Space 2069: After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond

by David Whitehouse

Overview

Nearing half a century since the last Apollo mission, mankind has yet to return to the Moon, but that is about to change. With NASA's Artemis program scheduled for this decade, astronomer David Whitehouse takes a timely look at what the next 50 years of space exploration have in store.

The thirteenth man and the first woman to walk on the Moon will be the first to explore the lunar south pole - the prime site for a future Moon base thanks to its near-perpetual sunlight and the presence of nearby ice.

The first crewed mission to Mars will briefly orbit the red planet in 2039, preparing the way for a future landing mission. Surviving the round trip will be the greatest challenge any astronaut has yet faced.

In the 2050s, a lander will descend to the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa and attempt to drill down to its subsurface ocean in search of life.
Based on real-world information, up-to-date scientific findings and a healthy dose of realism, Space 2069 is a mind-expanding tour of humanity's future in space over the next 50 years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785786464
Publisher:	Amberley Publishing
Publication date:	08/27/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,127,904
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David Whitehouse is a former BBC Science Correspondent and BBC Science Editor. He is the author of the bestselling Apollo 11: The Inside Story, and has written for The Times, The Guardian, Focus, New Scientist and The Economist.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xi

Preface xv

Part 1 Back to the Moon

Exiles 3

Drifting 11

Goddess of the Moon 21

The Subtle Accomplice 31

Darkness and Light 43

Passport to the Planets 47

The Living Daylights 55

Building the Moon Base 67

The Lifeguards of Space 81

Digging, Drilling and Driving on the Moon 87

The Balance of Power on Earth 97

Part 2 To Mars

Wheels and Shadows 111

Twenty-two Images 127

Faster, Better, Cheaper 135

Climbing Mount Sharp 151

The Gulf of Space 161

The Weakest Link 167

Entry Corridor 181

Part 3 And Beyond

Down to a Sunless Sea 195

Tiger Stripes 205

Pilots of the Purple Twilight 211

The Man from Sulaymaniyah 219

A Dimly Lit World 229

Posadka 239

Adjacent and Identical 245

Visitors from Distant Stars 251

2069 257

Bibliography 262

Index 263

About the Author 272

Editorial Reviews

08/17/2020

Science journalist Whitehouse (Apollo 11: The Inside Story) forecasts what awaits the American space program over the next 50 years in this vivid outing. After NASA’s heyday during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Whitehouse writes, lack of political will on the part of later administrations stalled further progress for decades. However, over the past 20 years, the Artemis program has come together: a plan to put astronaut boots on the moon, and ultimately Mars, via a “Lunar Gateway” space station. Artemis builds on information gathered during previous lunar missions, notably the evidence of water ice on the moon found in 2009. Bolstered by both international and commercial allies, NASA is newly optimistic about establishing permanent research stations and colonies beyond Earth, using new and theorized technologies such as 3-D printing and a device for producing oxygen from Martian carbon dioxide. However, Whitehouse takes care to show that the American space program still faces plenty of issues, from the psychological stresses of space travel, to the competition presented by China’s program. He wraps up with a whirlwind tour of other targets for exploration, including Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons. Space fans will find plenty to spark their imaginations. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

‘[A] skilful history of space exploration … A realist, Whitehouse emphasizes that, without a major breakthrough in rocket technology, travel to Mars will test the limits of human endurance and willingness to bear the expense. His forecast for 2069 is a struggling 18-man international base on Mars. China will have its own. A fine overview of the past and future of human space exploration.’

From the Publisher

★ 2020-07-28
Expert speculation on the next 50 years of space travel.

Former BBC science correspondent Whitehouse has done his homework, so technically savvy readers will find little to quarrel with, and there is no chance that his predictions will be worse than those following the Apollo missions. During the exhilaration of the 1969 moon landings, most observers believed that the possibilities for space travel were endless. Older space buffs will remember when, in 1972, Richard Nixon cancelled further Apollo flights and junked the rockets and capsules. No human has been back to the moon since, but the ice is breaking. NASA’s scheduled return to the moon in 2028 seems guaranteed because Congress voted to fund the mission. Donald Trump’s 2019 announcement that he wants the landing in 2024 thrilled space buffs, including the author. However, that will require more money, which neither the president nor Congress seems interested in providing. Whitehouse delivers a skillful history of space exploration, paying special attention to the moon and emphasizing problems solved during Apollo and those that still require solutions in order to establish a permanent base. By 2069, he predicts that an international moon base will be up and running. In his scenario, there will also be a separate Chinese base. The author reminds readers that the U.S. banned China from participating in the space station and forbade NASA researchers from collaborating with that nation’s space scientists. China has an energetic space program, and Whitehouse does not doubt that the Chinese plan to avenge that insult. A realist, Whitehouse emphasizes that, without a major breakthrough in rocket technology, travel to Mars will test the limits of human endurance and willingness to bear the expense. His forecast for 2069 is a struggling 18-man international base on Mars. China will have its own.

A fine overview of the past and future of human space exploration.

Kirkus Reviews