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The number-one best-selling author of The Future of the Mind traverses the frontiers of astrophysics, artificial intelligence, and technology to offer a stunning vision of man's future in space, from settling Mars to traveling to distant galaxies. Formerly the domain of fiction, moving human civilization to the stars is increasingly becoming a scientific possibility - and a necessity. Whether in the near future due to climate change and the depletion of finite resources or in the distant future due to catastrophic cosmological events, humans will one day need to leave Earth.
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Have sex? Smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?
The next frontier in space exploration is Mars, the Red Planet - and human habitation of Mars isn't much farther off. In October 2015, NASA declared Mars "an achievable goal"; that same season, Ridley Scott and Matt Damon's The Martian drew crowds into theaters, grossing over $200 million. Now the National Geographic Channel fast forwards years ahead with Mars, a six-part series documenting and dramatizing the next 25 years as humans land on and learn to live on Mars.
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
The human race is at a crossroads. In the coming years, we will make decisions regarding our human spaceflight program that will lead to one of two familiar futures: the open universe of Star Trek, where we allow ourselves the opportunity to spread our wings and attempt to flourish as an interplanetary species - or the closed, dystopian, and ultimately self-destructive world of Soylent Green. If we ever hope to live in the future that is the former scenario, our first stepping stone must be a manned mission to Mars.
A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years. A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy.
The number-one best-selling author of The Future of the Mind traverses the frontiers of astrophysics, artificial intelligence, and technology to offer a stunning vision of man's future in space, from settling Mars to traveling to distant galaxies. Formerly the domain of fiction, moving human civilization to the stars is increasingly becoming a scientific possibility - and a necessity. Whether in the near future due to climate change and the depletion of finite resources or in the distant future due to catastrophic cosmological events, humans will one day need to leave Earth.
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Have sex? Smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?
The next frontier in space exploration is Mars, the Red Planet - and human habitation of Mars isn't much farther off. In October 2015, NASA declared Mars "an achievable goal"; that same season, Ridley Scott and Matt Damon's The Martian drew crowds into theaters, grossing over $200 million. Now the National Geographic Channel fast forwards years ahead with Mars, a six-part series documenting and dramatizing the next 25 years as humans land on and learn to live on Mars.
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
The human race is at a crossroads. In the coming years, we will make decisions regarding our human spaceflight program that will lead to one of two familiar futures: the open universe of Star Trek, where we allow ourselves the opportunity to spread our wings and attempt to flourish as an interplanetary species - or the closed, dystopian, and ultimately self-destructive world of Soylent Green. If we ever hope to live in the future that is the former scenario, our first stepping stone must be a manned mission to Mars.
A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years. A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy.
Travel to and from Mars has long been a staple of science fiction. And yet the hurdles - both technological and financial - have kept human exploration of the red planet from becoming a reality. Trailblazing Mars offers an inside look at the current efforts to fulfill this dream.
Award-winning journalist Pat Duggins examines the extreme new challenges that will be faced by astronauts on the journey there and back. They'll have to grow their own food, find their own water, and solve their own problems and emergencies without hope of rescue or re-supply. Mars travel will be more challenging and hazardous than settling the Old West - but we were not witness to the fate of the Donner Party on CNN.
Can the technological hurdles be cleared? Will the public accept the very real possibility of astronaut death? Should a mission be publicly or privately funded? Is the science worth the cost? These and many other questions are answered in Duggins's exciting new book.
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
Anyone interested in the past of spaceflight.
Has Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap turned you off from other books in this genre?
not at all.
What didn’t you like about Gary L. Willprecht’s performance?
lack of emotion and bad voices.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap?
All of it. this book is all about the past and not about getting to mars.
Any additional comments?
I have over 300 books and this is the first one I want to return for being totally off the mark as to what it claims to be.
The book itself was pretty good but the narrator was amateurish at best using "eye-talian" as Italian and things really went off track when he read quoted material using wierd attempts of foreign accents. When authoritative female sources were quoted a voice that sounded like a 13 year old teenager was used.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The narrator
Would you be willing to try another book from Pat Duggins? Why or why not?
Don't know yet
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Gary L. Willprecht?
anyone who reads slower and has a genuine interest in science
Could you see Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
no
Any additional comments?
I'm writing this after listening to only the first few chapters as there are no reviews as of now, and the potential listener should be warned. The narrator reads it as if he is in a schoolroom class and has been reluctantly chosen to read the next chapter. He reads way to fast with no inflection so it's very difficult to understand all the intracies of the various preliminary unmanned flights etc. He obviously has no interest in the subject matter, even prounouncing "nuclear" as "nucular" just like one of our recent non-science orientated presidents! Totally spoils the book for me.
I also don't know where the book is going -- that should have been outlined in the first few pages -- so I have no idea if this is a good comprehensive overview or a flippant poorly researched book with the same integrity as the narrator. I recommend searching Scientific American for a serious article although this is obviously not available in audio
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Pat Duggins and/or Gary L. Willprecht?
Maybe.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The book title would lead one to believe it is about the future exploration of Mars but it is mostly a historical review of NASA. Interesting history but I personally purchased the book to hear and Mars and its future exploration.
How could the performance have been better?
The audio quality was extremely poor. It continually paused for several seconds. I deleted it and re-downloaded it several times with no effect. I listen to 2/3 books a month on my Android phone and this is the first issue I've had with the audio.
Was Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap worth the listening time?
No.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful