Interplanetary Outpost: The Human and Technological Challenges of Exploring the Outer Planets

by Erik Seedhouse

"Interplanetary Outpost" follows the mission architecture template of NASA's plan for Human Outer Planet Exploration (HOPE), which envisions sending a crew to the moon Callisto to conduct exploration and sample return activities. To realize such a mission, the spacecraft will be the most complex interplanetary vehicle ever built, representing the best technical efforts of several nations. A wealth of new technologies will need to be developed, including new propulsion systems, hibernation strategies, and revolutionary radiation shielding materials. Step by step, the book will describe how the mission architecture will evolve, how crews will be selected and trained, and what the mission will entail from launch to landing. However, the focus of "Interplanetary Outpost" is on the human element. The extended duration, logistical challenges, radiation concerns, communication lag times, isolation, and deleterious effects on the human body will conspire to not only significantly impair human performance but also affect the behavior of crewmembers. This book addresses each of these issues in detail while still providing the reader with a background to the necessary elements comprising such a mission.

Genres: Astronomy

261 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2011

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been looking for books that detail what is possible in the near future for interplanetary space travel. Not Buck Rodgers, but what could we build that would take us to Mars and beyond. There isn’t a lot out there in the popular science sections of the bookstore. I came across a couple Springer books by the author that provide a roadmap of how to get ourselves to the outer planets.

NASA has been working on the problem for awhile. The ideas here are all plausible, using technologies that have either been tested on ISS or, at the time of writing have been tested on Earth. The author walks through where to go and how to get there in detail.

The ship is quite interesting. It uses a VASIMR engine and a lot of hydrogen to get from Earth-Luna L1 to Callisto around Jupiter. It also incorporates a gravity generating ring for the crew. The use of inflatable hab sections allows for volume with a reduction in weight.

There is a lot in the later parts of the book that comes down to simple handwaving. There is a lot that still needs to be worked out. Especially around having a crew that far out confined in a small space for four years. The use of hibernation to cut down on supplies is a good direction, but it supposes that it’ll be solved in 20 years.

As an overview, I believe it is a good start. The author is trying to balance the mind numbing technical details with something lay people can be excited over. But I wanted more detail on propulsion and how to build the ship itself. Do know the author loves to use exclamation points in a majority of paragraphs, sometimes several in the same paragraph.

[Kadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was informative and interesting.