The Hazards of Space Travel: A Tourist's Guide (Hardcover)

~ Neil Comins (Author)
Key Phrases: protection from radiation, comet bodies, planetary geologists, Van Allen, International Space Station, Jerry Linenger (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Comins predicts that space tourism as far afield as the Jovian system may be feasible by the end of this century. This book, however, is less a sightseer's travel guide to our solar system than a description of the myriad hazards and unresolved problems facing humans traveling in interplanetary space. Landslides on Mars, volcanic eruptions on Io, quakes on Europa, galactic cosmic rays, meteoroids, a lack of water, fragile bones, genetic mutation, motion sickness, computer hackers-all these dangers and more await them. The author clearly presents basic information on the source of the danger, its effects on travelers, and the difficulties involved in protecting against it. The text is supplemented by fictitious entries from a space traveler's diary that illustrate how particular hazards might be addressed, as well as by clear black-and-white photographs and diagrams and an extensive bibliography. Future scientists will find this book thought-provoking, and SF fans can also enjoy it.—Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Looking to the future of space tourism, which will include vacation packages to the Moon, Mars, and Jovian moons, physicist Comins relates the risks holidaymakers will be running. Some, such as equipment failure and physiological damage like muscular atrophy, are dangers already experienced in spaceflight. Landslides and volcanic eruptions, however, are the death dealers the extreme traveler will confront. Via the fictional device of a future voyager's log, Comins, in the course of categorizing hazards, imagines a range of crises faced by passengers and crew. An unremitting threat comes from dust and radiation, while an intermittent menace is a hyperkinetic rock. If mechanical failures or natural disasters don't provoke sufficient dread, the tourist can fret about the small percentage of mates who will mentally break down on the trip. Direct and sober on the science, Comins is fascinating on the morbid facts. Sure to enthrall space futurists. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Villard (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400065976
• ISBN-13: 978-1400065974
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #783,658 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good starting place, May 25, 2008

By	JKJ (Midwestern USA) - See all my reviews

This book was a good starting place to learn about space travel, and the complications involved. I found it quite informative, and will look for resources to learn more about the subject, as it's an interesting one.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Strange Book, November 28, 2007

By	Gerald B. Keane "jbkesq" (Sarasota, Florida USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is, indeed, a strange book. Its cover is strange (like grammar-school textbooks) and its approach is strange. It uses a fictional space traveler as the lead-in to discussions of various issues. Although Comins (a Ph.D) is undoubtedly knowledgeable, the book ends up feeling dumbed down. In the middle of reading the book, I found myself looking for some reference to it being for readers 10 and over. "Hazards" is not a bad book, and although it covered the promised material, I felt let down. [Perhaps I was jaded by having just finished reading the outstanding "A Man on the Moon."]