Table Of ContentThe
PLANETARY REPORT
Volume XXIX Number 5 September/October 2009
Planetology
From The Editor
IcanneverpredictatwhatmomentsI’llmiss On the Cover:
CarlSagan.ItmightbewhenIhearanew SpaceshuttleastronautstookthisopticalphotoofRussia’sKliuchevskoi
resultfromtheexplorationofTitan,aworld volcanointheearlyhoursofitseruptiononSeptember30,1994.The
whoseorganicchemistrywasoneofCarl’s ashplume,whichreachedaheightofmorethan18kilometers(about
researchspecialties.OrmaybewhenItryto 11miles),isemergingfromaventonthenorthflankofKliuchevshoi,
endadisputewithanotherPlanetarySociety whichispartiallyhiddeninthisviewbytheplumeanditsshadow.The
stafferbyasking,“WhatwouldCarlsay?” small,whitishsteamplumenearthephoto’scenterisemanatingfrom
Hewasmybossfor16years,andIreliedon thedomeofacompanionvolcano,Bezymianny.Thisispartofasequence
himforinsight,support,andinspiration.No ofphotosthatfirstallowedscientiststoimagethroughashandcloud.
onecanreplacehim. Toseearadarversionofthisphoto,gotojpl.nasa.gov/radar/sircxsar/
Carlwouldhavecelebratedhis75thbirthday kliucomp.html.
thisNovember9,andwiththatdatelooming, Image:NASA
I—alongwithallthestaffatThePlanetary
Society—havebeenthinkingalotabouthow Background:
torememberhim. OnSeptember6,2009,theAdvancedSpaceborneThermalEmission
Traditionalmemorialsarestaticthings, andReflectionRadiometer(ASTER)instrumentonNASA’sTerrasatel-
whetherstonesplantedinthegroundorelegies litecapturedthissimulatednatural-colorimageoftheStationfire,
thatfadeawaytosilence.Howmuchbetterit burningintheSanGabrielMountainsnorthofLosAngeles.Smoke
wouldbetocreatesomethingthatgrows, fromtheactivelyburningareaisvisibleontherightsideoftheimage.
builds,andplantstheseedsforthefuturethat Thelargepurple-grayareadominatingthepictureshowsthedestruc-
Carlhelpedusimagine.Thisiswhatweare tionofforestandchaparralinwhatwouldgrowtobecomethelargest
tryingtodowiththeCarlSaganFundforthe fireinthehistoryofLosAngelesCounty.
Future.
Image:NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROSandUnitedStates/JapanASTERScienceTeam
You’llreadaboutthefundinthisissueof
ThePlanetaryReport;you’llsoonbereceiving
aletterdetailinghowitwillwork.Asyouread,
Ihopeyou’llconsiderhowyoucanhelpus
createalivingandgrowingmemorialtoCarl,
onethatwillseedtheexplorationofthesolar
systemthatwas,afterall,thereasonhehelped
foundourSocietyallthoseyearsago.
Sonow,whenImissCarl,Ifeellikewe’re
Contact Us
pushingopenadoortoletinthefuturehe
MailingAddress:ThePlanetarySociety,
envisioned.Thereisnobetterwaytohonorhim.
65NorthCatalinaAvenue,Pasadena,CA91106-2301
—CharleneM.Anderson
GeneralCalls:626-793-5100
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E-mail:[email protected]
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ThePlanetaryReport(ISSN0736-3680)ispublishedbimonthlyattheeditorialofficesofThePlanetary
Society,65NorthCatalinaAvenue,PasadenaCA91106-2301,626-793-5100.Itisavailabletomembersof
ThePlanetarySociety.AnnualduesintheUnitedStatesare$30(U.S.dollars);inCanada,$40(Canadian
dollars).Duesinothercountriesare$45(U.S.dollars).PrintedinUSA.Third-classpostageatPasadena,
California,andatanadditionalmailingoffice.CanadaPostAgreementNumber87424.
Editor,CHARLENEM.ANDERSON CopyEditor,A.J.SOBCZAK
AssociateEditor,DONNAESCANDONSTEVENS Proofreader,LOISSMITH
ManagingEditor,JENNIFERVAUGHN ArtDirector,BARBARAS.SMITH
TechnicalEditor,JAMESD.BURKE ScienceEditor,BRUCEBETTS
Viewpointsexpressedincolumnsandeditorialsarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyrepresent
positionsofThePlanetarySociety,itsofficers,oritsadvisers.©2009byThePlanetarySociety.
