Review

When I picked the book, I was expecting this book to read a bit like a sci-fi book, perhaps like Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red/Green/Blue Mars series. I had expected the book to detail how a society may form on Mars, what technology could make it happen and so on.

I don’t know why I had that expectation.

This is a much more sobering read, shining a light on the current state of the field, and why wait and go big will be a better approach to take.

This book also seems like an excellent resource in case I want to write a sci-fi book with space travel elements in it at some point. The Weinersmiths have done the research. I could reference it.

The book takes you, the reader, through all the challenges in planning a long term future in space. The book is funny. The book is entertaining, though there were sections where I was mentally checked out.

The book talks about the different challenges - biological, physical, law related, and psychological to setting up a base in space - the moon, on mars, and maybe some moons which are absolutely shit.

Our best bet maybe lava tubes on the moon.

It was an entertaining read, though it put a damper on space travel and exploration for me.

Notes

Based on the current data, carefully selected personnel don’t seem to have any mental health issues. Astronauts though tend to lie.