Not Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide to Life in the Space Age
241
Not Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide to Life in the Space Age
241eBook
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Overview
In this candid science memoir and career guide, aerospace science professional Kellie Gerardi offers an inside look into the industry beginning to eclipse Silicon Valley. Whether you have a space science degree or are looking to learn about stars and the solar system, Not Necessarily Rocket Science proves there’s room for anyone who is passionate about exploration.
With a space background and a mission to democratize access to space, this female astronaut candidate offers a front row seat to the final frontier. From her adventures training for Mars to testing spacesuits in microgravity, this unique handbook provides inspiration and guidance for aspiring astronauts everywhere. Look inside for answers to questions like:
- Will there be beer on Mars?
- Why do I need to do one-handed pushups in microgravity?
- How can I possibly lose a fortune in outer space?
Praise for Not Necessarily Rocket Science
“Blasts readers onto a rocket-fueled journey through space and time, the perfect primer for the next space age.”―Zara Stone, author of The Future of Science is Female
“Kellie is probably one of the best ambassadors for spaceflight in the 21st century that the industry could have.”―Lucy Hawking, author of George’s Secret Key to the Universe and host of Audible’s Lucy in the Sky.
“Unique and compelling…will appeal to anyone whose dreams are larger than the limitations others try to wrap them in. Gerardi is informed, inspiring, and full of humanity, as she takes readers on a personal journey into what it means to be a fully signed-up member of the space age. A must-read for space-dreamers everywhere!”―Andrew Maynard, Author of Future Rising
“Space may seem like a pretty intimidating place, open only to fighter pilots or brilliant engineers. But if humans are to ever settle worlds beyond Earth, it will take all kinds to make a society. That's where Not Necessarily Rocket Science comes in―a book that makes space accessible and fun, while showing readers where the front door is…. Kellie Gerardi deftly offers a sampling of the possible careers in space while helping those who are intrigued find their own pathway. Space needs more engineers, sure. But as Gerardi ably writes, it needs poets too.”―Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781642504118 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Mango Media |
| Publication date: | 05/24/2024 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 241 |
| Sales rank: | 741,802 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Matt Candeias holds an M.A. in community ecology from SUNY Buffalo State and a PhD in ecology from the University of Illinois. He is the host of the In Defense of Plants Podcast and one of seven authors on Flora: Inside the secret world of plants, a joint publication between the Smithsonian and the Royal Botanical Gargens at Kew. When he’s not tending to his houseplants, find him at yearly botanical talks in garden groups, museums, clubs, and more.
Read an Excerpt
"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
Introduction
When I was young, I often wondered how people in the Renaissance regarded their own era. Did the general public clock the rise of polymaths like da Vinci or Michelangelo as historic humans? Could they feel the tug of Modernity as the medieval world melted into the past? It's doubtful that anyone extrapolated a global cultural awakening from the freshly painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It’s even more unlikely that anyone in the Stone Age paused pummeling their dinner with a club to think about the profound impact of that percussion on the trajectory of the entire human species. Denizens of the Enlightenment were not explicitly told that they were entering an Age of Reason and folks in the Industrial Revolution buzzed about their days unaware that their highly productive lives coincided with one of the major innovational turning points in all of human history.
Of course, each of these eras was named after the fact, labels of approximation rather than precision, a set of belated bookends for more modern humans to organize history and figure out how we surpassed our humble roots to become the mightiest species on Earth. But might the velocity have been different if everyone, not only the history book celebrities, had considered their own individual role in that journey and the opportunity in front of them? What might societies have done differently if individuals were privy to the trajectory of the entire species, or better yet, equipped from birth with a handbook about their generation’s unique stop on the human journey? Welcome to the world, tiny human, and listen up…!
What a time to be alive then, to recognize our own era within history. If no one has shared the good news yet, please let me be the first to welcome you to a full-blown Space Age! The human species is on an astronomical trajectory and it would be an honor to take you on a brief tour of our very own moment in history as its happening. This is our chance to find out how much momentum might be gained if everyone–not only the rocket scientists―operates with the same level of awareness around this incredible window of opportunity. Consider this a beginner’s guide to life in the Space Age.
Art was only one manifestation of a new way of thinking in the Renaissance. Cultural innovation was equally apparent across the vastly different disciplines of medicine, technology, religion, politics, philosophy, science, and even warfare. Similarly, engineering feats represent one small slice of the Space Age. Future historians will widen the lens on a broader cultural movement that saw 21st century humans contemplating our next giant leap as a species, marking the beginning of our transition from the Earth to the stars.
It should be obvious then that the future of our species doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of rocket scientists; like any turning point in history, humanity's next giant leap will require the contributions of artists, engineers, and everyone in between. For the first time in more than 4.5 billion years, life on Earth has the ability to venture beyond this planet―the potential to become interplanetary and secure a long-term survival in the cosmos. Thanks to the rise of the commercial spaceflight industry, routine space travel has become a dream within anyone’s reach. My own career is a testament to that democratized access: as a non-engineer I went from dreaming about the promise of space exploration to contributing to it, and eventually to training for it myself.
I'm sharing my own experiences and reflections in the hopes that they might spark your own passion for exploration and discovery. At the very least, I hope you find yourself in the conversation and recognize your rightful place in the Space Age. Human spaceflight is about more than simply satisfying curiosity and inspiring dreams; it's also about ensuring the survival of a species whose home planet has an expiration date. At the more generous estimates, we're looking at a few billion years, when our Sun ceases to provide its nurturing energy for life on Earth. Or perhaps it’s a few million years, when another rock along the size of dinosaur-level extinction makes impact. Or maybe it's a whole lot sooner, a Russian Roulette of global pandemic, massive ecological collapse, or nuclear obliteration with just the push of a button.
But the human species is nothing if not resilient. For 200,000 years we’ve moved forward together, a species both mission-driven and coordinated. From the moment we stood upright we’ve been forced into a fighting stance against nature, disease, predators, and perhaps most viciously, ourselves. For millennia we’ve harnessed our collective force to defy the odds and propel ourselves into the future. Our scrappiness and grit saved us from mass extinctions and an Ice Age that nearly extinguished our journey before it began. Our cleverness earned us millennia of cultural and scientific advancement, and most recently, a very promising start to this Space Age. Together we’ve made glory worth pursuing, new frontiers worth exploring, and survival worth fighting for. We’ve put up one hell of a fight.
And now, through luck of birth, you and I find ourselves at the starting line of the final frontier. We’re holding the baton of survival that has passed through the hands of 10,000 generations of humans before us. Too many times throughout history has that baton almost dropped and the spark of life extinguished. But at each baton fumble, another hand swooped in to secure it. Sometimes that hand belonged to an engineer, inventing tools to advance us or medical breakthroughs to heal us; other times the hand belonged to an artist, creating the language to connect us or the culture to civilize us. Encore! The survival of our species has always depended on a diversity of talent and contributions, and damned if we’re going to let the baton drop on our watch.
Each one of us has a role to play in humanity’s next chapter. You don’t need to be an astronaut to feel goosebumps during the countdown of a rocket launch or a surge of adrenaline watching humans take flight; all of us are wired to appreciate the profundity in the sights and the sounds of the final frontier. Our subconscious recognizes that to launch something off of this planet is a uniquely human act of resilience, a primal survival instinct that has carried the species all the way to the 21st century.
Table of Contents
Introduction Chapter 1: Homo Sapiens: A Spacefaring Species Chapter 2: Rise of the Commercial Space Industry Chapter 3: Tales from a Spaceport Chapter 4: There Will Be Beer on Mars Chapter 5: Redefining the Right Stuff Chapter 6: One-handed Pushups and Other Feats of Strength in Microgravity Chapter 7: They Should Send Poets Chapter 8: Work-Work Balance: Space as a Lifestyle Chapter 9: How to Win Followers and Influence People … in Space Chapter 10: Two Truths and a Lie: Astronaut Edition Chapter 11: How to Lose a Fortune in Space Chapter 12: The Big Why Chapter 13: Get in Loser, We’re Going to Space Appendix FAQsWhat People are Saying About This
“Kellie Gerardi’s book blasts readers onto a rocket-fueled journey through space and time, the perfect primer for the next space age.”
—Zara Stone, author of The Future of Science is Female
“Kellie is probably one of the best ambassadors for spaceflight in the 21st century that the industry could have.”
—Lucy Hawking, author of George's Secret Key to the Universe and host of Audible's Lucy in the Sky.
“Kellie Gerardi’s Not Necessarily Rocket Science is a unique and compelling guide to living in this age of space exploration, and one that will appeal to anyone who’s dreams are larger than the limitations others try to wrap them in. Gerardi is informed, inspiring, and full of humanity, as she takes readers on a personal journey into what it means to be a fully signed-up member of the space age. A must-read for space-dreamers everywhere!”
—Andrew Maynard, Author of Future Rising
“Space may seem like a pretty intimidating place, open only to fighter pilots or brilliant engineers. But if humans are to ever settle worlds beyond Earth, it will take all kinds to make a society. That's where Not Necessarily Rocket Science comes in—a book that makes space accessible and fun, while showing readers where the front door is. Through her own memorable experiences in the space community, from social media stardom to space fashion to Mars missions, Kellie Gerardi deftly offers a sampling of the possible careers in space while helping those who are intrigued find their own pathway. Space needs more engineers, sure. But as Gerardi ably writes, it needs poets too.”
—Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica