Voyage to the Milky Way

Goldsmith, an astronomer and science writer (The Ultimate Einstein), takes an exciting leap into the next century in this levelheaded survey of what space exploration may hold in store. By 2008, he predicts, a dozen astronauts should be able to live in a low earth orbit for as long as they like on the International Space Station. Buoyed by the 1998 discovery that ice lies beneath craters near the moon's poles, he envisages future lunar colonies run by solar or nuclear power and perhaps functioning independently of Earth. Goldsmith steers a middle course between space zealotry and skepticism in this lucidly written, intelligent probe. Appalled at would-be space colonizers who want to immediately begin ""terraforming"" Mars so that the red planet will more closely resemble Earth, he points out the enormous risks of contamination posed by such an undertaking. Nevertheless, he believes that an expedition to Mars is very likely within the next 50 years. Other projects he considers include mining asteroids for minerals and visiting Europa, one of Jupiter's four larger moons, to determine whether its covering of ice conceals a global ocean. Running through his text is the raging debate over whether government or private enterprise furnishes the best means of advancing space exploration. Goldsmith ponders the uncharted social and political terrain any space colonists will face, and he remains open to the possibility that the cosmos teems with life, including advanced civilizations. His coverage of controversies over whether cosmic wormholes and faster-than-light particles exist, and his speculative overview of futuristic interstellar propulsion systems, round out an enlightening report from the cosmological frontier. 16 pages of color photos not seen by PW. (July)