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The Challenge of the Spaceship
From the back cover:
The last quarter of this century will be an age of exploration such as Man has never seen before. Astronomy and physics will be the fields of knowledge most immediately affected. Yet the first direct results of astronautics may be less important in the long run than the indirect consequences. With the expansion of the world's mental horizons may come one of the greatest outbursts of creative activity ever known.
In THE CHALLENGE OF THE SPACESHIP Arthur C. Clarke speculates on the changes that will come in our own generation — the first generation to break away from the limitations of our own planet — and predicts some of the astonishing scientific developments that will inevitably come in future centuries. Among these will be manned spaceships traveling at speeds of more than 1,000,000 m.p.h., techniques for changing and controlling the climate of the entire earth, exploration of an area ten times greater than all our continents on the other planets of the Solar System, and discovery of the basic secrets of life and synthesis of living matter in the laboratory.
"Clarke is at his best when applying his technical knowledge to a hypothetical situation. This book is fun, and it contains more startling ideas than a bushel of science fiction magazines." - New York Times
Library of congress catalog number: 59-8248
The last quarter of this century will be an age of exploration such as Man has never seen before. Astronomy and physics will be the fields of knowledge most immediately affected. Yet the first direct results of astronautics may be less important in the long run than the indirect consequences. With the expansion of the world's mental horizons may come one of the greatest outbursts of creative activity ever known.
In THE CHALLENGE OF THE SPACESHIP Arthur C. Clarke speculates on the changes that will come in our own generation — the first generation to break away from the limitations of our own planet — and predicts some of the astonishing scientific developments that will inevitably come in future centuries. Among these will be manned spaceships traveling at speeds of more than 1,000,000 m.p.h., techniques for changing and controlling the climate of the entire earth, exploration of an area ten times greater than all our continents on the other planets of the Solar System, and discovery of the basic secrets of life and synthesis of living matter in the laboratory.
"Clarke is at his best when applying his technical knowledge to a hypothetical situation. This book is fun, and it contains more startling ideas than a bushel of science fiction magazines." - New York Times
Library of congress catalog number: 59-8248
- GenresScienceNonfictionSpace
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,648 books11.6k followersStories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968).
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.
He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 19, 2018
This is a book I read in my high school years, and it fascinated me at the time, hence my 5 star rating now. Clarke wrote this in the late 1950's, so much if not most of this book is now long outdated and obsolete in terms of the science. Nevertheless, it was quite forward looking in its day and probably inspired some folks to go into science, or at least to keep reading science fiction.
March 14, 2020
Ho cercato di centellinare questa raccolta di articoli apparsi negli anni '50 perché di A.C. Clarke non mi resta molto da leggere, solo da rileggere. In Italia uscì negli ani '70 col titolo "Il Volto del Futuro" e sebbene fossero trascorsi tre lustri almeno dagli articoli originali, erano ancora attuali e anche oggi ben poco è superato, specialmente nell'atteggiamento che lo scienziato e il divulgatore devono assumere verso il loro lavoro.
Tutti gli articoli sono interessanti, ma alcuni lo sono più di altri. Molto buono quello sulle domande che gli venivano poste dagli ascoltatori delle sue conferenze. Altrettanto buono quello sui cambiamenti climatici e il riscaldamento globale, ed è del '56. In generale traspare il grande ottimismo dell'autore, la sua fiducia nella scienza, l'affrontare con i dati le domande filosofiche.
4 stelle e mezza.
Tutti gli articoli sono interessanti, ma alcuni lo sono più di altri. Molto buono quello sulle domande che gli venivano poste dagli ascoltatori delle sue conferenze. Altrettanto buono quello sui cambiamenti climatici e il riscaldamento globale, ed è del '56. In generale traspare il grande ottimismo dell'autore, la sua fiducia nella scienza, l'affrontare con i dati le domande filosofiche.
4 stelle e mezza.
October 21, 2013
Not very illuminating as the science was dated (no knowledge of the far side of the moon, general belief of life on Mars, 5 billion year age of the universe) and the perspective antiquated (giving too much credence to myths of Christianity (with e.g. pseudo-scientific explanations for the star of the Magi), and frequently saying that the readers' grandchildren might not be born on earth, and that the first man on mars might be 'in this room' (many pieces were lecture transcriptions)). Several of the first chapters were fictional accounts of what human life in space/other planets might soon be like--and these were lots of fun, I would only recommend reading them (so don't read past "The Planets are not Enough" or so)!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews