Category: Book Reviews

Tragedies bring on sad times. People reflect and think of what’s changed or lost. No one wants unfortunate events, but great rewards only come with great risks. Philip Chien in his book Columbia Final Voyage brings a comprehensive, personal view of the most recent shuttle disaster. He shows that it was just one more risky attempt to further understand the complexities and dangers of space.

The Columbia space shuttle destructed during its re-entry in February 2003. The accident investigation board traced the fault to a chunk of foam that came loose at launch. The foam hit the shuttle’s forward wing edge and pierced the heat resistant shielding. Thus, on re-entry, the shuttle burned up. The seven astronauts onboard all perished, yet many results from their 16 days of research were saved and used. Due to an unprecedented number of delays prior to launch, the seven came to learn more about the background of their onboard experiments as well as each other. Their camaraderie and willingness to face risks for potential scientific rewards show the strong sense of compassion and desire held by everyone.

Chien was at the landing site in Florida waiting hopelessly for Columbia to return. Prior to this, he had witnessed the launch and had many opportunities to talk with the crew during their years of training. With this viewpoint, he relives Columbia’s final voyage, not as a vindicator trying to lay blame, but as a concerned participant wanting to express his own thoughts and feelings. He does this by providing a short biography of each of the seven astronauts, a review of their experiments and a description of the activities while the mission was underway. A brief but encompassing perception of the aftermath completes his review of the last flight of NASA’s first space shuttle.

In the biographies, Chein puts a face to a name and a person to the face. He includes how the astronauts came to join the NASA fold, a bit of their personalities and some words on significant others in their lives. Certainly the 8 to 10 pages for each isn’t exhaustive, but it does add that human element.

Chien next tackles the task of the mission. This was for microgravity research. Though maligned as a series of high-school experiments, Chien shows that a lot of serious science kept the astronauts busy for the full duration of their 16 day mission. Some even volunteered to work during their scheduled rest periods to get malcontent equipment to cooperate. To relive mission, Chien allocates a chapter for each day of the flight. He describes the main activities regarding the research as well as off-hand human touches. For example, there’s the menu items, wake up songs and many capcom dialogues. Also, as some images survived the burn-up, he includes photographs of the astronauts going about the tasks. Even were this mission not a tragedy, Chien’s review provides plenty of interest.

Apart from a look at the science, Chien provides a great overview of a typical shuttle research mission. Included are the experiments, with the identities and expectations of the principal investigators. As the mission progresses, he shows the research progressing, building on results from the previous day. The uninitiated reader can quickly appreciate the shuttle’s capabilities and operations. Though Chien’s perspective is of one who?s never flown, he does include many first hand accounts from those who have.

Chien’s overall objective is to establish a synopsis of Columbia’s mission, and he succeeds. His is a fair and honest book about the people and the mission. He points few fingers, he maligns the conspiracy theorists, and he does refute those who thought the mission unworthy. His own involvement with the shuttle operations comes through as he provides information regarding systems, structures and procedures, though not so much as to overload the reader. In total, he’s produced a warm memorial both for the people and the mission.

However, though Chien provides a warm memorial, he doesn’t add any new information. Further, his presentation, though logically and chronologically laid out, can get stilted. He has a particularly disturbing habit of referring to a related web link. This makes the book seem to be support material for the web site rather than a stand alone source. Further, though the many quotes lend authenticity, they interrupt the text. His drive for detail doesn’t always mesh with the warm personal anecdotes from the astronauts lives. Nevertheless, the book is an excellent source for someone wanting to relive this mission or to reflect on the nature of the people involved or on people in general.

The Columbia mission ended in tragedy. But this is no reason to end research in space. Philip Chien in his book, Columbia Final Voyage shows the dedication and drive of the seven astronauts who lost their lives. His thoughtful and sombre tribute to the astronauts is a pleasing dedication to them and their mission.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Walking a mile in another person’s shoes will give you a great impression of their life and possibly a pair of sore feet. Feet can even get sore while walking in the zero gravity of space, as Tom Jones relays in his memoirs entitled, Sky Walking. His days as a NASA astronaut fill the pages while he recounts his training, missions and follow-up debriefing. His shoes, like everyone else’s on this planet, are unique. But for those wanting a taste of space adventure, these shoes are especially good to read about.

Being an astronaut is more than safely sitting in a cozy cabin on a quick trip above the clouds. In particular, aside from the few tourists who’ve gone up, astronauts are an essential cog in the aerospace machine. They must whirl about, controlling experiments here or blasting thrusters there, so as to complete their mission. Errors aren’t allowable, so only those who’ve shown the ability to deliver under pressure get a chance. Most astronaut candidates have already fulfilled ambitious requirements before entering NASA. They have doctorates in a technical degree, are accomplished medical doctors, or are military test pilots. Yet, these are just entrance prerequisites. Once part of the astronaut club, each person must continually adapt and learn new skills and new activities. Every flight into space comes in its own unique colour and each can bring its own harrowing challenges. Though everyone has the right stuff in their own way, astronauts have a particular set of proven skills for their tasks way up high.

Jones’ memoirs take the reader through all of his times of his life when NASA predominantly figured. He begins at the moment prior to being accepted at NASA, through his sojourn with NASA and concludes at his moment of departure. During this, Jones went through basic training, mission selection, specialised training, and four flights. This is a personal memoir and serves to highlight the emotions of the moment. Jones writes well of his anticipation when applying to NASA, the excitement of making a large change in his personal direction, together with the worry of beginning a new career. However, once installed in NASA, Jones provides colourful vignettes of moments in training, interaction with other astronauts, and stresses on family life. His recount of those times includes vivid renditions of the shuttle’s launch, working conditions in the crowded shuttle cabin, as well as his opportunity for a close encounter with space during an EVA. It is his rendition of the moment in a warm, human perspective that makes the book enjoyable to read and informative of the life of an astronaut.

In fairness to any government employee, Jones’ job is not all smelling of roses, and he conveys his sense of frustration. For instance, he notes his need to focus on the smallest elements of the space mission such that the larger picture fades from site. He does note his time as a capcom and as a representative for the Astronaut Office to the International Space Station program. However, his comments relating to these times don’t expand on the discussion. Even the purpose of his space missions seldom rise above a brier notation similar to what one would expect from a press release. If a reader wants to understand more of the science or the bureaucracy, this book has little to offer.

On the other hand, this memoir does wonderfully embellish space flight and working in space. Jones, using his astronaut vantage point, provides an authentic and detailed chronological list of events for each of his space flights. Sometimes the details are too intensive and appear to be almost verbatim transcripts from digital recorders or communications traffic. Even his renditions of his training time on Earth appear to be lifted directly from a logbook. The consequence of this approach is that the prose in the book comes off stilted and overly technical in places. As well, though Jones was fortunate enough to have flown in four missions, his descriptions get repetitive. There was little to separate the emotions of the fourth launch from the first. Yet it is the emotional content and the personal renditions that make this book special and unique. Sifting through the tech talk to perceive these moments makes the reading detached at times, but often it remains a special review of one person’s flight into space.

For those interested in learning about life as an astronaut, this book is perfect. Jones provides the highs, quite literally, and the lows of the job. He also ably shows that it is, after all, a job just like many others and he’s just one more person of many who strives to help our life on Earth. He brings in his concerns about family and friends, the shuttle disasters and the challenges of bureaucracy. But mainly he recounts the wonders and joys of being in space.

Shoes tell a lot about a person. Space boots tell a lot about an occupation. Tom Jones in his personal memoirs, Sky Walking takes the reader along in his foot steps from neophyte astronaut to experienced space traveller. With it, he has set a colourful walkway for others to amble down.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Big topics need big books. You can’t get a much bigger topic than the universe, and the book edited by Martin Rees entitled Universe – The Definitive Visual Guide fits the bill for size. This is a large book in dimensions and content. It covers most of the interesting lore in cosmology and astronomy and is chock full of pictures, explanations and trivia of astronomical history. Big is the order of the day and big appetites will be well satiated after reading this.

The universe is the be all and end all. Having a visual reference doesn’t come easy for such a scope, especially when much lies outside our eye’s realm. The universe is all of space and all of time. It is all of matter and all of energy. Our eyes can detect some of the matter and energy on Earth. But, we don’t see quarks or super galaxy cluster filaments. Yet we know they exist. We also can’t see the opaque universe at the beginning of time or the appearance of the universe after its deep freeze. Yet we believe that these also have a place in our existence. Hence, with imagination and the power of knowledge, we can represent images and concepts on flat pieces of paper to visualize the entire universe.

