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10 Short Lessons in Space Travel
'Extremely authoritative. The best book I have read on space travel since Arthur C. Clarke's classic, The Promise of Space.' Marcus ChownIn an era of rapidly developing technology and renewed ambition, the twenty-first century has ushered in an exciting new age of space flight. But what has brought us to this point in our exploration of the universe? And what does the future of space travel hold? From the amazing technology that has enabled us to look beyond the clouds to the possibilities of space tourism, 10 Short Lessons in Space Travel takes a timely look at the essential lessons learned from our voyages into outer space.About the The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most relevant science that affects us all in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, discover the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science we should all know more about.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 8, 2020
This handsome little hardback manages to pack a surprising amount of information into the '10 short lessons' that are its chapters. Paul Parsons lucidly and engagingly takes us through the history and future of space travel. The prime focus is on human travel, though there's reasonable coverage of unmanned satellites and missions which, in practical terms have contributed far more both scientifically and usefully than manned missions.
Inevitably, Parsons brings up the big players of space history - the early days of the space race, Apollo, the International Space Station, the move towards more commercial players being involved - but there is also the opportunity to explore the essentials of space travel, such as the physics of leaving the planet and the considerations of practical rocketry, space survival, the business possibilities and even the chances of reaching the stars. Here there is some brief exploration of some of the more science fictional aspects such as wormholes and warp drives, but also the far more realistic possibilities, for example of the Breakthrough Starshot project to send a flotilla of tiny spacecraft to Proxima Centauri at a reasonable fraction of the speed of light.
There is something here for both the beginner and the seasoned spaceflight enthusiast, all condensed into short chapters than are easy to consume on a commute or in a spare half hour. As someone who watched the Moon landing live, I have never lost the sense of wonder inspired by this remarkable undertaking, and Parsons manages to put this across well, while still underlining the many difficulties and limitations placed on human beings by the inhospitable environment of space. The book is enthusiastic without ever being a Pollyanna-like exposition that forgets just how hard the whole business of getting into space and surviving there is.
Any limitations the book has are primarily down to the format. The short lessons are easily digested, but being quite short do limit the content to mostly putting facts across without leaving room much storytelling. I personally find most of the additional features, such as the boxes (which I tend not to read) and the glossary (if technical terms aren't explained as you go they shouldn't be in the text) an unnecessary distraction. But the format - particularly the bite-sized chunks of the 10 lessons - is probably part of what makes this an attractive book for many readers, so it has to be lived with. One other personal dislike is the use of the second person, which is done at the start of a couple of chapters (e.g. 'The feeling of anxiety in the pit of your stomach has grown close to nausea...' at the opening of the first lesson) - but it's not overdone.
Overall, an interesting and lively overview of space travel that should be enjoyed by many readers, both teenagers new to the topic and older readers who want to get a better handle on the topic.
Inevitably, Parsons brings up the big players of space history - the early days of the space race, Apollo, the International Space Station, the move towards more commercial players being involved - but there is also the opportunity to explore the essentials of space travel, such as the physics of leaving the planet and the considerations of practical rocketry, space survival, the business possibilities and even the chances of reaching the stars. Here there is some brief exploration of some of the more science fictional aspects such as wormholes and warp drives, but also the far more realistic possibilities, for example of the Breakthrough Starshot project to send a flotilla of tiny spacecraft to Proxima Centauri at a reasonable fraction of the speed of light.
There is something here for both the beginner and the seasoned spaceflight enthusiast, all condensed into short chapters than are easy to consume on a commute or in a spare half hour. As someone who watched the Moon landing live, I have never lost the sense of wonder inspired by this remarkable undertaking, and Parsons manages to put this across well, while still underlining the many difficulties and limitations placed on human beings by the inhospitable environment of space. The book is enthusiastic without ever being a Pollyanna-like exposition that forgets just how hard the whole business of getting into space and surviving there is.
Any limitations the book has are primarily down to the format. The short lessons are easily digested, but being quite short do limit the content to mostly putting facts across without leaving room much storytelling. I personally find most of the additional features, such as the boxes (which I tend not to read) and the glossary (if technical terms aren't explained as you go they shouldn't be in the text) an unnecessary distraction. But the format - particularly the bite-sized chunks of the 10 lessons - is probably part of what makes this an attractive book for many readers, so it has to be lived with. One other personal dislike is the use of the second person, which is done at the start of a couple of chapters (e.g. 'The feeling of anxiety in the pit of your stomach has grown close to nausea...' at the opening of the first lesson) - but it's not overdone.
Overall, an interesting and lively overview of space travel that should be enjoyed by many readers, both teenagers new to the topic and older readers who want to get a better handle on the topic.
July 11, 2020
A popular science book briefly summarising space travel - past experiences, current operations and future plans and possibilities.
If there’s one thing that’s turned me into the man I am today (well, the engineer and scientist part anyway!) it was the 1960’s Space Race. For a kid in those days it was science fiction come true on an almost daily basis. It was inspirational.
Today we’ve learnt that maybe that Race was a bit disappointing as it didn’t go anywhere afterwards. But there’s no doubt that even today space missions, human or robotic, have a fascination.
Does this book help fuel the interest in real Space adventures and exploration? I think so. I’d recommend it to any youngsters starting to find out about Space travel, past and future. Each chapter very briefly covers a topic, such as how rocketry developed historically, the Moon missions of the ‘60s’, current and future planetary missions and propulsion systems, even options for travelling beyond the solar system.
I’d emphasise it’s a brief coverage - 10 space travel related topics in 170 pages. Tightly written, no waffle, lots of facts. I always think books on space exploration benefit from the glorious pictures you’ll find on space missions, but this was clearly outside the ‘short lessons’ title. Perhaps my only reservation about this being a first choice as a book to inspire a youngster is the lack of space images.
