The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology

by Steven J. Dick, James E. Strick

The Living Universe is a comprehensive, historically nuanced study of the formation of the new scientific discipline of exobiology and its transformation into astrobiology. Among many other themes, the authors analyze how research on the origin of life became wedded to the search for life on other planets and for extraterrestrial intelligence. Many scientific breakthroughs of the last forty years were either directly supported or indirectly spun off from NASA’s exobiology program, including cell symbiosis, the discovery of the Archaea, and the theories of Nuclear Winter and the asteroid extinction of the dinosaurs. Exobiology and astrobiology have generated public fascination, enormous public relations benefits for NASA, and––on the flip side of the coin––some of the most heated political wrangling ever seen in government science funding. Dick and Strick provide a riveting overview of the search for life throughout the universe, with all of the Earthly complexities of a science-in-the-making and the imperfect humans called scientists. Their book will appeal to biologists, historians and philosophers of science, planetary scientists (including geologists), and an educated general readership interested in the investigation of life on other planets.  

Genres: Science, Space

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Steven J. Dick is an American astronomer, author, and historian of science most noted for his work in the field of astrobiology. He served as the NASA Chief Historian and Director of the NASA History Office from 2003 to 2009 and, prior to that, as an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory for more than two decades.

Reviews

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very rough start, history as a list of names, dates and grant amounts. After a couple ghastly chapters, it becomes a solid social history of science. The chapters on Viking and the search for extrasolar planets are particularly good: a complex picture of conflicts among paradigms and disciplines, in a stew of personal and institutional conflict.

The book has no theory nor overarching theme, other than the gradual and conditional growth of interdisciplinarity. Still, as case studies, the latter chapters are quite good for STS/history of science use.

[Elizabeth]

As recommended by NASA.