This book is billed as a definitive visual guide. As such, readers get exciting descriptive answers to almost every relevant astronomical question. The book has three main sections. The introduction establishes the physical basis for the universe; its size, its matter, its inter-relations. This continues with descriptions on man’s interactions, from choosing binoculars to describing the space race. Following this extensive and in-depth introduction is a section on the material objects. There are planets, stars, galaxies and all the rest that amateur and professional astronomers have detected and mapped. The last section provides the standard information on night sky viewing. All 88 constellations and monthly night sky charts fill the pages in wonderful detail. This one-stop book is an excellent reference for space related visual images.

Calling a book a definitive visual guide is risky. Often books with this title quickly find themselves in the sell-off bin of the store as they contain little more than stock footage. There is lots of stock footage in this book, but principally because there is only one main source, NASA. Nevertheless, this isn’t a constraint, as many other sources like the Galaxy Picture Library and the Anglo Australian Observatory contribute. Further, this book doesn’t showcase any source. Images are woven throughout the text to glorify the subject matter rather than the group or machine behind the camera shutter. With judicious editing, it is not the source that sparkles but the subject of the pictures.

As much as Martin Rees is billed as the general editor, there is obviously more here than one person could conveniently accomplish. In all, the book lists 19 editors with many others contributing. With so many cooks, there is the concern that the broth may spoil. Not in this case. There is little duplication. The hundreds of pages and multitude of topics blend into each other in harmony. The section describing the planets is particularly nice, as some of the most recent images from the Huygens probe and the Mars explorers grace the pages. Each page spread itself is 30 by 50 cm, hence allowing for majestic sweeps of other worlds. Dominant features of every photographed planet and many moons are described as if for a travelogue. Chasms, canals, peaks and striations are named, located and graced with a sense of shape and importance. This same attention to detail extends in the following section to stars, nebula, supernova and black holes. Most alluring of all though is the preponderance of choice images. After all, this book is called a definitive visual guide.

Being big with lots of pictures, however, doesn’t always make for a stimulating book. This visual guide is no different. It is dry like an encyclopaedia. You won’t sit for hours in your favourite reading chair. It is both too heavy to hold comfortably and too staid. There is no plot to capture the imagination. Like a reference, it simply states particulars then heads off to the next topic. Understandably, the universe is so big there is little opportunity to diverge. In any case, the pages are very well appointed, not too busy nor too sparse. The topics are current and with enough depth to satisfy the generalist. It is an excellent reference source for the backyard astronomer preparing for their evening viewing. Or, it can provide a rich background for young researchers.

Our universe, from an astronomer’s perspective, is a wonderful, visual cornucopia. The book Universe – The Definitive Visual Guide edited by Martin Rees aims to satisfy the appetites for those branching into this domain. This big book does justice to the largess of the universe.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Coaxing meaning out of a dash of colour is no trivial feat in observational astronomy. A minute arc of red gracing the edge of a galaxy might be the sprinkling of energy from the beginning of time or a software processing error. Jeff Kanipe in his book Chasing Hubble’s Shadows adds colour to these arcs and other findings by putting them into a context of universe evolution. He tells of today’s astronomers, their tools of the trade and the results they are finding. With them peering ever deeper into space, we find colours that add a whole new depth to history.

Observational astronomy uses a variety of receivers to capture electromagnetic radiation across a broad band of the spectrum. The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the best known. Its well known images include the Hubble Deep Field, the Hubble Deep Field South and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. From these we realize that black patches of night sky aren’t empty but rather have a complex and visually enticing collection of swirling galaxies. Because of their distance, we know they came into being not long after the Big Bang and its evidentiary cosmic microwave background. These, and results from other detectors, have given astronomers more to substantiate their postulations of the changes that shaped our universe. They see, or think they see, the evolution of matter and resulting radiation from moments after the Big Bang, through various dark ages and renaissances and on.

Galactic morphology is a neat phrase and the gist of Kanipe’s book. Its purview is to review work on the genesis of galaxies. The presumption is that the Big Bang did occur. After lots of rapid changes took place, galaxies came into being. These then died, moulted, collided or otherwise transfigured to the shapes we see today. Kanipe concentrates on radiative emissions, in particular redshifts. He offers notes and observations from astronomers working with many of today’s premier instruments, including the Keck scope in Hawaii, Europe’s Plateau de Bure radio interferometer, and the infrared sensitive Spitzer Space telescope. As Kanipe is a science journalist, it is other people’s words that carry the weight. However, with the inclusion of the views of many of today’s and yesterday’s leading experts, there is no doubting the content’s authenticity.

