The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) [Paperback]

Eugene F. Mallove (Author), Gregory L. Matloff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471619124 | ISBN-13: 978-0471619123 | Publication Date: June 16, 1989 | Edition: 1

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The first popular compilation, in book form, of scientific and engineering knowledge about interstellar travel. A working guide for the would-be star traveler, this book concentrates on current and proposed propulsion systems that might be applied to starflight. Provides a compendium of interstellar concepts, formulas, and reference material, including discussions of interstellar navigation, communication systems for sending data, relativistic effects in starflight, and effects of the interstellar medium. Mathematical and other detailed technical developments are separated from the main text, relegating them to accessible ^boxes that can be glanced over.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (June 16, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471619124
• ISBN-13: 978-0471619123
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Aeronautics & Astronautics
  • #74 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Astrophysics & Space Science

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of Interstellar Spaceflight Concepts, January 7, 2002

By 

Matthew S. Schweitzer "zohoe" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for anyone intersted in the engineering possibilities of interplanetary and interstellar spaceflight. I read this book years ago as an aerospace engineering undergrad and it helped inspire me in my dream to help make starflight a reality. As can be found here, the technologies for limited interstellar flight have already been investigated, and in some cases, could be implemented today with sufficient funds. The books provides background on all types of rocket based propulsion, covering chemical, nuclear, anti-matter, electric (ion), solar sail, and solar thermal propulsion systems. It also provides an introduction to astrodynamics, space power systems, and the inherent problems encountered by long duration spaceflight over vast distances. As wonderful as this book is, it is badly in need of an update. It barely touches on more recent ideas like long range laser power transmission, as well as more "out-of-the-box" concepts like propellant-less propulsion. Granted there is alot of controversy surrounding notions of artificial wormholes and warp drives, but I'd like to see such ideas at least included as possibilities. As mentioned before, this book is not exceptionally mathematically rigorous, but that could be beneficial to those interested in these concepts without having to possess a background in differential calculus. These ideas stir the imagination and perhaps, someday, we may see these dreams become reality as mankind reaches out to the stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the best, August 8, 2001

By 

cmpst52 "cmpst52" (Denton, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) (Paperback)

This is a very, very good book. It covers the basics of space flight, and covers specifics such as different types of propulsion methods and possible interstellar missions.

However, this book is not mathematically rigorous. Although I suggest everyone buy THIS book, anyone who wants a better mathematical treatment of the topic should try to find a copy of the out-of-print _Prospects for Interstellar Travel_, by Mauldin.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overall summary of Space Flight, May 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel (Wiley Science Editions) (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.