Customer Reviews

A Vision of Future Space Transportation: A Visual Guide to the Spacecraft of Tomorrow

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I was very disappointed because I expected some in-depth analysis of space transportation concepts accompanied by beautiful illustrations. I got plenty of renderings but they were mostly ordinary and the text only glossed over the concepts. Some of the descriptions were way off base. For instance, the author took the term "microgravity" literally in describing satellites in low earth orbit (the gravity in low earth orbit is actually almost as intense as on the surface of the earth).

The accompanying CD had only animations and was not informative at all.

For a real vision of space transportation, I highly recommend Robert Zubrin's "Entering Space" or his treatise, "The Case for Mars". They aren't collections of artwork but are more stimulating.

The text is very poorly written and has some technical inaccuracies (like an incorrect explanation of how an electric motor works) but it covers most of the important ideas of the subject. Don't expect much from the illustrations though, they're all basic computer-generated imagery, nothing compared to the incredible Mars Spirit lander animation released by NASA. If you can get past the choppy, dryly written prose and mostly unsatisfying pictures then the inherently interesting conceptual technologies may still satisfy you. The book lacks depth though, and any gems of science are usually too muddled in weird paragraphs to be as gracefully expressed as they deserve.

This book could inspire the next generation of space explorers just like the old Collier's Magazines of the '50's did to previous generations. The book is written and more importantly illustrated by Tim McElyea one of the premier NASA animimation and simulation producers down in Huntsville AL. The book has full color renderings of many new ideas of space transportation systems and vehicles. McElyea is careful to point out that he is not a rocket scientist, but an artist. He has included some vehicles that will undoubtedly raise a smile on many a space advocates lips as unlikely to see the light of day. But as McElyea comments it is not up to him to endorse one system over another. He is merely including systems that have technical merit and warrant investigating.
The book is a gorgeous panoply of color photos and computer generated simulations. The most amazing part though is that the bonus CD Rom includes most of the vehicles in full motion with sound tracks. As well as videos produced for NASA of the Advanced Space Transportation Program based in Huntsville and 3D interactive sections.
The book is the official publication of SpaceDay which is a national educational program involving millions of students worldwide. Some of the SpaceDay competition winners are included in the book.
This book is wonderful, I cannot put it down except to look at the CD Rom. Well done Tim McElyea and Apogee Books!

If you are looking for nuts and bolts look elsewhere but if you want a high level overview this is a wornderful book. It is written in easy to understand, non rocket science language and I like it. Pictures are vivid and it is a beatutiful easy to read and understand book.

There have been some great books in the past detailing the space transportation methods being considered then- but that's why we call those history.
At this time when we are looking ahead to new and improved ways to get up into orbit and beyond, Apogee books comes out with the best and most timely book on the subject.
This volume details the most recent and newest ideas to come along for vehicles to replace the shuttle system, and the propulsion methods to get us out to the planets. With chapters detailing each new scheme, it covers everything from ballistic capsules to new shuttle designs to vehicles for mass space tourism. Propulsion designs included are up to date- even the NASA nuclear Initive designs are included.
This is the book that congressional aides are carrying around so that they know enough to talk with their bosses- shouldn't you know as much as they?

Great book to see into the future of space transportation.