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The Starflight Handbook A Pioneer′s Guide to Interstellar Travel "The Starflight Handbook is an indispensable compendium of the many and varied methods for traversing the vast interstellar gulf––don′t leave the Solar System without it!" ––Robert Forward "Very sensible, very complete and useful. Its good use of references and technical ′sidebars′ adds to the book and allows the nontechnical text to be used by ordinary readers in an easy fashion. I certainly would recommend this book to anyone doing any thinking at all about interstellar flight or the notion of possibilities of contacts between hypothetical civilizations in different stat systems." ––Louis Friedman Executive Director, The Planetary Society The Starflight Handbook is the first and only compendium on planet Earth of the radical new technologies now on the drawing boards of some of our smartest and most imaginative space scientists and engineers. Scientists and engineers as well as general readers will be captivated by its:
∗ In–depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsion engines to in–flight navigation, in flowing, non–technical language
∗ Sidebars and appendices cover technical and mathematical concepts in detail
∗ Seventy–five elegant and enlightening illustrations depicting starships and their hardware
∗ In–depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsion engines to in–flight navigation, in flowing, non–technical language
∗ Sidebars and appendices cover technical and mathematical concepts in detail
∗ Seventy–five elegant and enlightening illustrations depicting starships and their hardware
From the Inside Flap
From the Tower of Babel to the Starship Enterprise, some part of our collective mind has always been at work scheming of ways to storm the heavens and reach the stars. Now, as we approach a time when the future of our species may depend upon more than what our beautiful but meager portion of galactic real estate offers, we are, fortunately, closer than ever to fulfilling that age–old ambition. But beyond the known planets, our closest extrasolar neighbor is 270,000 times more distant than the Sun, and bridging the vast distances to the fertile worlds that may lay beyond our Solar System will require radically new technologies—technologies as different from current capabilities as was Apollo 11 from The Spirit of St. Louis. The technological revolution that began in 1957, when Sputnik I pierced the atmosphere and made its way into Earth orbit, is really only the prelude to the much grander story of interstellar travel. The Starflight Handbook is the first compendium on planet Earth of the many and varied approaches to starflight now on the drawing boards of some of our most talented scientists and engineers. In an easy, nontechnical style, the authors offer in–depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsion engines to interstellar navigation systems, while detailed technical and mathematical information is reserved for sidebars and special appendices. Interwoven through the text are historical perspectives as well as related social and cultural considerations about the necessity and feasibility of starflight within the next quarter to half century. Generous coverage is given to interstellar propulsion schemes of all kinds; space–time problems in starflight; long–range, star to Earth communications; effects of the interstellar medium on people and machines; scientific payloads; interstellar arks and colonies; and techniques for spotting extrasolar planets. Throughout, the text is liberally sprinkled with elegant and enlightening illustrations depicting many of the ingenious and fantastic designs for starships and their hardware. The Starflight Handbook belongs on the shelf of anyone who has ever given thought to mankind’s destiny in space. Specialists and laymen, astronomers, and science fiction buffs alike will appreciate its wealth of detailed information and its graphic presentations.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Starflight comes in many flavors, but its two major genres are instrumented or automated missions and journeys by people. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Starflight comes in many flavors, but its two major genres are instrumented or automated missions and journeys by people. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read this book over and over about 20 times and absolutely love it. There are many other books out there that also delve into the subject in great detail, but were not written to come down to the every day person level. It is not meant for the person that has aspirations of flying around the universe in a "USS Enterprise" vessel within the next 100 years, but looks at all of the possible means by which we may reach our nearest stars within the next 500-1000 years. Besides being great leisure reading it is also a great starting point for those people who wish to get more involved in the study of the theory around star flight. It left me with the impression that many many meathods have been devised and although many of them will probably never be realized, none should be discounted, because it will probably be some dreamer that actually stumbles on the loop hole in all of the "Laws" that enables us to blink out of existence here and re-appear many light years from our home.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Any one who as a child looked up and pondered as to why the sky is blue, or what mysterious force keeps the moon there, will adore this book. As an astrophysicst myself I could read this book again and again. I am of the belief that it should be a recommened text for an Astrophysics course.
Its clear layout and part by part working through propulsive mechanisms both real and fanciful is commendable.
An addictive read although those of you who arent mathematically minded have no fear, the author guides you through the tentative steps like a tutor.
This is a definite must for all budding astrophysicsts and anyone out there who is Captain Kirk at heart.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book takes the nuts and fits the bolts together. How could we hope to make it to the stars with real technology? Can we really answer this now? Mallove and Matloff have done just that. How to make a starship, based on what we really know today. What are the options? What needs to be done? Anyone who has looked up as a child to the stars, and who loves technical detail, will enjoy this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
all the heavens all the night
absolutely brilliant book if dated in places re exo solar planets
fascianting read and describes in great detail the various ways to really get to the stars leaves star... Read more
fascianting read and describes in great detail the various ways to really get to the stars leaves star... Read more
Published 5 months ago by mark1000
Starflight Handbook
Too much mathematical postulation. Also the book is from the 1980s although it was advertised as the latest advances in starflight.
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Michael Fleming
Excellent!
One of the most readable, interesting, and "gentle" space science books for the general reader I've ever come across. More, more, more!
Published on 8 Nov 1998
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