Customer Reviews

Bold Endeavors : Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Jack Stuster's "Bold Endeavors" distills a considerable amount of careful research into a book that is much more interesting than the usual dry study of this nature. By collecting data from a number of disparate sources, including Shackleton's 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Thor Heyerdahl's "Ra" voyage, years of military experience at bases in the Antarctic, and even undersea habitat experiments, Dr. Stuster has produced an exceptionally well thought out series of suggestions applicable not only to expeditions on Earth, but to future Moon settlements and Mars expeditions as well, assuming these ever happen (I would prefer to be more optimistic and I know Dr. Stuster is, but the current trend is not promising). In fact, this book has become required reading among the astronauts, who have recognized its value.

The book is organized into chapters that deal with a particular facet of human behavior as it applies to expedition settings, such as personnel selection, personal space, group interaction and the like. Dr. Stuster carefully illustrates each chapter's point with well-selected vignettes from previous expedition experience. For example, he discusses in-depth the importance of leadership by comparing and contrasting the successes of Shackleton, Admiral Byrd, Thor Heyerdahl and others to a particularly good example of a poor leader, Lt. Charles Wilkes, the commander of the somewhat fraught 1838-1842 US Navy expedition, noted only for discovering imaginary territory and the endless conflicts between Wilkes and the unfortunate men under his command. It is worth noting that while Wilkes' first reaction to leadership was to hoist a distinguishing pennant and basically promote himself to acting Commodore as soon as he was out of sight of land, Shackleton, Byrd, and Heyerdahl, though obviously in charge, led their men in as egalitarian and considerate a manner as possible. Stuster also points out the importance of little things in keeping an expedition's morale high - shared meals, opportunities for privacy, a good viewing window on a space station.

By including and discussing negative as well as positive expedition experiences Dr. Stuster has produced a very valuable book that will not only be of interest to our astronauts and persons planning expeditions here on Earth (read Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" for a recent example of bad expedition planning and personnel selection), but also to the general reader and even writers of fiction and science fiction dealing with small groups in dangerous situations.

Bold Endeavors by Jack Stuster proved to be a real page-turner! Since childhood reading about adventures and explorers had been my favorite literature. In this book the persons behind these endeavors came to life. They were of flesh and blood and you as a reader took part of their everyday life, their hardships and personal problems. A thrilling experience. A lesson in the importance of relationships not only among people in isolation A lesson of use at job interviews, schools and even in families. I am thankful for an added knowledge and understanding of the many problems associated with these Endeavors. This book should be a "must" to all young people.

Perfect reading for anyone interested in the past or in the future. The insights the author puts forth regarding what it would be like to travel in such close quarters for an extended period of time where staggering. I found Dr. Stuster's writing to be "novice friendly" that is, not overly academic. The story was presented with clarity and with the fast action pace of a modern thriller. I could not put the book down, I was complelled to read on. I never felt like I was reading a historical novel but one that was soon to be a blockbuster movie instead. In fact, what a great idea! Someone contact Ron Howard immediately!

Bold Endeavors has the grip of a page-turning adventure story, the richness of material of a textbook, and the ease of information retrieval of a handbook. Reading Bold Endeavors instilled the magical spirit of adventure in me.

This is an excellent book to understand the historic human challenges associated with histroic human polar exploration and what will be confronted by future humans bases on the Moon and Mars. The analogs of the past have much to teach us for the future if we take the time to understand the past experience and relate it to what humanity is now seeking to do with a lunar base in the next two decades. The book is exciting, entertaining, and insightful. For any person thinking about the challenges that will confront humans associated with the first permanent human lunar base, this is a must read.

A very important contribution to our understanding of human behavior and to the advancement of space travel.