Being a journalist, Kanipe includes pleasant, descriptive prose together with very particular, specialized scientific concepts. For example, he writes that the universe ‘makes a bombastic entrance then settles down to a languid, insipid period of expansion’. This is not to imply that hard details are absent, as many particulars abound. There’s the Gun Peterson trough described as an absorption feature in high-redshift quasars that can be used to test for reionization of neutral hydrogen. Findings are like detecting the universe’s last scattering surface at a redshift of 1100. As well, perhaps to give the reader a breath of air, Kanipe includes a review of his personal journey to the top of Mauna Kea, resplendent with tales of colourful shirts and adventures in oxygen depletion.

Though the majority of this book aims to and succeeds at recording the gains made in the last decade, Kanipe also includes a look into the near future. There’s the SKA or a Square Kilometre Array and the purpose it is to fulfill. Also, he includes a description of the Atacama Large Millimetre Array proposed for the Chilean Andes for millimetre and submillimtre observations. With these and others, Kanipe interweaves instruments, theories and people in a finely balanced review and prognosis. As the book’s title indicates, Edwin Hubble looked at shadows to differentiate between ghostly errors and landmarks and others continue this activity today.

Though it’s easy to describe the contents of the book, it’s not as easy to determine the best target audience. For example, mentioning the theory of leaking gravitons that makes our universe naturally self-inflationary demands a certain prior knowledge. Yet it isn’t provided therein. On the other hand, the descriptions of many of the stellar events and the ground based research activities would be more appealing to the generalist. It is certainly a busy, well written review of recent and proposed work in observation astronomy. But, the level of writing is uneven. The blend between science and journalism isn’t quite smooth enough. Nevertheless, the topic stays on focus with great quantities of relevant information.

The redshift of a galaxy’s emission, like the lines on a person’s face, give great clues to the source’s age. Sliding redshifts in images show us light originating from the very start of existence. Jeff Kanipe in his book Chasing Hubble’s Shadows tells of the last decade’s hunt for larger and larger redshifts amongst galaxies and the chase to find the very first galaxy.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Pandora had her box. Adam and Eve had their apple. Physicists have the expanding universe. Whether the universe expands forever into a deep freeze or eventually contracts back into a hellish speck containing all energy, the future looks grim. Michio Kaku in his book Parallel Worlds doesn’t let these portends cause any dismay as he provides plenty of ideas for dealing with and possibly escaping from a failing universe. For after all, opening a box wasn’t the end of the world, nor was eating an apple.

Nearly all cosmologists agree that our universe isn’t static. It’s apparently expanding at an accelerating rate. A long time from now, living beings, even ones adapted to a low density environment, will eventually be unable to process information, or anything else, and thus couldn’t live. This we deduce from many years research with telescopes, antennas and very fast computers. Step by step with the observations are the mathematical reasonings. The uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics, relativity, string theory all try to correlate the forces, fields and particles that constitute our existence. But, once entering into the realm of mathematics, the equations can lead to places that aren’t observable. Here, the fifth dimension is more than a musical group. String theory may need up to 11 dimensions for its resolution, but where are these dimensions located? Not much farther past this issue is the thought of many universes. Maybe the other dimensions are in other universes. In consequence, should our universe be no longer habitable, then perhaps we need just pop into another one and continue on.

This book on parallel worlds by Michio Kaku’s is a serious, science based review of alternate universes and their relevance to us. Using very little scientific jargon, Kaku takes the reader along the standard trail from Greek philosophers up to today’s cosmologists. Along the way, he includes notice of the works of Newton, Halley, Darwin, Einstein, Gamow and other luminaries. These references, however, don’t obscure the main thrust which is to enable understanding of our universe. Kaku explains why the night is black, how the uncertainty principle links to consciousness, and where quantum theory can lead to infinite realities. His main focus though is on the potential of string theory. He effectively argues that we need a theory of everything to deal with the expanding universe and, today, string theory is the best candidate. Kaku expects that one of the treats available with this theory is the ability to explore black holes and determine if they are a potential escape route to other universes.

