Space On Earth: Saving Our World by Seeking Others
by Charles Cockell
Sir Arthur Clarke Award Winner
 |
|
|||||||||||
Reviews:
“Cockell's fascinating, impassioned book could convert even the most skeptical — infectious.” Publishers Weekly
‘Compelling and well-written - easily accessible to the layman and the expert. If there is to be a bright future ahead of us, the goals set down by Cockell will surely be at the heart of it.' Astronomy Now
“Charles Cockell is right to think that we can better understand the earth by visiting the other planets.” James Lovelock, author of The Revenge of Gaia
“An extensive, masterful case that environmental science and space science are powerful partners.” Frank Drake, Director, SETI Institute, California
“In this lucid and upbeat book, Cockell urges us to seek the stars in full reverence of our home world.” Don White, President, Earthtrust, Hawaii
“A powerful way to gain an understanding of how our planet works is to compare and contrast it with others in the solar system. This remarkable book links our stewardship of life on Earth with our quest to explore the universe. We must do both.” Malcolm Walter, Director, Australian Centre for Astrobiology
Praise for previous book, Impossible Extinctions:
‘A highly readable primer on the basics of the new discipline of astrobiology.’ Endeavour
‘Worth reading. Recommended to the lay reader and can also be quickly read by a professional.’ Nature
‘An informative yet humorous book written in a colloquial style - fascinating.’ Journal of the British Astronomical Association
Description
Many environmentalists think going into space detracts from solving problems here on Earth. Many astrophysicists feel environmentalism hampers their exploration and settlement of space. Actually environmentalism and space exploration have one and the same objective, argues leading astro-biologist Professor Charles Cockell: to ensure humanity has a home.
Cockell calls for a fusion of the two movements as the only way forward. The technologies we develop to live sustainably on Earth, such as wind and solar power, will also establish humanity in space. The exploration of space will provide new resources and skills for the protection of the Earth’s environment. For example, studying extreme environments on Earth is helping us to look for life on Mars and satellites orbiting Earth are helping track hurricanes and protect people from natural disasters.
There are many books on environmentalism and many on space faring. Space On Earth is the first to provide a new vision of humanity’s future bringing these two goals together.
Author Biography
Professor Charles Cockell is currently Chair of Microbiology at the Open University. He has written and edited six books including Impossible Extinction (2003 CUP) about microbes’ survival after natural catastrophes. Following his doctorate at the University of Oxford, Professor Cockell worked for NASA and British Antarctic Survey. He has led expeditions to Mongolia and Indonesia, among other places, to study life in extreme environments. He is Chair of the Earth and Space Foundation and in 1990 stood in the UK national elections for the ‘Forward to Mars Party’ advocating more British involvement in Mars exploration. He won 91 votes.