Designs On Space: Blueprints For 21st Century Space Exploration [Hardcover]

Richard Wagner (Author), Howard Cook (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 068485676X | ISBN-13: 978-0684856766 | Publication Date: January 5, 2001 | Edition: 1st

This text is an introduction to the space missions and machinery that will change the world as we know it in the first 20 years of the 21st century. The book outlines the future steps into space, from the on-orbit operations of the International Space Station to scientific exploration at the farthest reaches of our solar system. It offer previews of a new generation of launch vehicles whose aim is to open space to paying passengers and of spacecrafts bound for comets, asteroids, Mars, and beyond, as well as describing and detailing the contraptions, gizmos, gadgets, and contrivances that may serve as our homes in near space and our senses in the distant reaches of space.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Wagner is a freelance writer who co-authored with Robert Zubrin, The Case for Mars and has served as editor of Ad Astra, a magazine of space exploration and development. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with his wife and three daughters. Howard Cook is a designer who has created everything from mission patches for space shuttle flights to weaponry for the television Star Trek: Voyager.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 138 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (January 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068485676X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856766
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,053,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a modern resource for future space exploration!!, January 11, 2001

By 

"oturner1" (Troy, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designs On Space: Blueprints For 21st Century Space Exploration (Hardcover)

Excellent book, great graphics, a great explanation of the technology. I am tired of reading books written in the 60's and 70's about future space designs that didnt happen. Everything in this book can and will happen, and as an engineering student I will work hard to make these designs a reality. Thanks for providing a fresh, and modern view of what will happen in this century.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Little Book, March 4, 2001

By 

John R. Keller (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designs On Space: Blueprints For 21st Century Space Exploration (Hardcover)

This book provides a summary of all the current and planned space exploration projects, both manned and unmanned and at the time of publication it was fairly up to date. The timetable presented for the International Space Station is outdated, but the expected launch dates for the planetary missions are correct. The book also provides a summary of many of the commercial space adventures which I have not seen anywhere else.

There are no photos anywhere in this book, but each section contains several drawings or more of each piece of hardware. The drawings are intended to look like the old blueprint drawings (hence the subtitle name), however, as an engineer who works for NASA, we don't use blueprints anymore.

On a sad note, due to the recent budgetary cutbacks associated with the new Bush Administration, many of the projects presented in this book have been canceled or deferred, so this new and exciting book is unfortunately already out of date. Get it anyway; it's still a good book and the drawings are top notch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good as far as it goes, February 2, 2002

By 

Stephen Sarrica - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designs On Space: Blueprints For 21st Century Space Exploration (Hardcover)

Pretty, superficial treatment. I agree with another reviewer's question about why purple drawings on a light purple background? It's amazing and sad how many of the spacecraft detailed have already been cancelled or deferred.