Book Review: "Beyond: Our Future in Space" by Chris Impey

This is an overview of space exploration, past, present, and future. This is not a textbook, nor is it a book on space technology or business. It isn’t meant to be. What it is is to give you a view on space from a historical and realistic point of view, the dreams of space exploration from our earliest times, in a positive manner that is hopefully to be our next step in our evolution of civilized man. It will not progress in a straight line, and there will be setbacks as well as unexpected obstacles in setting out on this new endeavor. It will not be progressive as computer technology, where, one buys the latest computer, and a few years later it becomes obsolete because of a fast paced technology. Space technology, as we have learn since Sputnik, back in 1957, is not fast paced, and it never has been. In many cases, we, being not only the U.S. but Russia as well, are still using 1960s technology.
In a manner of speaking, this book tells you why, and it is not the fault of any country or entity such as NASA. We went on a fast paced race to the Moon from President Kennedy’s announcement in 1961 to the landing in 1969, and continued to pursue it until 1972, and then stopped, in pursuit of other space projects; Skylab, the space shuttle. We slowed down because our interest waned, as any new venture does with the public at large. Privatization, in the launching business, and set to expand in other industries.
Chris Impey’s Beyond is divided into four sections, each beginning with part of a fictitious tale, all being one story, of an adventurer setting out on the frontier a century or more from now, ending, in the last section, of landing on a planet orbiting another star. The first three sections deal in the past, present, and future, and the fourth covers a century or two from now when we may set out for the stars (titled “Beyond”).
When man set out from his birthplace in Africa to wander Asia, Europe, and then the Americas in the span of over one hundred thousand years, to a tale of a Chinese government official, Wan Hu, tying rockets (fireworks) to his chair to launch himself into space. They never found him, but there were explosions in the sky, to the 20th century with a brief summery on the launch of Sputnik, the Apollo Moon landings, and the space shuttle.
It is in the second section, justifiably called “present,” that gives the run-down on what is happening now, with Chapter 4 optimistically called, “Revolution is Coming.” This section first describe NASA’s low period after the Moon landings ended, to how and why its budget fell from five percent to 0.5% of the federal budget, and what NASA subsequently did. The history of airplane and space flight is covered here, and then fast forwards to the present, with the advent of space tourism, and what is required to participate.
The entrepreneurs, from Burt Rutan of Virgin Galactic to Elon Musk of Space X are all here, along with the financial problems and solutions of setting up one’s business.
Many little known facts, of all aspects of space travel are mentioned, from space sickness to government red tape (regulations, and fees) in setting up your own business. If one can handle all this, the next challenge would be to figure out how to deal with the space frontier itself, i.e. how much fuel is required to get to a satellite or space station in low Earth orbit, how much will it cost, how cheap can you make it and still turn out a profit. Note, this does not necessarily point out what space has to offer for you to make money. The book merely states the complexities of doing so; what is required, how much will it cost, what are the risks. Space technology is compared to other high tech industries, but also points out that it is not progressing at the same speed.
Many experiments have been mentioned, such as Biosphere 2, where the media hyped it, but turned out to be a failure because oxygen ran down and had to be resupplied from outside, but it also covered on what has succeeded in that experiment, and how one can correct the mistakes and capitalize on its successes.
Of course, there has also been a lot of government waste (of money) in the space program, which was why the entrepreneurs are now coming in and picking up the slack. A shuttle launch costed $1.5 billion. A SpaceX launch costs $10 million, and decreasing.
There is the future. China, of course, will be a participant. Settlements on the Moon, colonies on Mars, and what has been proposed has been covered. Will it be that simple? Mars One is a project to put people on Mars permanently. What will be the psychological effects?
New propulsion systems such as solar sailing, and it various types, are explained.
Lastly, we hope to go to the stars. But, complex technology is involved, requiring energy at least 10 times as much as the entire Earth presently produces in order to travel one tenth the speed of light.
The writings of visionaries are featured, from Gerard O’Neill’s space habitats to Freeman Dyson’s “Dyson Sphere,” along with honorable mentions from prominent science fiction writers.
This is a book that covers man’s history of wandering the Earth, his dreams of traveling to space since the Middle Ages, the present accomplishments, and what is being done now from both governments and entrepreneurs, and what is required to finally achieve this dream. It is possible, but not with risks and dangers, new advances in technologies, the travelers who are able to physically and psychologically handle the venture, and, of course, lots of money.

Alastair Browne