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April 8, 2005
For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at
www.marssociety.org.
Two members of the Mars Society, Tom Hill and Brain Enke, have just
published excellent books laying our their vision of the human future
in space. The works in question are "Space: What Now," by Tom Hill, a
non-fiction work examining critical issues of space policy,
and "Shadows of Medusa," an deeply imagined mystery novel by Brian
Enke about the first human mission to Mars.
The authors of both books will be present at the 8th International
Mars Society Convention, Boulder Colorado, August 11-14, to talk
about and sign copies of their works. Reviews of both books are
presented below.
Space: What Now? The Past, Present, and Possible Futures of
Activities in Space
By Tom Hill
Publisher: Publish America ISBN: 1-4137-2808-1
Reviewed by Robert Zubrin
Tom Hill, a founding and active member of The Mars Society, has
turned his talents to writing. The result is Space: What Now? The
Past Present, and Possible Futures of Activities in Space. The
sweeping title promises a lot, but the book delivers, with style and
a sense of humor. Early chapters take readers through space history,
and only the most ardent follower won't find some new morsel of
information about the roots we will build our space future upon.
After a gut-wrenching summary of the Columbia tragedy and the
Aldridge Report, he takes readers into potential futures and methods
of reaching them.
A strong supporter of missions to Mars, Tom takes the time to
spell out reasons that other destinations, like high Earth orbit,
the moon, and the near-Earth asteroids, have their own role to play
in mankind's future. He also provides a thoughtful review of options
for funding such missions, including governmental, corporate, and
hybrid methods. Another fun chapter deals with space and the way it
fits (or doesn't fit) into popular culture.
Timeliness is an issue for any book about space policy, and because
of space developments in the last two years, some recent entries in
the book have been overcome by events. To answer this problem, Tom
created a supporting website http://www.spacewhatnow.com, where
readers can catch up on some of the latest stories he's been
following, and find more information about the author, his
background, and current activities.
Not everyone will agree with all of Tom Hill's conclusions, but his
analyses are insightful, well balanced, and worthy of widespread
consideration.
I strongly recommend this book. Tom Hill has taken his belief in a
vibrant space future, tempered it with his experience in activism and
the space industry, and produced essentially two works: an excellent
primer for those new to the field and an entertaining and informative
read for those more involved.
The Shadows of Medusa
By Brian Enke
PublishAmerica 2004
$34.95
ISBN 1-4137=3582-7
Reviewed by Harold Miller, Mars Society Webmaster
Brian has written a compelling mystery / science fiction novel. The
clues are there, as is action and references to some familiar names.
If you've ever pitched the Mars Direct plan, or spent some time at
one of the Mars Society habs, you'll enjoy this book. If not, you
might learn something about the best way to get humans to Mars. In
either case, it's a hard book to put down.
Comment by Dr. Bill Clancey, of NASA Ames Research Center
"This fun, imaginatively woven science mystery about trust and love
puts you in the driver's seat of a Mars mission."
Both "Space: What Now?" and "Shadows of Medusa" are available for
sale at amazon.com. If you wish part of your purchase dollars to help
support the work of the Mars Society, click on "Buy it at the Mars
Society" at www.marssociety.org. This brings you to the Mars Society
mall, a multi-vendor web catalog where a portion of all purchases
goes to the Mars Society, at no extra cost to you. Then click on
amazon and buy your book.
For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at
www.marssociety.org
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