A Traveler's Guide to the Stars

Name: A Traveler's Guide to the Stars
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Les Johnson
ISBN: 9798765068045

Author: Les Johnson

Narrator: Michael Page

Unabridged: 6 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/11/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Science, Space Science, Astronomy, Physics, Astrophysics

Synopsis

With known exoplanets now numbering in the thousands and initiatives like 100 Year Starship and Breakthrough Starshot advancing the idea of interstellar travel, the age-old dream of venturing forth into the cosmos and perhaps even colonizing distant worlds may one day become a reality. A Traveler's Guide to the Stars reveals how.

Les Johnson takes you on a thrilling tour of the physics and technologies that may enable us to reach the stars. He discusses the latest exoplanet discoveries, promising interstellar missions on the not-so-distant horizon, and exciting new developments in space propulsion, power, robotics, communications, and more. But interstellar travel will not be easy, and it is not for the faint of heart. Johnson describes the harsh and forbidding expanse of space that awaits us, and he addresses the daunting challenges—both human and technological—that we will need to overcome in order to realize tomorrow's possibilities.

A Traveler's Guide to the Stars is your passport to the next great frontier of human discovery, providing a rare inside look at the remarkable breakthroughs in science and technology that will help tomorrow's space travelers chart a course for the stars.

About Les Johnson

Les Johnson is a NASA physicist and author. By day, he serves as the senior technical assistant for the Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In the early 2000s, he was NASA's manager for interstellar propulsion research and later managed the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project. He was technical consultant for the movie Lost in Space and has appeared on the Discovery Channel series Physics of the Impossible in the "How to Build a Starship" episode. He has also appeared in three episodes of the Science Channel series Exodus Earth. He is the author of Rescue Mode, coauthored with Ben Bova, as well as Back to the Moon and On to the Asteroid, both coauthored with Travis S. Taylor. He is coeditor of the science/science fiction collection Going Interstellar.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Leslie

Wonderful summary of the status of interstellar travel today and what is realistic/not realistic. It was easy to understand as someone who is not a physicist and had some good footnotes that made me laugh. I enjoyed the chapter explaining the probability/possibility of alien life and the section exp......more

Goodreads review by Vivian

Such an interesting read about the difficulties on space travel, it definitely opened my eyes and I learned lots. I enjoyed the footnotes and he explains it in a way that I could try to visualize as I went through his thought journeys. I totally recommend this book if you’re interested on future dee......more

Goodreads review by Iamreddave

I really enjoyed this book. It is quite short. And if goes into lots of weird and wonderful ideas for building ships that leave the solar system. Graphene comes up regularly. The author is describing all sorts of weird theoretical material properties that would be needed. And then will say something......more

Goodreads review by James

I enjoy learning about the theories and science that one day help us travel through space. The author gives a lot of information about what could work and dispels a few ideas that probably won’t ever work. Thankfully, it isn’t written in a text book style and he doesn’t throw in a bunch of math equa......more

Goodreads review by Briley

A fantastic introduction to interstellar travel - it covers a lot of ground without going too deep into the details to lose the interest of the reader. It educates and inspires and should be read by anyone with an interest in the topic who isn't sure where to start.......more