2
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
Cofounder
CARLSAGAN
1934–1996
BoardofDirectors
ChairmanoftheBoard
DANGERACI
ChairmanandCEO,
ClubAchilles—TheIronAge
President
JAMESBELL
ProfessorofAstronomy,CornellUniversity
VicePresident
BILLNYE
scienceeducator
ExecutiveDirector
LOUISD.FRIEDMAN
HEIDIHAMMEL
SeniorResearchScientistandCo-Director,
Research,SpaceScienceInstitute
Contents
G.SCOTTHUBBARD
professor,StanfordUniversity
WESLEYT.HUNTRESSJR.
DirectorEmeritus,GeophysicalLaboratory,
4 We Make It Happen! CarnegieInstitutionofWashington
LONLEVIN
SkySevenVentures
Project Roundup
ALEXISLIVANOS
CorporateVicePresidentandChiefTechnologyOfficer,
NorthropGrumman
by Bruce Betts AdvisoryCouncilChair
CHRISTOPHERP.McKAY
planetaryscientist
BRUCEMURRAY
ProfessorofPlanetaryScienceandGeology,
8 Out of This World Books CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology
ELONMUSK
ChairmanandCEO,SpaceX
JOSEPHRYAN
RyanInvestments,LLP
12 Planetology:
STEVENSPIELBERG
directorandproducer
Viewing Earth in Context BIJAL“BEE”THAKORE
RegionalCoordinatorforAsiaPacific,
SpaceGenerationAdvisoryCouncil
by Tom Jones and Ellen Stofan NEILdeGRASSETYSON
AstrophysicistandDirector,
HaydenPlanetarium,
AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory
GEORGEYANCOPOULOS
PresidentandChiefScientificOfficer,
RegeneronResearchLaborabories
18 World Watch
InternationalCouncil
20 Questions and Answers ROGER-MAURICEBONNET
ExecutiveDirector,
InternationalSpaceScienceInstitute
22 Society News YASUNORIMATOGAWA
AssociateExecutiveDirector,
JapanAerospaceExplorationAgency
23 Members’ Dialogue MAMORUMOHRI
Director,NationalMuseum
ofEmergingScienceandInnovation
RISTOPELLINEN
DirectorofScienceinSpaceResearch,
FinnishMeteorologicalInstitute
AdvisoryCouncil
BUZZALDRIN
RICHARDBERENDZEN
JACQUESBLAMONT
RAYBRADBURY
ROBERT.D.BRAUN
DAVIDBRIN
JAMESCANTRELL
FRANKLINCHANG-DIAZ
FRANKDRAKE
OWENGARRIOTT
GARRYE.HUNT
BRUCEJAKOSKY
THOMASD.JONES
SERGEIKAPITSA
CHARLESE.KOHLHASEJR.
LAURIELESHIN
JOHNM.LOGSDON
JONLOMBERG
ROSALYLOPES
HANSMARK
JOHNMINOGUE
ROBERTPICARDO
JOHNRHYS-DAVIES
KIMSTANLEYROBINSON
DONNAL.SHIRLEY
A KEVINSTUBE
PUBLICATION
OF 3
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
W e M a k e I t H a p p e n !
P r o j e c t R o u n d u p
Above:ThisaerialphotooftheBajadadelDiablocraterfieldinArgentina
by Bruce Betts
showsmanycircularimpactcraters.MaximilianoRoccausedimageslike
thistoidentifytheareaasacraterfield. Photo:InstitutoGeograficoMilitar
WealwayshavealotgoingonatThePlanetarySociety, ThePlanetarySociety’scofounderbyhelpingtokeep
soforthisprojectreport,IdecidedI’dbringyouupto aliveourshareddreamofaspacefaringfuture.
speedonafewrecentdevelopments. TheSaganFundwillallowustopursueinnovative
ideastoadvanceusfarther,faster,andmorecreatively
Announcing the Carl Sagan Fund intospace.Newpropulsionsystems,moresensitive
for the Future detectors,elegantexperiments—weexpectallthisand
ThePlanetarySocietyis moretoresultfromournewfund.
proudtounveiltheCarl ThankstosupportfromourMembers,imaginative
SaganFundfortheFuture researcherswithgreatideaswon’trunintoabrickwall;
inconnectionwiththe they’llmoveforwardwiththebackingtheyneed,atthe
75thanniversaryofCarl momenttheyneedit.