As can probably be deduced from the previous paragraph, this book covers a lot of high-end physics in a very short time. But, as Kaku wanted, it can be read and grasped without any previous introduction to physics or cosmology. Given that the reader is expected to concur with the idea of future civilisations fabricating their own universe, there still remains a lot that remains a matter of faith. I compare this to the challenge of teaching a blind person about colour. Kaku easily passes this challenge. The book does draw on much at the forefront of today’s research in physics, but the reader isn’t left hanging.

As can be expected in a relatively small book that tackles a large topic, its pace is fast. By assuming no prior knowledge, Kaku needs to and does cover a lot before he gets to the life stages of universes. Universes and a unifying theory aren’t his sole objective as he considers today’s research into gravity waves and some attempts to discover the Higgs boson. He even contemplates research and engineering far into the future. For example, he sees the possibility for warp drive in the sense of a network of paths connecting people on disparate, distant planets. But the book’s focus is on a grand unifying theory and how its discovery could shape humanity’s future.

By using simple descriptions, Kaku shows off the works of today’s physicists so that anyone can understand and appreciate their work. He maintains a nice balance between detail and corollary. This, together with a copious glossary and a large ‘notes’ section, makes this book easily accessible to anyone. As can be expected, sometimes the topics drift especially to the philosophical side of things. However, given that the concept of the book is on alternate universes, this is fair game. Hence, whether to appreciate the complexity of our existence, have an exhilarating companion reader for Star Trek episodes, or simply to get hyped up on physics, this book works.

Our own world has more than enough challenges to keep us busy for eons. There may, however, come a time when we the Earth is a safe abode for us all. Then would be a good time to consider how we might survive the end of our universe. Michio Kaku in his book Parallel Worlds takes a step in this direction. Certainly we have many obstacles to overcome, but we are also showing the ability with which to overcome them.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Before the U.S.’s Mercury mission placed people in orbit, the U.S. sent chimpanzees to test the physiological impact of space travel. Before either of these, people and animals were subject to simulations of the high acceleration of lift off as well as the micro-gravity of space. Of course, as the rockets weren’t ready, other test devices were needed. Thus, using ingenuity, trial and perseverance, people gathered the background knowledge for putting a human into space and having them undertake a useful role during their voyage.

Dr. Chambers was the head of the Human Engineering Division of the Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory. In this role, he prepared experiments and trials that built confidence in the success of human space flight. Extreme experiments included a 24 hour exposure to a 2G force that simulated a mission to Mars and bungee cords placed along a wall to simulate bouncing along in the lighter Moon gravity. With human space flight just beginning, almost everything undertaken was original but all had role in preparing the astronauts. In keeping with standard research and development, a prescriptive series of steps were used to resolve each increment of research. And Dr. Chambers was at the centre of the action, though it is Mary Chambers who wrote this book.

Mary Chambers is Dr. Chambers’ wife and thus she had a ring-side view of the experiments, experimenters and subjects. From this perspective, she provides a charming and witty account of the goings-on of her husband and cohorts. In a more familial than technical narrative, she discuses how her husband developed a research methodology and then she discusses many of the experiments themselves. Often Dr. Chambers was the test subject in these original trials which of course brings in many spousal concerns. She continues on to present a more emotional aspect of the training; the fears and uncertainties of the subjects, the boundless curiosity of the testers and their unifying desire for success. Her view is warmly candid and evocative of the time.

This book is a short, well illustrated memorial to the Chambers family and the work accomplished by Dr. Chambers. Many references to the Mercury astronauts and even Ham the chimpanzee show how closely the family was integrated into the space program. There is a certain lack of technical issues or contributions to science. A simple statement of the establishment of principles and standards of human capabilities and limitations’ is made without more detail. In spite of this, Mrs. Chambers does provide a nice tie-in between this space research and today’s physiological understanding such as the detrimental effects of extensive bed rest. However, this book isn’t a technical reference; rather it’s a folksy memorial to a vibrant time and one family’s contribution.

Travelling into the unknown is fun but also scary. Simulations and training can reduce the fear so that people can continue making contributions, even while experiencing new environments. Mary Jane Chambers and Dr. Randall Chambers in their book Getting Off the Planet show the depth of research needed to prepare humans for space flight. With such effort, astronauts were able to navigate in space, perform orbital rendezvous and competently travel on the Moon’s surface.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

The moon Europa orbits the giant gas planet Jupiter. The recent Galileo probe and the more dated Voyager probe traveled past this moon and, with their collection of sensors, they took measurements. Galileo, even with its failed main communication antenna, was kept busy taking pictures. Some images filled in the blanks remaining from Voyager. Others were high resolution views of noteworthy features. Other sensors already revealed that a water-ice layer lies overtop an earthen core. However, there are almost no craters. So the surface is relatively new. No one knows how the surface refreshes itself but one option is for local heat from the ground to melt the overburden of ice. Of course, water, heat and some other choice ingredients are the ingredients for life. This possibility is what gives Europa its present allure.

