Status
Available
Call number
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2012), Edition: 1st, 364 pages
Description
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson presents his views on the future of space travel and America's role in that future, giving his readers an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America's economy, security, and morale.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
I like Neil deGrasse Tyson, generally speaking, but I have to say, I was a little disappointed with this one. It's not a coherent, unified book about space exploration, as I assumed when I picked it up, but a very loose collection of magazine articles, snippets of interviews, transcripts of
Some of the articles go back as far as the 1990s, and, although he's apparently updated the science in some of them, the political landscape and the state of the space program have changed a lot over that amount of time. And the contents aren't in any order, so exactly what constitutes"current" in his discussions of current events in space bounces back and forth in time throughout the book.
It's also a bit repetitive. Tyson has a lot of particular examples and turns of phrase he likes to use, and a lot of specific points he likes to make. Which is fine, as they're generally good points and good examples, but the fact that the contents have been collected from so many spread-out sourcess means that we get to read him making them over and over again in different contexts, which gets a little annoying.
While some of the pieces in here are kind of slight, and few them take too deep a dive into their subject matter, there are quite a few that, taken by themselves, are good and very much worth reading. So this may be a worthwhile book to dip in and out of, a chapter or two at a time, if you have some interest in space and space travel and the issues that surround them, but not a huge amount of personal knowledge on the subject. But I don't recommend reading it straight through, and if you already have some familiarity with the subject, and with Tyson's opinions about it, there's not necessarily going to be a lot here that's new for you.
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speeches, and other bits and pieces. All of them are about, or at least related to, the topic of space travel, with a fair amount of emphasis on the politics of space travel, why we do or don't put money and resources into it, and why Tyson thinks it's worth doing so.Some of the articles go back as far as the 1990s, and, although he's apparently updated the science in some of them, the political landscape and the state of the space program have changed a lot over that amount of time. And the contents aren't in any order, so exactly what constitutes"current" in his discussions of current events in space bounces back and forth in time throughout the book.
It's also a bit repetitive. Tyson has a lot of particular examples and turns of phrase he likes to use, and a lot of specific points he likes to make. Which is fine, as they're generally good points and good examples, but the fact that the contents have been collected from so many spread-out sourcess means that we get to read him making them over and over again in different contexts, which gets a little annoying.
While some of the pieces in here are kind of slight, and few them take too deep a dive into their subject matter, there are quite a few that, taken by themselves, are good and very much worth reading. So this may be a worthwhile book to dip in and out of, a chapter or two at a time, if you have some interest in space and space travel and the issues that surround them, but not a huge amount of personal knowledge on the subject. But I don't recommend reading it straight through, and if you already have some familiarity with the subject, and with Tyson's opinions about it, there's not necessarily going to be a lot here that's new for you.
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LibraryThing member Paulslibrary
Dr. Tyson brings up a number of valid points as to why space exploration should continue. Only 1/2 cent of our tax dollar goes towards NASA. Two years of military spending would've funded our efforts in space for the past 50 years. Numerous scientific discoveries have resulted from our efforts in
These statistics sure opened my eyes. A very thought provoking book
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space. Most recently, software engineered to sharpen the images from the Hubble Space Telescope is now used to better interpret mammograms. A more robust space program would help influence younger generations to enter the scientific and engineering fields, much like the Apollo program did for the previous generation. Currently we are falling well behind other countries in this area. China and India graduate far more scientist than the US. China alone has more scientifically literate people than we have college graduates. If this trend continues it is predicted China's economy will surpass ours in about 5 years.These statistics sure opened my eyes. A very thought provoking book
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LibraryThing member preetalina
I can't remember anymore how or where I first came across Neil deGrasse Tyson. What I do remember is taking an instant liking to the man. I first started reading one of his earlier books, Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, though I never got through the entire thing because I ended
Around that time, I also saw Dr. Tyson speak at an event at Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. He has so much energy and so much passion that you just fall under the spell.
When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. This is probably more up my alley than Death by Black Hole, because I have trouble wrapping my mind around physics, especially astrophysics, and that book is much more physics-heavy. There is a bit of physics and such in this but definitely nothing too complicated. Bottom line is that anyone can read this.
Space Chronicles outlines the past and present (and potential future) of space exploration and in particular, discusses why NASA is so important. The book is definitely focused on the United States and its place in this arena. In fact, it's very "USA, USA!" so that's something to keep in mind. I do see why he puts it in this light, because this is an appeal to the people of the US to not let our space program die.
Another potential criticism is that there is a lot of repetitiveness throughout. This is because this book is composed of a variety of essays, speeches, interviews, etc. from various sources so you tend to see a lot of his ideas repeated. I didn't really mind this as much because it helped to cement the ideas in my head. However, I can see where this would become annoying for others.
Other than these criticisms, I think this is a very important book and should be widely read. I learned so much, not just about space exploration but just how stuff works, especially politically. For example, why did we get to the moon? Because humans - Americans? - value exploration, dreaming, curiosity? No! It was because we were trying to beat the Soviet Union during the Cold War, to show our might. That's the only reason all that money could be justified. Were it not for the Sputnik and the subsequent "firsts" made by the Soviet Union, maybe we would never have reached the moon.
I wasn't born during moon landings and I was barely 4 when the Challenger disaster happened. [Fun fact! The development I grew up in had streets named after the Challenger and all the people who died in it.] But growing up, I always had a deep interest in space and even wanted to be an astronaut at one point. (Although who didn't want to be an astronaut when they were little?) This book really opened my eyes and made me think - we did these huge things back in the 60s and 70s, but where are we now? How come humans are not going back into space anymore? (Dr. Tyson explains the different between low earth orbit (LEO) and actually going into space.)
Another major discussion point in the book is the cost of going into space (often mentioned is that NASA's yearly budget is on average half a penny per dollar of the federal budget) vs. the benefits and justifications. I think his arguments are solid and make sense.
One criticism I have about all the space cheerleading is this:
Throughout the book, the viewpoint is that space is the only exciting thing left. This is how it comes off to me. That we - kids especially - need the lure of space travel to be excited about going into science. But there is still so much left on Earth to explore too. So much that we don't know. A big example is the oceans. I might be a bit biased here because I love the oceans and am really into marine biology but still. I absolutely understand that we need excitement about space to get our program (in the US) going again and get students willing to go in that direction. But that doesn't mean it's the only thing left or that there aren't compelling things left on Earth to explore.
I could probably go on and on but I'll try to wrap it up. I really loved the characteristic humor infused throughout the book and there were places where I literally laughed out loud. Especially the chapter America and the Emergent Space Powers. This was the funniest in the book, in my opinion. I also liked the tweets from Dr. Tyson that were sprinkled throughout the book. Some of them added to the text and some of them were funny asides, like this one:
"At a fine Italian restaurant this evening. Served grappa at meal's end. NASA should study it as a replacement rocket fuel"
I would recommend this book to everyone!
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up giving it to my grandfather who took it back to India. With so many books on my reading list, I haven't had a chance to get another copy.Around that time, I also saw Dr. Tyson speak at an event at Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. He has so much energy and so much passion that you just fall under the spell.
When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. This is probably more up my alley than Death by Black Hole, because I have trouble wrapping my mind around physics, especially astrophysics, and that book is much more physics-heavy. There is a bit of physics and such in this but definitely nothing too complicated. Bottom line is that anyone can read this.
Space Chronicles outlines the past and present (and potential future) of space exploration and in particular, discusses why NASA is so important. The book is definitely focused on the United States and its place in this arena. In fact, it's very "USA, USA!" so that's something to keep in mind. I do see why he puts it in this light, because this is an appeal to the people of the US to not let our space program die.
Another potential criticism is that there is a lot of repetitiveness throughout. This is because this book is composed of a variety of essays, speeches, interviews, etc. from various sources so you tend to see a lot of his ideas repeated. I didn't really mind this as much because it helped to cement the ideas in my head. However, I can see where this would become annoying for others.
Other than these criticisms, I think this is a very important book and should be widely read. I learned so much, not just about space exploration but just how stuff works, especially politically. For example, why did we get to the moon? Because humans - Americans? - value exploration, dreaming, curiosity? No! It was because we were trying to beat the Soviet Union during the Cold War, to show our might. That's the only reason all that money could be justified. Were it not for the Sputnik and the subsequent "firsts" made by the Soviet Union, maybe we would never have reached the moon.
I wasn't born during moon landings and I was barely 4 when the Challenger disaster happened. [Fun fact! The development I grew up in had streets named after the Challenger and all the people who died in it.] But growing up, I always had a deep interest in space and even wanted to be an astronaut at one point. (Although who didn't want to be an astronaut when they were little?) This book really opened my eyes and made me think - we did these huge things back in the 60s and 70s, but where are we now? How come humans are not going back into space anymore? (Dr. Tyson explains the different between low earth orbit (LEO) and actually going into space.)
Another major discussion point in the book is the cost of going into space (often mentioned is that NASA's yearly budget is on average half a penny per dollar of the federal budget) vs. the benefits and justifications. I think his arguments are solid and make sense.
One criticism I have about all the space cheerleading is this:
Throughout the book, the viewpoint is that space is the only exciting thing left. This is how it comes off to me. That we - kids especially - need the lure of space travel to be excited about going into science. But there is still so much left on Earth to explore too. So much that we don't know. A big example is the oceans. I might be a bit biased here because I love the oceans and am really into marine biology but still. I absolutely understand that we need excitement about space to get our program (in the US) going again and get students willing to go in that direction. But that doesn't mean it's the only thing left or that there aren't compelling things left on Earth to explore.
I could probably go on and on but I'll try to wrap it up. I really loved the characteristic humor infused throughout the book and there were places where I literally laughed out loud. Especially the chapter America and the Emergent Space Powers. This was the funniest in the book, in my opinion. I also liked the tweets from Dr. Tyson that were sprinkled throughout the book. Some of them added to the text and some of them were funny asides, like this one:
"At a fine Italian restaurant this evening. Served grappa at meal's end. NASA should study it as a replacement rocket fuel"
I would recommend this book to everyone!
Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
A great, if mildly repetitive set of essays on renewed space exploration, the shuttle program, the necessity of a new Sputnik moment, etc.
If you're familiar enough with Neil deGrasse Tyson, you'll know what he's saying here already. If you're not, here's a great place to start. Or at least follow
If you're familiar enough with Neil deGrasse Tyson, you'll know what he's saying here already. If you're not, here's a great place to start. Or at least follow
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his Twitter. Seriously. The man's great. Show Less
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Excellent collection of the author's monthly columns from Natural History, other writings, radio commentaries, and speeches relating to NASA and space exploration.
LibraryThing member bexaplex
Space Chronicles is a collection of previously published columns, articles and speeches by Neil deGrasse Tyson. If you've heard him speak in the last few years, this is familiar material. It was great breakfast reading material: each essay is short, slightly intellectually challenging, and
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inspirational (study Science! go to Mars! we can do it!). Show Less
LibraryThing member bois3130
While I did enjoy the history of NASA and our early motivations (the Cold War) to venture out into space NDT talks about, this book felt more like a slapped together and unfinished collection of separate pieces. The fact that several essays and speeches were used as the source materials created too
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much overlap and therefore the book had little to no flow. The same topics and stats were constantly used in different chapters and by the end it became quite preachy. Still, some interesting segments - 3/5. Show Less
LibraryThing member louis.arata
I'm definitely a fan of deGrasse Tyson. He is thoughtful, enthusiastic, and passionate about space exploration of all kinds, and what it means for humans and sometimes specifically what it means for Americans.
The book is a collection of his essays, keynote addresses, and interviews over the last
Still, I hope deGrasse Tyson succeeds in reigniting people's fascination for the cosmos. I'd definitely support more of our tax money going to NASA.
The book is a collection of his essays, keynote addresses, and interviews over the last
Show More
several years. Because the pieces were not written as a homogeneous whole, there is a fair amount of overlap across the essays. I took my time reading it, but still toward the end I was getting a little tired of the repetition.Still, I hope deGrasse Tyson succeeds in reigniting people's fascination for the cosmos. I'd definitely support more of our tax money going to NASA.
Show Less
LibraryThing member louis.arata
I'm definitely a fan of deGrasse Tyson. He is thoughtful, enthusiastic, and passionate about space exploration of all kinds, and what it means for humans and sometimes specifically what it means for Americans.
The book is a collection of his essays, keynote addresses, and interviews over the last
Still, I hope deGrasse Tyson succeeds in reigniting people's fascination for the cosmos. I'd definitely support more of our tax money going to NASA.
The book is a collection of his essays, keynote addresses, and interviews over the last
Show More
several years. Because the pieces were not written as a homogeneous whole, there is a fair amount of overlap across the essays. I took my time reading it, but still toward the end I was getting a little tired of the repetition.Still, I hope deGrasse Tyson succeeds in reigniting people's fascination for the cosmos. I'd definitely support more of our tax money going to NASA.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrentN
This book, a collection of essays and articles written by Dr. Tyson over many years, could be viewed simply as an anthology. Despite the temporal spread in the origin of the writings in this book, it exhibits a synergy that is as delightful as it is unexpected. This synergy reads as an exhortation
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to all of us, scientist and nonscientist alike, to remember that the space program is more than just putting canned apes and robots into orbit. Rather, the space program can be considered a Crossfit of technological and scientific endeavor: something that we undertake because we know only through consistent self-challenge can we be better tomorrow than we are today. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
364 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
0393082105 / 9780393082104