Sagan’sbirth,whichwill TohelpourstaffandourBoardofDirectorsguide
Planetary beonNovember9,2009. thefund,wehaveengagedanesteemedNewVentures
Society
TheSaganFundwill Committeemadeupofspaceexpertsfromavarietyof
cofounder
CarlSagan. provideseedmoneyfor disciplines.Withtheirassistance,weplantoseedfund
Photo:The excellenthigh-risk/high- newworkinareasfrompropulsiontoscientificmysteries,
Planetary
rewardideas,criticalin tobetterwaystogatherEarthclimatedata,tonew
Society
anerawhenNASAhas planetaryexplorationtechniques.Tofindthebestideas,
beenforcedtokillsome wewillsolicitproposalsfromresearchers.Thebestof
ofitsprograms.The theproposedprojectswillbeincludedinthefundbased
SaganFundhonorsthe uponthequalityoftheproposalsandfundingavailable.
4 enduringinspirationof TheCarlSaganFundfortheFuturebuildsuponour
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
This350-meter-widecrater
isoneofmorethan100in
theBajadadelDiablocrater
field.Thepicturewastaken
duringascientifictripto
Patagoniain2007.
Photo:DanielAcevezo
pastabilitiestomovequicklyandfundoutstandingproj- theirprogresswithyouherein“WeMakeItHappen!”
ects,suchasSETI@Home,near-Earthobjectprojects, andonourwebsiteatplanetary.org.
researchonthePioneeranomaly,andflyingtheMars
Microphone.TheSaganFundwilluseourstrengths Near-Earth Objects:
whileprovidinggreaterflexibilityandreach. A Really, Really Big Crater Field
Sagan’sworkwasoneofthereasonsIwentintoplan- CongratulationsareduetoMaximilianoRoccaforhis
etaryscience,andhislegacyisofgreatinteresttome studiesofimpactcratersonEarth.Inparticular,Max
bothpersonallyandbecausehewasoneofThePlane- focusesonuncoveringpotentialnewimpactstructures
tarySociety’scofounders.Oncewebeginfundingnew usingaerialandsatellitephotographs.Maxrecentlyco-
projectsfromtheSaganFund,Ilookforwardtosharing authoredapaperinthescientificjournalGeomorphology
TheMilkyWayfrom
GlacierPointin
YosemiteNationalPark.
Moonlightstillillumi-
natesHalfDomeandthe
highSierrasbeyond.
Whilethecolorsofthe
MilkyWayarevisible
onlyinlong-exposure
photographs,mostof
thedetailisvisibleto
thenakedeyeifyou
takethetimetolook.
Photo:TylerNordgren
5
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
What’s Up? (leadauthorR.D.Acevedo)identifyingthelargest
impactcraterfieldintheSouthernHemisphere—the
BajadadelDiablocraterfieldinArgentina.Max’s
In the Sky—October and studieshelpedleadtohiscoauthors’investigationof
November thecraters,includingdoingfieldgeologyinremote
Intheearlyevening,Jupiteristhebrighteststar- Patagonia.Amazingly,therearemorethan100
likeobjectinthesky,appearinghighinthesouth cratersfrom100metersto500metersindiameter.
inOctoberandmovingtowardthelowerwestin Thecratersinthefieldformedatthesametime,ei-
NovemberandDecember.Itwillappearnearthe therfromthebreakupofoneobjectorfromaswarm
MoononOctober26andNovember23.Before ofobjectsenteringtheatmospheretogether.
dawn,extremelybrightVenusislowintheeast.
Near-Earth Objects: Award
Saturnappearsaboveit,getshigherastheweeks
Congratulationstotwo-timePlanetarySociety
pass,andappearsclosetothecrescentMoonon
ShoemakerNearEarthObjectsGrantrecipient
November12.ReddishMarsishighinthepredawn
RobertE.Holmes,whoreceiveda2009EdgarWilson
sky,brighteningastheweekspass.TheGeminids
AwardforhisdiscoveryofcometC/2008N1.The
meteorshowerpeaksonDecember14.Tradition-
WilsonAwardisgiveneveryyearbytheCentral
allythebestoftheyear,theGeminidsshower
BureauforAstronomicalTelegrams(CBAT)for
averagesmorethan60meteorsperhourfroma
darksite—andthisyear,itoccursaroundthe
timeofthenewMoon,whentheskiesare
particularlydark.
Random Space Fact
IohasthehighestsurfacegravityoftheGalilean
satellites;it’sabout10percenthigherthanthe
surfacegravityontheEarth’sMoon.