Europa is front and centre throughout this book and in it Greenberg pushes a number of related agendas. First and foremost he classifies aspects of the images and associates them to possible causes. There is no expectation for the viewer to be a wiz as Greenberg starts slow and builds up. A history lesson begins the book. Galileo’s personal observations start the ball rolling, then Greenberg continues on with eccentricity, rotation, tides and stresses. The detail can get nitty-gritty, but not to such a depth as to loose the general reader. Suffice it to say that he’s very thorough with his description of the likely forces at play on Europa’s surface.

Having completed this background, Greenberg goes on to describe each of the classifications he and his team made from the images. Using the complete set transmitted by the Galileo probe, he presents, in a clear and thorough fashion; exotic ridges, bounding cycloids, complex chaos areas and spotty lentiuclae. But he doesn’t just leave the descriptions standing on their own. For each he provides an hypothesis for their formation and often he supports these with results from computer simulation. Further, ready references to nearby black and white or colour images allow the reader to also view the special shapes. Greenberg’s explanations are clear, succinct and well supported.

Another agenda that Greenberg raises in this book regards the politics of scientific exploration. Though Greenberg is part of the Galileo Imaging Team, he bemoans its seemingly military structure over his preferred equal weighted collective. His concern is that science might become subject to personal issues. As such, there are many references to Greenberg or a member of his team being harangued by the status quo who were supporting their own canonical model. Because of this, an interesting undertone of uncertainty exists throughout the book as well as perhaps a tinge of animosity. Yet, these don’t distract from the science and do add a certain human perspective to the writing.

A final agenda or objective is an apparent desire to capture and store hard won knowledge. The perception is that the research funding is running out and the team members are disbanding. Hence, for posterity’s sake, the results of many years’ and many peoples’ work are brought together between two covers.

Though relying upon little technical information, Greenberg has written an exemplary book. Chapters stand well on their own and each leads smoothly into the next. The sum total defines a comprehensive hypothesis regarding the shaping of Europa’s surface. Sub-theories have a sound basis and each have an excellent description. A plethora of images allow the reader to appreciate the team’s challenges and their hard won results. Because of this, the book is a solid, self-contained overview of Europa that would be a great reference for a researcher or an interesting read for anyone wanting to check-out what’s happening at one of the leading edges of planetary science.

Being at the forefront of science is exhilarating on its own. Sharing the wonders with other people increases the satisfaction even more. Richard Greenberg’s Europa, The Ocean Moon summarizes his research and that of his colleagues resulting from the Galileo probe’s mission to Jupiter. Europa’s ice surface may seem haphazard in construct but with intuition and perception, we can see how science can make reason out of this exotic world.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

Frank Herbert wrote the book ‘Dune’ in 1965, while the Apollo program was yet to deliver on its promise of landing humans on the Moon. Since then, over 20 million copies were printed. In answer to a clamour from science fiction fans, David Lynch wrote the screen play for and brought to life a cinematic version. This, however, was not greatly appreciated by the general theatre audience. Nevertheless, science fiction fans kept asking for it and eventually a lengthened version was prepared for television viewing. From this, today, there is the longer Dune ? Extended Edition with 40 more minutes of film than in the original theatrical feature.

One can better understand this movie by considering the times. By 1965, humans had only just discovered space flight. Perhaps because of this, Herbert’s novel mostly focuses on human interactions as well as strange new worlds. Though the movie was made in 1984, there’s little to suggest the improved knowledge of space from the nearly 20 intervening years. Also, Lynch made his movie before computerized visual effects became main stream. Thus, achieving a believable visualisation of alien landscapes and space flight was a matter of using models, skilful depth perception and on screen trickery. Yet, there are many locations on Earth which can easily look like another planet. As well, adept cinematographers have been beguiling audiences for many years. So the capability existed to create a vision of humans far away in space and time.

