A Traveler's Guide to the Stars

by Les Johnson Narrated by Michael Page

Overview

With known exoplanets now numbering in the thousands and initiatives like 100 Year Starship and Breakthrough Starshot advancing the idea of interstellar travel, the age-old dream of venturing forth into the cosmos and perhaps even colonizing distant worlds may one day become a reality. A Traveler's Guide to the Stars reveals how.



Les Johnson takes you on a thrilling tour of the physics and technologies that may enable us to reach the stars. He discusses the latest exoplanet discoveries, promising interstellar missions on the not-so-distant horizon, and exciting new developments in space propulsion, power, robotics, communications, and more. But interstellar travel will not be easy, and it is not for the faint of heart. Johnson describes the harsh and forbidding expanse of space that awaits us, and he addresses the daunting challenges-both human and technological-that we will need to overcome in order to realize tomorrow's possibilities.

A Traveler's Guide to the Stars is your passport to the next great frontier of human discovery, providing a rare inside look at the remarkable breakthroughs in science and technology that will help tomorrow's space travelers chart a course for the stars.

Editorial Reviews

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile

Narrator Michael Page sounds like an enthusiastic scientist in this examination of the technology that will be necessary for future interstellar travel. Page’s voice has ease and fluidity as he delivers this highly complex material. His smooth style helps listeners feel comfortable with challenging topics like fusion propulsion, robotics, nuclear fission, and the cosmos itself. In addition to describing technology that points to the likelihood of celestial travel becoming a reality, Page presents the hurdles that need to be overcome, as well as the ethical and existential questions that need to be answered. This stirring listen will spark the imaginations of stargazers and scientists alike. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Winner of the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Writing, Long-Form Nonfiction Category

Wall Street Journal

"The stars ... are notoriously far away, as the physicist and NASA technologist Les Johnson vividly emphasizes ...The nearest, Proxima Centauri, would take many millennia to reach. Some science-fiction writers, Mr. Johnson explains, have therefore imagined multigenerational “worldships”.... But what will power their vessels? The author entertainingly describes sci-fi options such as warp drives and hyperspace, as well as potentially feasible ones such as antimatter drives, and definitely possible methods such as ion drives, solar sails and nuclear-pulse propulsion, the last involving dropping a continuous series of nukes out the back of your spacecraft and riding the blast waves."

AudioFile

Page's voice has ease and fluidity as he delivers this highly complex material. His smooth style helps listeners feel comfortable with challenging topics like fusion propulsion, robotics, nuclear fission, and the cosmos itself.

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile

Narrator Michael Page sounds like an enthusiastic scientist in this examination of the technology that will be necessary for future interstellar travel. Page’s voice has ease and fluidity as he delivers this highly complex material. His smooth style helps listeners feel comfortable with challenging topics like fusion propulsion, robotics, nuclear fission, and the cosmos itself. In addition to describing technology that points to the likelihood of celestial travel becoming a reality, Page presents the hurdles that need to be overcome, as well as the ethical and existential questions that need to be answered. This stirring listen will spark the imaginations of stargazers and scientists alike. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175055123
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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