About the Book
We're on the cusp of new era in the great adventure of space exploration.
More than a half-century ago, humanity first hurled objects into space, and almost 50 years ago, astronauts first walked on the moon. Since then, we have explored Earth's orbit with shuttles, capsules, and space stations; sent robots to Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus; sampled a comet; sent telescopes into orbit; and charted most of our own planet.
What does the future hold?
In Space 2.0, space historian Rod Pyle, in collaboration with the National Space Society, will give you an inside look at the next few decades of spaceflight and long-term plans for exploration, utilization, and settlement.
No longer the exclusive domain of government entities such as NASA and other national agencies, space exploration is rapidly becoming privatized, with entrepreneurial startups building huge rocket boosters, satellites, rocket engines, asteroid probes, prospecting craft, and even commercial lunar cargo landers to open this new frontier. Research into ever more sophisticated propulsion and life support systems will soon enable the journey to Mars and destinations deeper in our solar system. As these technologies continue to move forward, there are virtually no limits to human spaceflight and robotic exploration.
While the world has waited since the Apollo lunar program for the next "giant leap," these critical innovations, most of which are within our grasp with today's technology, will change the way we live, both in space and on Earth. A new space age—and with it, a new age of peace and prosperity on Earth, and settlement beyond our planet—can be ours.
Speaking with key leaders of the latest space programs and innovations, Pyle shares the excitement and promise of this new era of exploration and economic development. From NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, to emerging leaders in the private sector such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Moon Express, Virgin Galactic, and many others, Space 2.0 examines the new partnerships that are revolutionizing spaceflight and changing the way we reach for the stars.
About the Author :
Rod Pyle is a space historian who has worked with NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Johnson Space Center. He has written nine books on the history and technology of space exploration and science for major publishers in the US, UK and Asia. As a journalist, Rod's work has appeared in Space.com, LiveScience.com, The Huffington Post, Popular Science, and many other print and online venues. Rod has also produced documentary programming on spaceflight for The History Channel as well as Discovery Communications. He has written on spaceflight and science for NASA/JPL and Caltech, and authored a guide to executive education for the Johnson Space Center/The Conference Board's Apollo Leadership Experience. Rod speaks frequently on spaceflight and executive development, and is a frequent radio guest with regular appearances on WGN/Chicago, KFI/Los Angeles and numerous syndicated radio programs. He worked on the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a visual effects coordinator for three seasons, and spent a decade at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Rod is a graduate of Stanford University and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and a member of the National Space Society, the Author's Guild, the National Association of Science Writers and the Producer's Guild of America.
Review :
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""For spaceflight fanatics like me, now—the dawn of the Second Age of Space Exploration—is the most exciting time to be alive since the moon missions of the late 1960s and early '70s . . . In Space 2.0, ace science writer Rod Pyle—an advisor to NASA and the National Space Society—provides an engaging and expertly-informed explanation of how we got this far, along with a factual yet inspiring intro to our around-the-corner new adventures in space. Strap yourself in tight. It's a fascinating ride!""
—Geoffrey Notkin, member of the board of governors for the National Space Society and Emmy Award-winning host of Meteorite Men and STEM Journals
""Space 2.0 offers a grand overview of everything happening in space from JPL's robots to Elon Musk's biggest ideas, and that is saying a lot! Pyle makes the complex technologies and intractable policy debates behind all this accessible to any reader without dumbing them down. It's a great read for those who already excited about our new future in space and a must read for those who do not yet get it..""
—Director of the University of Southern California's Commercial Spaceflight Initiative and former NASA White House Liaison
""Space 2.0 is just the right book at just the right time . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of space exploration and development in the 21st century, and gives excellent suggestions about how you can get involved in Space 2.0.""
—Daniel J. Rasky, PhD, chief of the Space Portal Office and senior scientist/engineer at the NASA Ames Research Center
""As Elon Musk celebrates more than 50 successful launches and a plethora of successful landings of his Falcon rockets and as Jeff Bezos achieves the ninth successful launch and landing of his New Shepard rocket, the space game is about to change. Rapidly. Your indispensable guide to the new space race is Rod Pyle's Space 2.0.""
—Howard Bloom, author of The Lucifer Principle and Global Brain
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