Given the near incomprehensible enormity of the universe, it appears almost inevitable that humankind will one day find a planet that appears to be much like the Earth. This discovery will no doubt reignite the lure of interplanetary travel. Will we be up to the task? And, given our limited resources, biological constraints, and the general hostility of space, what shape should we expect such expeditions to take? In Robots in Space, Roger Launius and Howard McCurdy tackle these seemingly fanciful questions with rigorous scholarship and disciplined imagination, jumping comfortably among the worlds of rocketry, engineering, public policy, and science fantasy to expound upon the possibilities and improbabilities involved in trekking across the Milky Way and beyond. They survey the literature-fictional as well as academic studies; outline the progress of space programs in the United States and other nations; and assess the current state of affairs to offer a conclusion startling only to those who haven't spent time with Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke: to traverse the cosmos, humans must embrace and entwine themselves with advanced robotic technologies.
Their discussion is as entertaining as it is edifying and their assertions are as sound as they are fantastical. Rather than asking us to suspend disbelief, Robots in Space demands that we accept facts as they evolve.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Entertaining reading. Commercial Dispatch 2008 Excellent, eye-opening, horizon-broadening reading! Highly recommended. Choice 2008 Noted space historians... breathe new life into the subject by examining its history as well as its possible future. They call for a new vision of human spaceflight-a 'transhuman' program that takes into account current trends in robotics, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and other fields that are rapidly changing the nature of both humans and machines. Air and Space Magazine 2008 This short volume manages to capture the history of U.S. space flight, to explain the underpinnings of U.S. space policy and to plot out the possibilities for our future in space in a style that most anyone can enjoy. -- Andrew McMichael Park City Daily News 2008 A timely and thought-provoking read, no matter what side of the humans vs. robots debate one is on. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in where our species is ultimately headed in space. Liftoff 2009 Should interest any intelligent reader with an interest in the history and future of space exploration, whatever technology is applied. Its mix of historical background and social context, entirely due to the authors' long experience, takes the reader well beyond the usual issues of technical challenge and budget limitations, while numerous selected quotations accentuate the human element. -- Mark Williamson Space Times 2009
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Illustrationen
2 s/w Zeichnungen
2 Line drawings, black and white
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Dicke: 26 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-8708-6 (9780801887086)
DOI
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Roger D. Launius is a member of the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and the former Chief Historian of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He has authored and coauthored several books on space exploration, most recently Space: A Journey to Our Future. Howard E. McCurdy is a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University and the author of Faster, Better, Cheaper: Low-Cost Innovation in the U.S. Space Program and Inside NASA: High Technology and Organizational Change in the U.S. Space Program, both published by Johns Hopkins.
Autor*in
Smithsonian Institution and Launius Historical Services
American University
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A False Dichotomy
1. The Human/ Robot Debate
2. Human Spaceflight in Popular Culture
3. Promoting the Human Dimension
4. Robotic Spaceflight in Popular Culture
5. The New Space Race
6. Interstellar Flight and the Human Future in Space
7. Homo sapiens, Transhumanism, and the Postbiological Universe
8. An Alternative Paradigm?
Appendix: Inaequate Words
Notes
Index