Trivia Contest
OurMarch/AprilcontestwinnerisDeniseR.
PriceofRenton,Washington.Congratulations!
TheQuestionwas:SincewhatdatehastheInter-
nationalSpaceStationbeencontinuouslystaffed
(hadpeopleonboardconstantly)?TheAnsweris:
November2,2000.
Trytowinafreeyear’sPlanetarySocietymember-
shipandaPlanetaryRadioT-shirtbyanswering
thisquestion:
Whowasthefirstpersontospendmorethanone
dayinspace?
RobertHolmesoftheAstronomicalResearchInstituteinIllinois
[email protected]
isThePlanetarySociety’sfirstrepeatShoemakerNEOgrant
ormailyouranswertoThePlanetaryReport,65North recipient,havingwonawardsin2007and2009.Robertrecently
CatalinaAvenue,Pasadena,CA91106.Makesureyou receivedanEdgarWilsonAwardforhisdiscoveryofcomet
includetheanswerandyourname,mailingaddress,and C/2008N1. PhotocourtesyRobertHolmes
e-mailaddress(ifyouhaveone).
SubmissionsmustbereceivedbyDecember1,2009.
Thewinnerwillbechosenbyarandomdrawingfrom
discoveriesofcometsbyamateurastronomers.
amongallthecorrectentriesreceived.
Holmes’AstronomicalResearchInstitutehasdis-
Foraweeklydoseof“What’sUp?”completewith
coveredvariousasteroidsandhasprovidedtensof
humor,aweeklytriviacontest,andarangeofsigni-
ficantspaceandsciencefictionguests,listento thousandsofaccuratemeasurementsoftheorbits
PlanetaryRadioatplanetary.org/radio. ofpotentiallydangerousnear-Earthobjects.The
institutealsoactivelyinvolvesclassroomsaround
6 theworldinthehunt.
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
National Parks and Space
AstronomerandphysicsprofessorTylerNordgrenhas
returnedtoteachingafteraone-yearjourneyacross
theAmericanlandscapepartiallyfundedbyThePlan-
etarySociety.Duringthisjourney,Tylervisitedtwelve
parksintwelvemonths,fromtheicygrandeurof
DenaliNationalParkinAlaskatotheredrocksand
steep-walledcanyonsofBryceCanyonNationalPark
inUtah.Ashemetwithparkexpertsandvisitors,he
examinedthethemesthatlinktheparkstootherland-
scapesinthesolarsystem.Tyler’sreportsfromeach
parkandamazingimagesofthenightskywithpark
landscapesintheforegroundareonourwebsite
(checkthemoutatplanetary.org/parks).
Nordgrenhasrecentlypostedanepilogueonour
websiteabouthisfollow-onvisittoYosemiteandpre-
sentations.HeisworkingwiththeNationalParkSer-
viceonutilizingthedarkskiesoftheparkstoinspire
andeducatevisitorsaboutspace,andnextspringhe
willhavehisbookabouthisjourneypublished.
More Cool Exoplanets
Lotsofnewlydiscoveredexoplanetshavebeenadded
toourCatalogofExoplanetsinthelastfewmonths.
Thecurrenttotalismorethan360planetsdiscovered
aroundotherstars.Checkthemout,includingour
uniqueorbitalsimulationdiagramsforeach,online
atplanetary.org/exoplanets.We’vealsoaddedmore
planetstoourNotableExoplanetspage,whichhigh-
lightssomeoftheexoplanetsthatstandoutfromthe
crowd.
Youcanalsofindrecentarticlesonourwebsite
aboutsomeexoticnewdiscoveries,includinga
planetorbitingretrograde(oppositethedirectionof
itsparentstar’srotation)andinformationonearly readyforlaunchonboardtheRussianPhobos-Grunt
scienceresultsfromNASA’sKeplermission. spacemission.LIFEwillbreaknewgroundintesting
thesurvivabilityoflifetravelingthroughdeepspace
Phobos LIFE Ready for Launch (seetheJuly/August2009issueofThePlanetary
Afterthreeyearsofhardwork,ourPhobosLIFE Report).
(LivingInterplanetaryFlightExperiment)biomodule Ourtitaniumbiomodulecontains10well-studied
organismsrepresentingthethreedomainsoflife—
eukaryotea,bacteria,andarchaea.Ifanyofthese
organismssurvivethethree-yeartriptoPhobosand
back,thatwillprovideevidencesupportingthe
transpermiahypothesis—thepossibilitythatlifecan
travelfromplanettoplanetinsiderocksblastedoff
oneplanetarysurfacebyimpact.
Atthetimeofthiswriting,thePhobos-Gruntlaunch
wasstillonscheduleformid-October2009from
Kazakhstan.Finalreviewsofthespacecraftremainto
bedone,sothepossibilityexiststhatthelaunchwill
bedelayedtwoyears,tothenextMars/Phoboslaunch
opportunityin2011.Staytunedtoplanetary.organd
tothiscolumnforupdatesonthestatusofthemission
andThePlanetarySociety’sPhobosLIFEproject.
OurPhobosLIFEbiomodule—abouthalfthesizeofahockey is
puck—hasbeenintegratedintothePhobos-Gruntspacecraft BruceBettsisdirectorofprojectsforThePlanetary
andisawaitinglaunch. Photo:BruceBetts,ThePlanetarySociety Society. 7
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
TheCosmicConnection:How exampleofthepositionofEarthinthehabitable
AstronomicalEventsImpactLifeonEarth zoneofoursolarsystem(nottoohot,nottoocold)to
byJeffKanipe lesser-knownfacts,suchastherelativelycalmplace
PrometheusBooks,263pp. wecurrentlyoccupyinourgalaxyandinspacein
$27.95,hardcover general.AsauthorJeffKanipesaysinthebook,“Hey,
it’samazingwe’rehere.”
A
lthoughastronom- Healsodiscussesthefuture.Atsomepoint,bad
icaleventsarenot thingsmayhappen.Some,suchasanasteroidimpact,
somethingmostpeople couldhappensoon.Others,suchasgalactic“collisions,”
thinkabout,lifeon arebillionsofyearsoff.Thisbookdoesanicejobof
Earthhasbeenpro- givinganappreciationforhowluckywearetobe
foundlyaffectedby here,aswellasanoteofcautionforourfuture.
themandwillcontinue —BruceBetts,PlanetarySocietyDirectorofProjects
tobe.Thisisthetheme
ofTheCosmicConnec- MyLifeinSpace:TheStoryBehindNASA’s
tion:HowAstronomi- AmazingPicturesofthePlanets
calEventsImpactLife byWilliamB.Green
onEarth.Theauthor BookSurgePublishing,248pp.
takesreadersonafas- $47.99,softcover
cinatingjourney
M
throughavarietyof yLifein
cosmicphenomenathat Spaceis
eitherhaveaffectedlife theself-published
onEarthorcoulddoso memoirofaman
inthefuture. whoplayeda
Theauthoroften centralroleinthe
leadsintoanastro- productionofthe
nomicaltopicwithan awe-inspiringim-
exampleofsomething agesfromtheJet
onEarth—forexample,theexpansionandrecession PropulsionLabo-
ofaFrenchglacier,ashistoricallydocumentedand ratory’srobotic
capturedinpaintings,leadingtodiscussionofpossi- missions.William
blesolarfluxandclimatechanges.Fromthis“Little Greenbeganhis
IceAge”toameteoritehittingacar,hegivesreal- professionalcareer
worldexamplesofthingsaffectedbyastronomical in1960,atthe
phenomena. dawnofcomput-
Thewiderangeoftopicsincludesclimatevariability, ing.Hestarted
solarfluxvariations,solarstorms,asteroidimpacts, workatJPL’s
andsupernovae.Allhavehadprofoundimpactsonlife ImageProcessing
onEarth,stronglyaffectingthecourseofevolution Laboratoryin
leadingtohumans,andallhavepotentialimpacts,so 1969,whereheledtheteamresponsibleforprocess-
tospeak,onourfuture. ingimagesfromMariner9.HiscareeratJPLspanned
Thebookcontainsasectionofimagestosupport threedecadesandsawthesuccessesoftheMariner9
itsdiscussions.Italsocontainsathoroughsetoffoot- and10,Viking,Voyager,Galileo,andMarsPathfinder
notedreferences. missions.Sincethen,he’sgoneontoconsultonSpitzer
Anotherrelatedthemeinthebookishowafortu- SpaceTelescope,Phoenix,Kepler,WISE,andJames
itoussetof“coincidences”ledtolifeonEartheven WebbSpaceTelescopemissions.