There’s little I didn’t know, as I’ve had this lifelong fascination with the subject, so probably not a recommendation for the experienced follower of space exploration. One or two new items; I didn’t really know about nuclear propulsion systems and their status, so that was intriguing for me.
Personally a 4* read for me as I found it only a light refresher but I’d strongly recommend it for anyone with a child that they think would be new to, but interested in, space travel. It’s also in a Pocket Einstein popular science series, new to me, which I’ll investigate further.
If there’s one thing that’s turned me into the man I am today (well, the engineer and scientist part anyway!) it was the 1960’s Space Race. For a kid in those days it was science fiction come true on an almost daily basis. It was inspirational.
Today we’ve learnt that maybe that Race was a bit disappointing as it didn’t go anywhere afterwards. But there’s no doubt that even today space missions, human or robotic, have a fascination.
Does this book help fuel the interest in real Space adventures and exploration? I think so. I’d recommend it to any youngsters starting to find out about Space travel, past and future. Each chapter very briefly covers a topic, such as how rocketry developed historically, the Moon missions of the ‘60s’, current and future planetary missions and propulsion systems, even options for travelling beyond the solar system.
I’d emphasise it’s a brief coverage - 10 space travel related topics in 170 pages. Tightly written, no waffle, lots of facts. I always think books on space exploration benefit from the glorious pictures you’ll find on space missions, but this was clearly outside the ‘short lessons’ title. Perhaps my only reservation about this being a first choice as a book to inspire a youngster is the lack of space images.
There’s little I didn’t know, as I’ve had this lifelong fascination with the subject, so probably not a recommendation for the experienced follower of space exploration. One or two new items; I didn’t really know about nuclear propulsion systems and their status, so that was intriguing for me.
Personally a 4* read for me as I found it only a light refresher but I’d strongly recommend it for anyone with a child that they think would be new to, but interested in, space travel. It’s also in a Pocket Einstein popular science series, new to me, which I’ll investigate further.
April 21, 2025
I have finished reading “10 Short Lessons in Space Travel” by Paul Parsons.
“To be the first to enter the Cosmos, to engage single-handed, in an unprecedented duel with nature – could one dream of anything more?”
Yuri Gagarin 1961
How can one book possibly convey how far Space Travel has come in such a short time and the challenges it faces? AND have a reasonable go at informing the reader accurately on the basics of Rocket Science? This book does a pretty good job on both counts, delving in to subjects as technically complex as the difference between “stacking” and “parallel” staging.
For Space Nerds like myself, reading retellings of the early history of Space Travel can sometimes feel like a bit like a chore. But putting it in the context of early rocket theorists was useful and showed confidence in the reader to make the necessary links.
The parts about the future of Space Travel, to be honest, are a bit dated. The fact that it is however, works in favour of one of the points the author is trying to make in the book; we are currently experiencing an exciting time in the development of Space Travel. I urge this author to strongly consider making a new edition of this book, especially since this one has come out Starship has had several test flights and the James Webb Telescope is revealing some incredible discoveries.
But then when you think you are safe, this book gets very ambitious very quickly jumping into the realms of future possible propulsion systems for Spacecraft and Theoretical Physics. I found the gear shift both compelling and challenging, much like Space Travel.
While my Space Nerd appetites normally indulge into heavier material than this, I still very much appreciated this book. The field of Space Nerds is infested with snobbish nerds who would look down on those who have questions asked but are afraid to. Books like this one and Tim Peake’s incredibly readable “Ask an Astronaut” are vital in combatting such attitudes. Space should be for everyone, hard eyed veterans like myself and newbies who would like to jump on board.
“To be the first to enter the Cosmos, to engage single-handed, in an unprecedented duel with nature – could one dream of anything more?”
Yuri Gagarin 1961
How can one book possibly convey how far Space Travel has come in such a short time and the challenges it faces? AND have a reasonable go at informing the reader accurately on the basics of Rocket Science? This book does a pretty good job on both counts, delving in to subjects as technically complex as the difference between “stacking” and “parallel” staging.
For Space Nerds like myself, reading retellings of the early history of Space Travel can sometimes feel like a bit like a chore. But putting it in the context of early rocket theorists was useful and showed confidence in the reader to make the necessary links.
The parts about the future of Space Travel, to be honest, are a bit dated. The fact that it is however, works in favour of one of the points the author is trying to make in the book; we are currently experiencing an exciting time in the development of Space Travel. I urge this author to strongly consider making a new edition of this book, especially since this one has come out Starship has had several test flights and the James Webb Telescope is revealing some incredible discoveries.
But then when you think you are safe, this book gets very ambitious very quickly jumping into the realms of future possible propulsion systems for Spacecraft and Theoretical Physics. I found the gear shift both compelling and challenging, much like Space Travel.
While my Space Nerd appetites normally indulge into heavier material than this, I still very much appreciated this book. The field of Space Nerds is infested with snobbish nerds who would look down on those who have questions asked but are afraid to. Books like this one and Tim Peake’s incredibly readable “Ask an Astronaut” are vital in combatting such attitudes. Space should be for everyone, hard eyed veterans like myself and newbies who would like to jump on board.
December 10, 2022
3.5*
Good skim of some selected topics. Audiobook was badly edited.
Good skim of some selected topics. Audiobook was badly edited.
November 20, 2022
Bu kitabın yazarı gibi, uzmanlık alanı "uzay yolculuğu" olmayan, fakat sonradan bu konuda derin inceleme-arastırma yapmış birinin bakış açısıyla, konunun uzmanının (ne kadar iyi olursa olsun) bakış açısı arasında kayda değer farklar var. Konu hakkında cahilligim fakat ilgim nedeniyle, Hawking yerine Parsons açısı tercihimdir.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews