Beyond Jupiter: The Worlds of Tomorrow

by Arthur C. Clarke, Chesley Bonestell (Painter)

Arthur C. Clarke is famous for his books and lectures on science and science fiction. Here Clarke explores what we already know about the outer planets and what a probe might discover there. "Beyond Jupiter" contains the truly extraordinary illustrations of Chesley Bonestell, an artist internationally known for his ability to paint astronomical subjects with such perfection that his work is sometimes mistaken for photographs - even by astronomers.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Stories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.

He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.

Reviews

[Jeff Greason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated now but not so much as one might expect; a look at the Solar System as we thought it was in the early 1970's, when Mariner had shown us Venus and Mars, but we hadn't yet visited the outer solar system. Bought it for the collection of beautiful Bonestell illustrations, but the text by Arthur C. Clarke is good as well.

One line stood out:


"And one day, Phobos may be very important. There are a few billion tons of building material there, conveniently orbiting at the approaches to Mars. This little offshore island may be a meeting place for the commerce of the planets, in the centuries to come."

[Bert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the artwork of Chesley Bonestell. The book is speculative, written in the early 70's and anticipates the Voyager probes' exploration of the outer planets starting in the late 70's. A good reminder of how far we've come in unmanned space exploration in the last few decades.