck how he fit so much info, into such a compact book.
Main Points:
-We need PR. We need kids to start getting excited again. We need programs that support the kind of learning needed to make the next leaders, scientists, programmers, supporters; and we need the public to be on board.
-We need politicians who care.
-We need countries to start working together, sharing technology. I'll admit it, I was completely ignorant of India's space program.
-There's all kinds of innovation happening in the private sector, but we'll need the public sector's support on many of these projects for them to work.
-Purdue University is awesome. (OK - I'm a bit biased there, but as a Boilermaker, I am proud to read about all the work they are doing.)
I'll admit, I struggled a bit with the sometimes very detailed engineering jargon (hence the three stars, instead of four), but only because that's not my wheelhouse. However, you don't have to to be a scientist to be inspired by this book. If you ever had any interest in space at all, read this book.
Now? Other than the Curiosity Rover, you don't hear a whole lot about what's going on with space exploration. It's still happening though, and Buzz really lays it ALL out. What's being researched, what the next steps need to be, and just how important it is for the United States to make it a priority again. He's thought it all through, and he did his best to break it all down. After finishing it, I'm still a bit awestruck how he fit so much info, into such a compact book.
Main Points:
-We need PR. We need kids to start getting excited again. We need programs that support the kind of learning needed to make the next leaders, scientists, programmers, supporters; and we need the public to be on board.
-We need politicians who care.
-We need countries to start working together, sharing technology. I'll admit it, I was completely ignorant of India's space program.
-There's all kinds of innovation happening in the private sector, but we'll need the public sector's support on many of these projects for them to work.
-Purdue University is awesome. (OK - I'm a bit biased there, but as a Boilermaker, I am proud to read about all the work they are doing.)
I'll admit, I struggled a bit with the sometimes very detailed engineering jargon (hence the three stars, instead of four), but only because that's not my wheelhouse. However, you don't have to to be a scientist to be inspired by this book. If you ever had any interest in space at all, read this book.
nickgoe's review against another edition
4.0
Super inspiring book about a possible future for space travel.
valjeanval's review against another edition
3.0
Buzz Aldrin is a pretty fantastic guy. I got to hear him speak at my semi-local library when his handler wasn't cutting him off for telling inappropriate stories. I still want to know about the iguanas, lady! Who cares if there are children present?
This book outlines Buzz's vision of both privately-funded and government space exploration with the ultimate goal of getting settlers to Mars. It's written simply enough (and with lots of pictures) that a non-scientist like myself can understand it and is well sourced among Buzz's fellow genius colleagues. He addresses both the science and the funding aspect to propose a very different mission from our space exploration forays of the past, one based on collaboration and long-term thinking rather than competitive races.
I'm not versed enough to speak to the validity of his claims, but as a fan of science and science fiction, I can say it's an intriguing future, and one I hope I live to see.
This book outlines Buzz's vision of both privately-funded and government space exploration with the ultimate goal of getting settlers to Mars. It's written simply enough (and with lots of pictures) that a non-scientist like myself can understand it and is well sourced among Buzz's fellow genius colleagues. He addresses both the science and the funding aspect to propose a very different mission from our space exploration forays of the past, one based on collaboration and long-term thinking rather than competitive races.
I'm not versed enough to speak to the validity of his claims, but as a fan of science and science fiction, I can say it's an intriguing future, and one I hope I live to see.
bookanonjeff's review
5.0
Legendary Man, Solid Vision. Often lost in the fact that Buzz Aldrin was on the first team to land on the moon and the second man to step foot on the moon is the fact that he actually had a PhD - from MIT no less - before that legendary accomplishment. Here, this former fighter pilot and lifelong engineer lays out a comprehensive vision to make humanity a dual planet species forevermore. Reading it several years after publication and just weeks before the 50th anniversary of his walk on the moon - an anniversary Aldrin repeatedly says would be a prime day for a definitive "We Choose To Go To The Moon" speech regarding Mars - it is interesting to see how this vision has been followed (or more accurately, not) over the last several years and how fiction (specifically, The Martian by Andy Weir) has actually hewed closer to Aldrin's vision than NASA or the various real-world space agencies and corporations have. Very highly recommended.
bobholt's review against another edition
3.0
A good overview of Aldrin's plan, but more usefully a starting point for research about various applicable technologies.