Star Settlers: The Billionaires, Geniuses, and Crazed Visionaries Out to Conquer the Universe

Elon Musk and Yuri Milner are among the billionaires who support space settlement. This book explores the waxing and waning interest in space settlement through the decades and the influential subculture that is attempting to shape a multiplanetary future. It offers a historical perspective and a journalistic window into this subculture, exploring the extra-scientific zeal for space travel and settlement and the surreal conceptions underlying the enterprise.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 01 October 2020
Publisher: Pegasus Books

The story behind the elite scientists, technologists, science fiction enthusiasts, and billionaires who believe that humanity's destiny is to populate the stars is a fascinating and complex one. This new book delves into the waxing and waning of interest in space settlement over the decades, offering a journalistic tour through the influential subculture that is attempting to shape a multiplanetary future.

What motivates figures such as billionaires Elon Musk and Yuri Milner? How important have science fiction authors and filmmakers been in stirring enthusiasm for actual space exploration and settlement? Is there a coherent motivating philosophy and ethic behind the spacefaring dream?

Star Settlers provides both a historical perspective and a journalistic window into this peculiar subculture, packed with members of the scientific, intellectual, and economic elite. This timely work captures the extra-scientific zeal for space travel and settlement, places it in its historical context, and tackles the somewhat surreal conceptions underlying the enterprise and prognoses for its future.

The book explores the various motivations behind space settlement, from scientific curiosity and the desire to expand human knowledge to the more practical concerns of resource scarcity and climate change. It also examines the role that science fiction has played in shaping public perception of space travel and settlement, from the classic works of Jules Verne and Arthur C. Clarke to more recent films such as "Star Wars" and "The Martian."

One of the key themes of the book is the tension between the idealistic vision of space settlement and the practical realities of implementing such an endeavor. The authors argue that while space settlement is a fascinating and exciting concept, it is not without its challenges and risks. For example, the cost of launching and maintaining a space station or colony is astronomical, and the logistics of sustaining human life in space are complex and challenging.

Despite these challenges, the authors believe that space settlement is a worthwhile endeavor that has the potential to benefit humanity in many ways. For example, it could provide a new source of resources, such as water and metals, that are in short supply on Earth. It could also serve as a stepping stone to further exploration of the solar system and beyond, and could help to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing the carbon footprint of human civilization.

The book also explores the various challenges that must be overcome to achieve space settlement, including the need for new technologies and materials, the need for international cooperation, and the ethical considerations of colonizing other planets. The authors argue that while space settlement is a complex and challenging endeavor, it is not impossible and that with the right combination of resources, technology, and vision, it could become a reality in the coming decades.

In conclusion, Star Settlers is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that offers a unique perspective on the growing interest in space settlement. It provides a historical overview of the topic, explores the various motivations behind the enterprise, and tackles the practical challenges and risks involved. The authors argue that space settlement is a worthwhile endeavor that has the potential to benefit humanity in many ways, and that with the right
The story behind the elite scientists, technologists, science fiction enthusiasts, and billionaires who believe that humanity's destiny is to populate the stars is a fascinating and complex one. This new book delves into the waxing and waning of interest in space settlement over the decades, offering a journalistic tour through the influential subculture that is attempting to shape a multiplanetary future.

What motivates figures such as billionaires Elon Musk and Yuri Milner? How important have science fiction authors and filmmakers been in stirring enthusiasm for actual space exploration and settlement? Is there a coherent motivating philosophy and ethic behind the spacefaring dream?

Star Settlers provides both a historical perspective and a journalistic window into this peculiar subculture, packed with members of the scientific, intellectual, and economic elite. This timely work captures the extra-scientific zeal for space travel and settlement, places it in its historical context, and tackles the somewhat surreal conceptions underlying the enterprise and prognoses for its future.

The book explores the various motivations behind space settlement, from scientific curiosity and the desire to expand human knowledge to the more practical concerns of resource scarcity and climate change. It also examines the role that science fiction has played in shaping public perception of space travel and settlement, from the classic works of Jules Verne and Arthur C. Clarke to more recent films such as "Star Wars" and "The Martian."

One of the key themes of the book is the tension between the idealistic vision of space settlement and the practical realities of implementing such an endeavor. The authors argue that while space settlement is a fascinating and exciting concept, it is not without its challenges and risks. For example, the cost of launching and maintaining a space station or colony is astronomical, and the logistics of sustaining human life in space are complex and challenging.

Despite these challenges, the authors believe that space settlement is a worthwhile endeavor that has the potential to benefit humanity in many ways. For example, it could provide a new source of resources, such as water and metals, that are in short supply on Earth. It could also serve as a stepping stone to further exploration of the solar system and beyond, and could help to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing the carbon footprint.

The book also explores the various challenges that must be overcome to achieve space settlement, including the need for new technologies and materials, the need for international cooperation, and the ethical considerations of colonizing other planets. The authors argue that while space settlement is a complex and challenging endeavor, it is not impossible and that with the right format of resources, technology, and vision, it could become a reality in the coming decades.

In conclusion, Star Settlers is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that offers a unique perspective on the growing interest in space settlement. It provides a historical overview of the topic, explores the various motivations behind the enterprise, and tackles the practical challenges and risks involved. The authors argue that space settlement is a worthwhile endeavor that has the potential to benefit humanity in many ways, and that with the right format of resources, technology, and vision, it could become a reality in the coming decades.

Weight: 480g
Dimension: 163 x 239 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781643134482