The Space Business: From Hotels in Orbit to Mining the Moon - How Private Enterprise is Transforming Space

Description

Twentieth century space exploration may have belonged to state-funded giants such as NASA, but there is a parallel history which has set the template for the future. Even before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, private companies were exploiting space via communication satellites - a sector that is seeing exponential growth in the internet age. In human spaceflight, too, commercialisation is making itself felt. Billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have long trumpeted plans to make space travel a possibility for ordinary people and those ideas are inching ever closer to reality. At the same time, other companies plan to mine the Moon for helium-3, or asteroids for precious metals. Science writer Andrew May takes an entertaining, in-depth look at the triumphs and heroic failures of our quixotic quest to commercialise the final frontier.

Andrew May is a freelance writer and science consultant. The Space Businessis his fourth book in the Hot Science series, followingDestination Mars,Cosmic Impact, andAstrobiology. He lives in Somerset.

We enjoyed this book, and it is a thought provoking read as we move into an exciting new phase of space activity. * Irish Tech News * Easy to read, detailed and extremely well-researched - and fascinating to boot. * How it Works *