Synopsis
A daring new vision of our future in space from an internationally renowned science journalist.
"The U.S. space program, which hasn't had a coherent goal since the Apollo missions to the Moon, is in shambles. I believe its overarching goal in the future ought to be the protection of Earth from the many dangers that threaten it -killer asteroid impact, nuclear war or terrorism, famine or pestilence, natural disasters. The obstacle to this goal is not technological. The tools necessary to reach space and stay there are well understood and at hand. What is needed is the will…."
—William E Burrows, The Survival Imperative
Praise for William E. Burrows
"Burrows's richly documented book tells the story of how simple earthlings—fallible creatures living under imperfect political systems—transcended foibles, corruption, depravity and flawed machines to discover other worlds and, what is more important, their own. For the space enthusiast, Burrows offers a complete, authoritative history of the technology that allowed us to explore space and the people who created and managed that technology."
—Publishers Weekly on This New Ocean
"'When the history of this century is written,' Burrows says, 'the story of mankind's first breaking gravity's relentless hold and touching places beyond Earth will be one of its most exciting and important chapters.' Burrows tells the story engagingly.... all the milestones of the first space age appear in the rich tapestry Burrows has woven."
—Scientific American on This New Ocean
"The most successful general survey of space history yet to appear."
—The New York Times on This New Ocean
"William Burrows has written the missing book on space-based intelligence systems."
—McGeorge Bundy on Deep Black
"Deep Black is not only first-rate science writing, but a fine exposition of the links between the advanced technology and politics of arms control that may ultimately save us from Armageddon."
—San Francisco Chronicle
Publishers Weekly
Burrows (Deep Black) provides a catalogue of catastrophes that might destroy civilization as we know it. His list is long and includes the usual suspects; a devastating impact by an asteroid or comet, nuclear holocaust, famine, earthquakes, hurricanes. The impact of all of these potential catastrophes might be mitigated, he argues, if we intelligently develop a program for humans to colonize space. This should become the prime goal of NASA, which, he says in an insightful analysis, has lacked a well-defined mission since the goal of landing on the moon was reached. If we remain localized on a single planet, we are susceptible to extinction. While his writing is lively, Burrows, director of the graduate Science and Environmental Reporting Program at NYU, is not fully successful because the book is fragmented, jumping from an analysis of the risks of nuclear attack during the Cold War to the probabilities of a massive asteroid hitting the Earth and then shifting to a discussion of the need for a human presence on the moon, with asides on the nature of modern terrorism. Although there's much of interest, it doesn't come together into a coherent package. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.