Return to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series) [Paperback]

Rick N. Tumlinson (Editor), Erin Medlicott (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Apogee Books Space Series | Publication Date: November 1, 2005

In this volume of essays, the top experts and major players behind the United States's recently renewed push to the moon fuel a growing debate over lunar exploration. The announcement in 2004 that the U.S. would be revamping its moon program inspired both excitement about the possibilities and concern over cost and safety issues. This book takes the controversy out of the realm of pure science and into the mainstream of national debate. Lunar experts Alan Binder, Andy Chaikin, Yoji Kondo, Courtney Stadd, Frank White, and many others weigh in on the case for a return, point out the best way to do it, and speculate on what could be done with this newly obtained real estate. The essays are accompanied by illustrations of what life on the moon might look like. Contributions come from different perspectives and styles, offering a broad take on the very real possibility that humans will again walk—and work, live, and play—on the lunar landscape. From telescopes and tourism, to training for Mars, to building a new branch of humanity and saving the Earth, this compendium makes the case for sending people back to the moon.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick N. Tumlinson has been named one of the top 100 most influential people in the space field by Space News. He is the cofounder of the Space Frontier Foundation and was a key player in starting the lunar prospector project, which discovered hints of water on the moon. He is the executive director and cofounder of the Foundation for the International Nongovernmental Development of Space and has appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, and dozens of other publications around the world. He has also been seen on Politically Incorrect, World News Tonight, and on CNN as a commentator on astronomy and space. He lives in North Hollywood, California. Erin Medlicott was one of the first female applicants to NASA's mission specialist program when NASA began recruiting women. She has worked at NASA editing various newsletters and has written for OMNI magazine. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894959329
• ISBN-13: 978-1894959322
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Ever Doubted Why We Should Be On The Moon....., March 17, 2007

By 

Franklin H. Neal III (Castle Rock, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

What an exciting and educational collection of essays. Some of the essays are from famous space writers such as Andrew Chaiken and Robert Zimmerman. They even included Alan Steele who is one of my all time favorite science fiction writers. This book makes you think about many of the issues we will have to consider if we are to settle the moon. Some of these subjects include how to get back there, lunar manufacturing, spiritual aspects, as well as what it will mean to mankind. One of my favorite essays was on the "Overview Effect" by Frank White, which tells how the perspective of mankind can forever be changed. I thought this book was a fascinating read and well worth the money.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Space Exploration for Policy Wonks, January 19, 2006

By 

Mark R., Whittington "author of Children of A... (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Return to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

Be warned that this collection of essays is designed more for the policy wonk than the engineer or scientist. Nevertheless, it contains fascinating pieces by such people as Paul Spudis, Alan Binder, Andrew Chaiken, and Courtney Stadd on the business, law, diplomatic, public policy, and economic aspects of returning to the Moon. The opinions are diverse, except for an agreement on an absolute necessity for returning humans to the Moon, this time to settle it and to make it a center of science and commerce. A must read for anyone interested in the how and why of exploring space.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why the Moon is Important, April 10, 2006

By 

Arthur P. Smith (Selden, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Return to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series) (Paperback)

Interest has recently accelerated in human visits to our celestial neighbor, as is evidenced in this book with its wide collection of essays on the subject, in the new NASA program and announced plans from almost all the other major spacefaring nations, but also in the coincidental simultaneous release of another book with the same title, from astronaut Harrison Schmitt. Both books are worth the serious interest of anybody wondering what all the fuss is about.

Tumlinson and Medlicott's book brings forward the views of a number of people who have been advocating for a lunar return for some time, and this collection is a good way to get to know them. The arguments put forward are forceful and at times contradictory, but for somebody familiar with space development ideas, they are also quite familiar. Tourism, astronomy, precious metals, materials for space-based solar panels, or simply oxygen as a propellant provide economic incentives for lunar development. Many of the essays argue for a strong private component to lunar development, making use of lunar resources to earn profitable returns here on Earth.

Others of the essays see a strong government responsibility, at least in early phases, driven largely by scientific interest in the Moon itself, and by the potential, as General Pete Worden points out, for the Moon to be the ultimate site to develop risky technologies that might be too dangerous to pursue on Earth. Beyond the private/public debate and the surfeit of justifications, a number of the essays also express strong opinions on engineering details such as design of rocket boosters and lunar landers. One suspects that if space advocates figured out a way to actually agree on things, we might have returned to the Moon years ago. And to some extent these debates are moot for now, as NASA lays out its plans and other nations seem determined to follow.

A few of these essays provide longer-range views on space settlement and development. As Andrew Chaikin writes, the Moon will be a "catalyst for humanity's transformation into an interplanetary species." Frank White here talks of the "Overview Effect", the profound importance to a human being of physically seeing Earth as a "small planet suspended in space," and he and several others here envision thousands of people having that direct experience in permanent settlements on the lunar surface.

Several essays delve into the legal issues - what current law applies, and what new law would be useful, to a lunar colony? Alan Wasser lays out his "Space Settlement Initiative" proposal, to fund space development with lunar land grants based on proven performance, a variant on the "prize" approaches recently in the news. A noteworthy essay from Robert Richards points out that the Moon is really two distinct destinations: the near side and the far side. The far side would be much more isolated from Earth, and potentially much better preparation for the eventual colonization of Mars.

Inspirational color illustrations, not directly refered to in the text, are provided in the middle of the book; a "lunar declaration" that it's time to return comes at the end, along with a section of Moon Facts. One notable omission is an index - with the diversity of topics the table of contents isn't always sufficient to locate relevant discussion.

This book should definitely be read by anybody who questions the point of NASA's current plans for a lunar base. As astronomer Yoji Kondo writes in two of the essays here, science and exploration need to go together, each will enable the other, and robots and humans together will expand the human experience beyond anything we now know. Whether through NASA, the private sector, or the work of other nations, humans will be living and working on the Moon in coming decades and, as the best of these essays makes clear, that small step will change humanity forever.