The Starflight Handbook

by Eugene F. Mallove, Eugene F. Mallove

The Starflight Handbook A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel"The Starflight Handbook is an indispensable compendium of the manyand varied methods for traversing the vast interstellar gulf--don'tleave the Solar System without it!" --Robert Forward "Verysensible, very complete and useful. Its good use of references andtechnical 'sidebars' adds to the book and allows the nontechnicaltext to be used by ordinary readers in an easy fashion. I certainlywould recommend this book to anyone doing any thinking at all aboutinterstellar flight or the notion of possibilities of contactsbetween hypothetical civilizations in different stat systems."--Louis Friedman Executive Director, The Planetary Society TheStarflight Handbook is the first and only compendium on planetEarth of the radical new technologies now on the drawing boards ofsome of our smartest and most imaginative space scientists andengineers. Scientists and engineers as well as general readers willbe captivated by its:
* In-depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsionengines to in-flight navigation, in flowing, non-technicallanguage
* Sidebars and appendices cover technical and mathematical conceptsin detail
* Seventy-five elegant and enlightening illustrations depictingstarships and their hardware

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Space, Technology, Engineering, Astronomy

274 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Kaesa]

I picked this up for fic research (only the best for my spaceship-on-guy porn!) and I'm going to be honest, I picked something very outdated to avoid AI bullshit and because I wanted weird worldbuilding ideas more than hard facts, and so I liked reading this but I cannot judge the reliability of it at all, because I have no background in physics beyond three semesters crammed into one very sleep-deprived summer, very little of it applicable to the topic of spaceflight. So all I can talk about is the writing and how the subject matter is handled.

Anyway, this has some neat ideas about possible propulsion methods for long-term (and I mean REALLY long-term) interstellar space exploration, and it's not necessarily optimistic but man, it really wants to be, with all its discussion of global nuclear disarmament and hopes that the world might decide to pool its scientific resources to pursue long-term space travel instead of nuclear war. That said, there is SO much math in this, and, you know, I'm decent at math but it's not always super well explained to the layperson. I will find the appendix listing nearby stars super useful, and I don't at all regret reading it.

What it doesn't have is much about keeping people alive during really long-term interstellar space exploration missions, so I'm going to have to keep looking for more resources on that. (For my spaceship-on-guy porn, you see. It's important to me that I have good worldbuilding in the background while these idiots are hooking up.)

[Enrique Mañas]

Loved it! The book starts (and keeps) the optimism of the 70s and 80s in space exploration, and some chapters have not aged that well (whereas the one on planetary observation correctly identifies the methods mainly used, it cannot properly predict the revolution of exoplanets discovery this decade.

The author also claimed that maths should not deter a reader from understanding this book, and as a reader with oxidated maths, I can recall this - they are sufficiently explained, and always as an addendum to the main narrative thread.

All-in-all, a fantastic compendium of the main aspects surrounding space exploration.

[John Carter McKnight]

The introduction promises, "if you are not fluent in mathematics, fear not." Not so: The Starflight Handbook is about half math by volume, and the math seems better-written than the text, which is clumsy at best. The "starflight" and "travel" in the title are a subtle clue to the context: the book is almost entirely about proposed propulsion systems, circa the mid-80s.

For what it is, it's an excellent secondary source: unlike too many books in the field, it's got an extensive bibliography, including references to massive bibliographic collections (many thousands of academic journal articles - who knew?).

If you prefer equations to words, it's a good source to draw from. Otherwise, pick up Centauri Dreams instead, which is actually a very good book, much newer, and written by an author, not a physicist.

[Brent Werness]

One of the best books on the methods people are considering for interstellar travel. The thing that sets this book apart is that it focuses on providing the ideas behind as many techniques as possible while still giving technical details (some equations etc) enough to have an understanding a little deeper than only words could provide. All ideas are carefully illustrated enhancing the understanding farther. It's only issue is that we've learned a lot since this book was published so some sections (particularly the one on ramscoops) are no longer accurate to current thought. My highest recommendation for someone who wants an easy and entertaining read on interstellar spacecraft design!

[Devon]

A "light" overview of the engineering and astrophysical challenges of interstellar flight. Good information about our near stellar neighbors and other data tables available. The analysis of interstellar propulsion systems is the dominant topic, as it should be considering the difficulties, and the authors do an honest job of assessing a wide range of non-magical propulsion techniques.

[Eoghan Odinsson]

This book has excellent instruction in the fundamentals of the physics and science behind real space travel, as well as discussing hypothetical possibilities.

This book is over 20 years old however, and there have been a few discoveries since then, but the basic science is still sound. A useful reference for sure.

[Chris]

A must for anyone interesting in interstellar travel, using the means we know to be available at the moment. (Sorry, no hyperspace, ultraspace, warps etc.) A serious look at possible ways to get to nearby stars using solar sails, ion drive and other methods. Bottom line -- it's not going to be fast or easy, but it is possible.

[Johnathan Barazzuol]

If you've found his book and this stuff is your bag then you won't be disappointed. I frequently reread sections of this book that especially engaged me. Its a great reference for sci-fi daydreamers or aspiring authors alike and I can't recommend this book enough.

[Pedro Enguita]

A surprisingly good introductory book about interestellar flight. It's amazing how checks every possible technology, without being too dense and it permits even a few bits of irony that make the lecture quite fun.

[Kozmo Kliegl]

Shows us a few valid ideas how to get off this rock (only the slow ways so far feasable) and make a mark in this multiverse