A space traveller's guide to the solar system

Title:

Author:

Thompson, Mark (Astronomer), author.

ISBN:

9781681772394

Personal Author:

Thompson, Mark (Astronomer), author.

Edition:

First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.

Publication Information:

New York : Pegasus Books, 2016.

Physical Description:

257 pages : illustration ; 24 cm

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

Flight planning -- Goodbye Earth -- Into the furnace -- The in-hospitality suite -- A familiar world -- A goliath among planets -- The jewel of the Solar system -- Icy outposts -- Into the abyss.

Geographic Term:

Outer space -- Exploration -- Popular works.

Document ID:

SD_ILS:2249868

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Exeter Library (Tulare Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-Fiction Area	629.4 THO	Searching... Unknown
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An eye-opening and provocative tour of our solar system, from one of Britain's celebrated astronomists.

Have you ever dreamed of being an astronaut, traveling through the universe on your very own space mission? What would it be like to tour the solar system, visiting the sun and the planets, taking in everything from moons to asteroid belts along the way? What would you see, and how would you feel? What would you eat? How would you navigate and produce fuel? How would you survive?

On this epic voyage of discovery, astronomer Mark Thompson takes you on that journey. From how to prepare for take-off and the experience of leaving Earth's atmosphere, to the reality of living in the confines of a spaceship and the strange sensation of weightlessness, this is an adventure like no other.

Suit up, strap in, and enjoy the ride!

Author Notes

As a presenter on BBC Stargazing Live, Mark Thompson has helped inspire 4 million viewers to get out and enjoy the night sky. A specialist presenter on ITV's This Morning and Radio Five Live , Mark has also been a key contributor to the BBC's The Sky at Night . His articles can regularly be found in Astronomy Now and Discovery News . His research interests have chiefly centered on deep space, the study of stars exploding at the end of their lives, and distant galaxies believed to host supermassive black holes. Mark's enthusiastic outreach work has led him to serving on the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society. Find him on Twitter @PeoplesAstro!

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Review

"Departure from Earth is an emotional experience," writes British astronomer Thompson as he leads a tour from the sun to the Oort Cloud, visiting each of the planets in turn. Beginning with a careful planning of routes, Thompson tackles the ins and outs of constructing a ship that will be protected from meteorites, solar flares, and cosmic rays. For each celestial object he visits, he presents a history of humans' understanding of it along with what is known of its physical makeup. Thompson allows readers to imagine walking on planetary and lunar surfaces using his "Reality Suspension Unit," though he discourages travelers from exploring the gas giants, which lack hard surfaces. Interesting factoids abound: Mars takes its red hue from the powdered rust coating its surface, and water tanks can be refilled on the Jovian moon Europa. Thompson also considers the psychological effects of years in space, the emotional need for fresh food, and how to have sex in zero gravity. Images of scenic wonders, including the ammonia volcanos of Titan with their close-up view of Saturn's rings, make one long for a means of interplanetary travel. Thompson's clear explanations and effusive delivery make this book a perfect companion for armchair voyagers. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Thompson (A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos, 2013), a presenter on Britain's Stargazing Live known as the People's Astronomer, leads this detailed tour for would-be space travelers. Writing in second-person singular, Thompson employs a fictional gravity simulator and Reality Suspension Unit to allow readers to break the laws of physics and explore otherwise inhospitable planets for the sake of astronomical adventure. From the In-Hospitality Suite of Mercury and Venus to the Icy Outposts of Uranus and Neptune, Thompson profiles the major planets and celestial bodies in our solar system (sorry, Pluto), considering their atmospheres, chemical makeups, and potential (or lack thereof) for fostering life. He also ponders the practical challenges of long-term spaceflight, such as how to counteract gravity's effects on the body, how to maintain proper hygiene, and how to combat loneliness in the dark abyss of outer space. A substantive primer on our cosmic neighborhood, the book is better for novice stargazers and a general audience than for NASA nuts but will intrigue anyone who dreams of exploring the final frontier.--Comello, Chad Copyright 2016 Booklist

New York Review of Books Review

Astronauts typically spend weeks at most in space and reach altitudes of just a few hundred miles. In "A Space Traveler's Guide to the Solar System," Thompson, an astronomer, takes readers on a grander journey - a hypothetical 50-year, multibillion-mile rocket tour of every planetoid and moon between the sun and Pluto. Like any good guidebook, this one highlights some overlooked gems in our neck of the cosmos. Mercury rotates so slowly that the sun often appears to stop in the sky and reverse course. The weather on Uranus might include "diamond rain" that collects in a "diamond ocean." Even overrated sites will still wow you. Mars's Olympus Mons - the "tallest volcano in the solar system," a mountain the size of Arizona - is actually too big to appreciate with the naked eye. It slopes upward so gradually that it curves beyond the horizon, and you can't see the summit from the base. Thompson also includes several nice asides about the biology and psychology of long-term spaceflight, including aspects of sex in zero gravity. We might titter over details like the proposed 2Suit, which would prevent couples in the million-mile-high club from floating apart. But we do need to research coitus in outer space if we hope to colonize distant planets someday. Especially at the beginning, "A Space Traveler's Guide to the Solar System" sometimes gets mired in details. You can't fault Thompson's enthusiasm for propulsion systems and axes of rotation - he loves geeking out - but these passages lack immediacy. Still, once we're off and sailing, he steers readers on a heavenly course.

Choice Review

A Space Traveler's Guide to the Solar System takes the reader on an imaginary journey past the sun, moon, and other planets. Thompson, a British broadcast personality who specializes in night sky phenomena, presents the imaginary spacecraft Kaldi, powered, once in interplanetary space, by a Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (which is an actual developmental system that has not yet been to space). Kaldi is designed to fly past planets, not land on them. But, a "Reality Suspension Unit" enables brief hops down to planetary surfaces and then back up, much as Star Trek's Captain Kirk tells Scotty to "beam me up" to the Enterprise when ready to return from an alien planet. Despite the lack of illustrations, Thompson manages to work in an extraordinary amount of scientific information and explanations in a pleasant conversational mode. Two major research results came too late for inclusion in this work: the scene described at Pluto pales in comparison to what NASA's probe found in 2015, and Kaldi's final voyage across 20 light-years to potentially habitable exoplanet Gliese 581 c would preferably been a jaunt of just 4 light-years to newfound planet Proxima Centauri b. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. --Stephen P Maran, American Astronomical Society

Library Journal Review

Astronomer Thompson takes us on an imagined spaceship trip around our cosmic neighborhood, describing how such a voyage could be planned using only the technology that exists today. As readers visit the sun, its planets and their satellites, and the assorted other objects that orbit it, they learn what it would be like if humans could descend to the surface of each in turn. Whereas a few decades ago, knowledge of these areas was discerned using earthbound telescopes, today, observations by the Hubble telescope, space probe flybys, and the number-crunching capabilities of modern computers used to analyze mountains of data have vastly expanded our understanding. In particular, the book discusses the new theories of planetary formation and the discovery of systems around other stars. It offers suggestions of places where life has evolved and describes locations that could be colonized by humans in the future. Thompson further points out certain mysterious structures yet to be identified and offers possible explanations. VERDICT This excellent title should find a large readership among laypeople interested in astronomy and planetary science.-Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Map	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
1 Flight Planning	p. 11
2 Goodbye Earth	p. 33
3 Into the Furnace	p. 57
4 The In-Hospitality Suite	p. 83
5 A Familiar World	p. 109
6 A Goliath Among Planets	p. 141
7 The jewel of the Solar System	p. 167
8 Icy Outposts	p. 195
9 Into the Abyss	p. 221
Index	p. 247

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