Using this capability, Lynch does make the planet Dune into a special, alien world. Vistas of stars and multiple moons help the audience leave behind Earth. A driving score by Toto keeps the movie flowing, and the audience’s attention focused. Unfortunately, the premise of the movie, even with an extra 40 minutes, still doesn’t come clear. Having read and enjoyed Herbert’s book, a viewer can piece together most of the parts of the movie. Without having done this, the movie can’t stand on its own. The plot isn’t an adventure or a romance or some political suspense thriller. It is of a messiah coming to terms. Yet, the basis for being a messiah and the correlation with the people of Dune isn’t obvious in the film. The significance of some characters is vague to the point where one questions their inclusion. Even the most magical part, the folding of space to allow for interstellar travel, isn’t immediately obvious. The fact that a narrator has a voice over every now and again demonstrates this film’s disjoint nature.

This leads to the greatest short comings of this DVD, the lack of input from David Lynch himself. A few minutes of him explaining his goal and direction would have been a real coup. Instead, there are other bits, interesting but not as beneficial. Some stand alone deleted scenes are in the package, as well as short reviews of visual designs, sketches and techniques for special effects. Equally interesting are the reviews of the costume designer and how material was more scrounged than invented. This adds to the value of learning how to make a film but not of making the Dune film. Because of this short coming, this edition is a longer version rather than a definitive description of the film and its making.

However, even with these short comings, the film is grand. Wide open spaces, opulent throne rooms, and a tendency for oration rather than dialogue captures the image of a messiah. My review hardware was a standard television with its own small speakers. To do justice, this film needs a large screen with surround sound so the viewers’ senses are overtaken as they enter the intergalactic intrigue of 8000 years in the future. Even with the three hour running time of the extended edition, there’s a lot to keep a viewer’s interest.

Science fiction challenges a person to grapple with the normalities of the present. It lets them envision other worlds, other living beings, and other physical laws. In the movie Dune ? Extended Edition, David Lynch includes these and more in a perspective of political intrigue in another place at another time. After all, envisioning the future through science fiction gives us ideas with which to plan, while ignoring the future may put us out of even a messiah’s reach.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online or purchase a copy from Amazon.com

The Saturn V richly deserves the many superlatives heaped upon it. The most apt is it being described as nearly 6 million pounds of explosive fuel waiting for a match to set it alight. Striking as this sounds, it was the control of the resulting exothermic reactions that gently pushed man and machine into the space age. However, where the car industry could continually make corrections to correct design flaws, these rockets had to perform nearly flawlessly every time. This ensured the safety of the people and the achievement of the assigned mission. As well, these rockets were at the centre of a race between nations, thus there was an impassioned need to build, test and use them as quickly as possible. Thus, judicious testing ensured that each Saturn V rocket was ready to perform when called upon.

The author’s goal is to recover and present the manufacturing steps and test results of the Saturn V stages. They admirably do so. In a manner that would warm many engineers’ hearts, though perhaps bore the average reader, the authors list relevant dates, locations and events for each stage produced. That is, there’s a review of the 19 S-IC stages, the 27 S-II stages, and, the 26 S-IVB stages. The stages are listed in a numeric, hence chronological, sequence and all reviews follow the same format. There’s a short, one paragraph summary of the stage’s eventual use, a description of its manufacturing history and a listing of the testing of the complete stage, usually focusing on the all up test that included static firing of the engines. The test results get listed immediately after, as are any abnormalities. With this expansive coverage of the testing, the book well meets its goal of providing a record of Saturn V’s manufacturing and tests.

Supporting this compilation is a quick survey of some support elements. There’s a review of the J-2 and F-1 engines, the Pregnant Guppy and Super Guppy cargo aircraft, the barges and the relevant development centres. Of interest, the J-2 may be produced again for the Crew Launch Vehicle’s upper stage. These short asides are brief but useful additions to help the reader understand the enormity of the project.

Though the book provides extensive information, it’s not exhaustive. As the authors note, there’s a massive quantity of records in storage, with little to no organization to aid in searching through it. As such, problems encountered while testing are simply stated, such as ‘a minor bearing overheating problem was encountered during the move’. There are even slight traces of levity, such as the comment �the failure was due to the inability to abort 3.2 million pounds of water�. But humour isn’t the goal; this book is a collection of information and facts solely.

Accompanying this book’s sound review is an excellent potpourri of photographs, videos and historical documents. The book has a centre section with many colour plates of test firings, stage construction or simple transportation. Black and white pictographs are sprinkled throughout the text. The videos and support documentation are in the enclosed DVD. One can easily enjoy the sonic reverberations kicking through the speakers when viewing really close up images of the engine tests!

