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The first spacecraft to explore the secrets of the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, and the void beyond Pluto, the Pioneer space probes have been the trailblazers of the space age, truly going where no man has gone before. Emblazoned with the nude figures of a man and a woman, etched representations of our human form, the Pioneer generation of probes were aptly named. Launched into the inky depths of space, they were more than mere machines, they were humanities first emissaries into deep space. And the pictorial inscriptions that adorned the crafts embodied the hopes and dreams of everyone involved in the Pioneer program. They were our humble attempt to communicate with the extraterrestrial intelligent life we imagined the probes might encounter they were our message in a bottle. Perhaps the most efficient, reliable, and cost effective program to come out of NASA, the Pioneer missions are a shining example of how a small and talented group of people can, against all odds, pull something off that has never been done before. Indeed, more than thirty years after its launch in 1972, Pioneer 10 is still cruising into interstellar space, sending back data as it courses through the galaxy while Pioneer 6, in solar orbit, is more than 35 years old and human kinds oldest functioning spacecraft. But despite their enduring contributions, the Pioneer project remains a footnote in space history, little more than a humble prologue to its inheritors. "The Depths of Space" recounts the long overdue history of Pioneer both as a scientific and technological achievement and as the story of the exceptional people who made the program possible. This tight narrative captures the black-coffee buzz of full-throttle, deadline-driven production, the sharp, intense thrill of discovery, the pang of anxiety that accompanies looming danger and ultimate loss, and the satisfaction and pride of creating an enduring legacy.
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6 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Nice book, emphasizing the human factor
17 Oct 2004
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book on NASA's Pioneer project (not only the well-known - though already half-forgotten - Pioneer 10 and 11 missions to Jupiter and Saturn, but the whole series, including the highly successful 1978 mission to Venus). Very well written and researched, by a very talented young author, who's definitely in love with his subject. As the foreword of astronomer James van Allen states correctly, this book is first of all `a tale of human achievement', i.e. the emphasis of this book is very much on the project as such and on the people that made it possible (and how they did it). Wolverton does pay substantial attention to technical issues and to the scientific results of the various missions, it's true, but I would have preferred him going into more detail on all these things, providing more data and explaining more of the scientific achievements. To my tastes, he spends too much time discussing `the human factor' and the adventure side of it. But then again, this is the book's explicit `mission'. It just wasn't exactly what I expected, although I enjoyed it very much (especially the story about the controversy around the famous plaque with the naked couple on it, and on the old DEC PDP 11-14 `mini-`computer that was still being used in 2000 to communicate with Pioneer 10). So, this book is highly recommended and a Must for space buffs. It's also a very beautiful book, solid and robust. It's a bit of a pity that the - not too many - photographs and pictures are all in black-and-white. You can look into the book (all of the pages, and with color pictures!!!) on the publisher's website.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful book on an interesting topic
14 Nov 2004
Format:Hardcover
The Pioneer missions were important milestones in the exploration of space. The book is a nice, concise and well-written history of the Pioneer program, from the early and unsuccessful probes flown by the military in the immediate post-Sputnik era to the trail-blazing missions to Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. All of the book was interesting, but I thought that the story of how Ames Research Center got involved in deep space exploration, the maneuvering to get access to the Deep Space Network, and the continued gathering of data from Pioneers 10 and 11 long after their primary missions ended to be particularly interesting and never before told. I wish that the book had been a little longer, with some more detail about the spacecraft and their scientific findings. Also the meager selection of small black and white photos is inadequate. But those are minor points and this book is a must-have if the subject interests you.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Informative historical overview of the Pioneer space probe
8 Sep 2004
Format:Hardcover
The Depths Of Space: The Story Of The Pioneer Planetary Probes by by author and NASA expert Mark Wolverton provides the reader with an informed and informative historical overview of the Pioneer space probe mission program that saw the first mission launched in August 17, 1958 that had the misfortune to blow up 77 seconds into lift off. But every failure was a learning experience and subsequent missions ventured to probe the sun, go beyond the asteroid belt, went on to Jupiter, Saturn, and finally out of the solar system and on to the stars. Superbly written, The Depths Of Space is a seminal and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library Space Exploration History reading lists and reference shelves.
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