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Space travel understandably captures the imagination of people around the world. When Tim Peake visited the International Space Station in 2015, the story of his journey was not only told in classrooms and in newspapers in the UK — it was covered around the globe. The mystery of the cosmos is incredibly interesting, which is perhaps why Ad Astra is such an engaging read.
The book aims to cover every part of space travel, but rather than simply explaining the history of the scientific exploration of space chronologically, author Dallas Campbell instead suggests that we take a trip with him up into the stars to see them for ourselves.
As such, the book begins by explaining how to build rockets, whether or not you can take your dog with you, and explores the tests that astronauts need to pass if they want to make it to the launchpad. From there it discusses the realities of space travel, from the suits you wear to the food you eat, before venturing further to predict the future of space travel and discuss the idea of visiting Mars and beyond.
Campbell’s writing style is light and conversational, with regular asides and footnotes that will raise a smile. However, don’t be fooled — a huge amount of research has gone into writing Ad Astra, and as a result you’ll find all kinds of unmissable stories and facts within his prose. We were astonished that one test for prospective astronauts included folding 1,000
Author: Dallas Campbell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Price: £16.99 (approx. $23)
Release date: Out now
origami cranes — to prove you had what it takes, every one had to be identical!
Later in the book we were gripped by the story of Michael Foale, an astronaut on the ISS who had helped three Russian cosmonauts when the station was struck by a supply craft that failed to dock correctly. It was only the hard work, quick thinking and mathematical smarts of the astronauts that stopped the station from becoming another piece of wreckage spinning around the Earth. Interviews with astronauts are spread throughout the book to offer some hands-on insight too.
There are times when we wanted a little less detail on some aspects of space flight and a little more on others. But these were few and far between — for the most part Ad Astra proved to be an excellent way of exploring space without leaving the comfort of your armchair. Therefore it’s a highly recommended read for anyone with a love of outer space.