Spacefarers

How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and Beyond

By: Christopher Wanjek

Narrated by: Donald Corren

A wry and compelling take on the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space. From bone-whittling microgravity to eye-popping profits, the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close at hand.

More than 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, why is there so little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? What will it take to become a multiplanet species, colonizing the solar system and traveling to other stars?

Spacefarers meets these questions head on. While many books have speculated on the possibility of living beyond the Earth, few have delved into the practical challenges or plausible motives for leaving the safe confines of our home planet. Christopher Wanjek argues that there is little doubt we will be returning to the Moon and exploring Mars in the coming decades, given the potential scientific and commercial bonanza.

Private industry is already taking a leading role and earning profits from human space activity. This can be, Wanjek suggests, a sustainable venture and a natural extension of earthbound science, business, and leisure. He envisions hotels in low-earth orbit and mining, tourism, and science on the Moon. He also proposes the slow, steady development of science bases on Mars, to be followed by settlements if Martian gravity will permit reproduction and healthy child development.

An appetite for wonder will take us far, but if we really want to settle new worlds, we’ll need the earnest plans of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Wanjek introduces us to those planners, who are striving right now to make life in space a reality.

©2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

An inspiring look into our future in space

I really enjoyed this listen, as it had a little something to cover all the bases: humor and wonder in abundance, science and speculation in just the right balance, and a great performance by the narrator...as someone obsessed with space futurism, this had me hanging on every word

enjoyable listen for amateur futurists.

not so heady you can't follow it. not so dumbed down you don't learn anything.

A scientific and humanistic approach to the future of our solar system.

It might be the best audiobook experience I have had so far. Extremely interesting topic, layered with comedic gems and humbling statistics, while being performed artfully by the voice actor.

Just a pipe dream

I was excited about the possibility of humans going to Mars until I read this book. It makes it seem like an impossibly with our current state of technology, politics, and money. Oh well, back to the realm of dreams.

Great ideas

This is a wonderful futurism book filled with excellent ideas and rational outlooks. We’ll written and read.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Motivations, challenges, and paths towards space

This is a decent book on one of my favorite topics. It runs through the reasons for, challenges with, and paths towards going into space beyond this one rock we call home.

The author presents his informed, balanced views in a relatable way. I feel like it could have gone into more detail on some of the science stuff, like off-earth ecosystems and health under differnet gravity. He actually put a lot of effort into these. He sticks closely to what's been experimentally proven. But these are big topics and I'm hungry for more, including the speculative and theoretical. He does go into the most depth on the economic questions.