Claude A. Piantadosi

In an era when there has been a revival of straight-up space fiction (see Andy Weir and "James Corey") there is a place for the sort of real-life examination of what is actually involved in space exploration, and that is where this book comes in. The author, a medical professional who started his career dealing with the survival issues facing U.S. Navy divers, knows a great deal about the environmental limits facing human existence; probably a little too much for most readers! That said I found the science here to be very informative and I really only mark this book down on the grounds that while Piantadosi has polemical issues to push, particularly in terms of an early return to the Moon in regards to what is "doable" (as opposed to making a near-term push for Mars), and it would have been nice if he had been a little more systematic in terms of laying out his vision as constrained by the current limits of our technology and knowledge.… (mer)