Though the book is large, the manufacturing and test record pages are a bit less than half. The remainder are reprints of two historical NASA publications, the Saturn V News Reference and the Saturn V Payload Planner’s Guide. Both these documentations provide background information. The first provides a ready review of the details of the Saturn V’s design, while the later is a marketing brochure that advertises the rockets capabilities, in the unfulfilled hope that many more would be built. By adding these, the book becomes an excellent reference for Saturn V enthusiasts as well as those interested in engineering test programs or large equipment handling and manufacturing.

Though the Saturn was a rocket, it was also a system. Millions of individual pieces, each serving their own function, had to operate in unison. Alan Lawrie and Robert Godwin in their book Saturn V recover all the manufacturing steps and test results that together gave the confidence to the engineers to say that this system was worthy to send a human on a journey into space.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Copies are available for purchase from Countdown Creations.

Mars is the planet most like Earth. With this accreditation, it has remained one of the likeliest off-world places for people to colonize. There are the usual obstacles; long distance, no water, no infrastructure and a harsh environment. But with any fresh world, there are great opportunities for new technologies, new leadership and new societies. Governments of countries on Earth understandably have no mandate to establish colonies off-world and they’ve shown little progress. However, their constituents do have both the mandate and desire to pursue this captivating goal. Drawing on this desire is the organization called The Mars Society. Within are thousands of people who regularly contribute to our knowledge base on how people can successfully get to and profit from Mars. In their view, combining opportunities and desires into a concerted effort is one means of having that first human footfall on the Martian surface.

Lacking a government’s or business’ mandate to step onto Mars, the Mars Society is a ready outlet for people with this desire. Annual conferences allow individuals and teams to come together to spread the word. This book, and its enclosed CD, collect an expansive selection of contributions apparently from a number of conferences between the years 2000 and 2004. Many contributions are reports in scientific format that result directly from two of the Mars Society’s research encampments; the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and the Flashline Arctic Research Station on Devon Island. At these sites, people with no astronaut training or experience but lots of desire can emulate the tasks and challenges of a hypothetical Mars site. In so doing, they can actively add knowledge today to contribute to tomorrow’s footfall.

Though the analogue sites are the basis for most of the papers, they don’t constrain the topics. Given the unique conditions of the sites (e.g. bare rock and hostile climate), people can assess particular aspects of a team on Mars. They can simulate and examine group dynamics amongst the participants, construct storage vaults using local material and measure dust ingress before gears grind to a halt. Contributors with other backgrounds and objectives also have reports. For them, sites may be backyards for greenhouse studies, desks and computers for rocket design or purely their own experience, such as with quality management. In essence, as we’re going to have to replicate many of the natural and human contrived processes, the Earth is just one big analogue.

With so much to choose from, there’s no wonder that the reports cover a broad selection of topics. This is the book’s undoing. All topics relate to Mars but this is the only common thread. Some get very technical, such as discussing bit rates and data packets for computer networks. Others are almost dreamy in their visions of leadership and government. Because of this, it is the authors’ passion that rises up to claim the common thread rather than the technical work or the target. As well, a contradiction arises. The book begins by claiming that NASA’s constituency driven mandate makes poor results by being random and entropic. Yet, the perception from reading this book is that these individual’s efforts are equally random and entropic. Organization and focus are lacking.

Nevertheless, if you have any interest in a human presence on Mars, this randomness shouldn’t and indeed won’t trip you up. This book will empower the average person to get off their duff and lend a hand. As is obvious, much work needs doing and there are many ways to contribute. The international range of authors and the many formats (e.g. reports, poetry and song) demonstrate the many possible routes. The annual conference, the thousands of supporters and this book show that volunteers need not work in isolation or without appreciation.

With Mars never leaving its nearby orbit and shimmering down on us at night, we’re always reminded of its proximity. And, we’ve proven our ability to go into space and walk on the surface of other realms. The book On to Mars – Volume 2 is a compilation by Frank Crossman and Robert Zubrin containing reports of ideas and results from people who are more than ready to put people on Mars. Their efforts speak loudly, and when that footfall first strikes, assuredly there will be a great chorus of cheers.

Review by Mark Mortimer

Read more reviews online, or purchase a copy from Amazon.com.