8 beingpossible.Theserangefromthewell-known Thebookisanenthrallingaccountofthehardwork,
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
struggles,conflicts,andtriumphsthathappenbehind Niccolini,consummatediplomatandtheGrandDuke’s
thescenesofeveryspacemission.It’salsoachronicle legatetoRome;andofnumerousothers.When,inthe
ofthedevelopmentofimagingtechnologyoninterplan- book’sfinalchapters,thesecolorfulpersonagesclash
etaryspacecraft,writteninaconversationaltonethatis inGalileo’strial,readerswitnessnotonlyanideological
easyforthelaypersontounderstand.AsGreentellsthe contestbetweenscienceandreligionbutalsoagripping
storiesofwhatittooktodevelopcamerasandproduce humandrama.
beautifulandscientificallyvaluableimages,healso Hofstadterdoesnotlimithimselftothetraditional
debunkssomemyths(suchasthosesurroundingthe issuesoftheGalileoAffairbutplacesitinthebroader
infamous“bluesky”imagefromthefirstVikinglander), cultureoftheperiod.Insomeofthemostoriginalparts
clearlyexplainssomebefuddlingNASA-speak,and ofthebook,herelatesthehypothesisofthemoving
shineslightontheinternalorganizationofNASAmis- EarthtoswirlingBaroqueaestheticschampionedbythe
sionsandthetensionsthatexistamongengineers,science pope’sfavorite,Bernini.Elsewhereheshowshowthe
teams,missionmanagers,pressofficers,andNASA strugglebetweennotionsofamovingandstableEarth
higher-ups. wasplayedoutinfrescoesoftheheavensthatadorned
GreenpublishedMyLifeinSpacehimselfthrougha thedomesofmanyBaroquechurches.Thecommitment
companyownedbyAmazon.com;becauseofthis,itwas toastationaryEarth,hearguesconvincingly,wasnot
notprofessionallyeditedandsoisabitrougharound onlydoctrinalbutalsodeeplycultural,rootedinthe
theedges.Inaway,though,thataddstothebook’s powerfulimageryofDante’scosmos.
verisimilitude:itcontainsthewarstoriesofaretired TheEarthMovesisareadableandentertainingac-
soldierwhosecampaignshavetakenhimtodestinations countofGalileo’sriseandfall,butitismuchmore
acrossthesolarsystem.Green’smemoircapturesnearly thanthat.Itprobesdeepintothedifferentlayersofthe
allofthehistoryofinterplanetaryexplorationandex- GalileoAffair—thedoctrinalissues,thephilosophical
posesthefoundationsonwhichcurrentmissionsstand. stakes,thepersonaldynamics,andtheculturalcontext.
—EmilyStewartLakdawalla,PlanetarySocietyScience Hofstadterweavesallthesestrandstogetherseamlessly
andTechnologyCoordinator toproduceacomplexyetgrippingnarrative.Ihighly
recommendit.
TheEarthMoves: —AmirAlexander,PlanetarySocietyWriter/Editor
GalileoandtheRomanInquisition
byDanHofstadter Moon3-D:TheLunarSurfaceComestoLife
W.W.Norton,240pp. byJimBell
$23.95,hardcover Sterling,160pp.
$19.95,hardcover(withred/greenglasses)
A
lmostexactly
J
400years imBellfollows
ago,inthefallof hissuccessful
1609,aprofessor bookaboutMars
attheUniversity in3-Dwiththis
ofPaduanamed oneaboutthe
GalileoGalilei Moon.Again,the
builtatelescope deviceisinnova-
andpointeditto- tive:thebookis
wardtheheavens. boundinsucha
Whathesawthere waythatthereader,
changedhumans’ pokinghisorher
viewoftheworld nosethrougha
forever. holeinthefront
Thestoryof coverandview-
Galileohasbeen ingaright-side
toldmanytimes, pagethroughred
butrarelywith andgreenstereo
suchclarityand filters,seesan
verveasinDanHofstadter’sTheEarthMoves.Galileo, imageindepth.
brilliantandstubbornbutalsoinsensitivetothefeelings Atfirst,the
andmotivesofothers,comestolifeinHofstadter’s effectisremark-
depiction.ThesameistrueofPopeUrbanVIII,torn able.Justasviewersusedtobeastonishedby3-Dina
betweenhisloveofartandlearningandhiscommitment Victorianstereopticon,theinitialexperiencehereis
tothedoctrinalauthorityoftheChurch;ofFrancesco exciting.Afterawhile,yougetusedtoit,andafter 9
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
somemorelooking,you—likeme—mayhavehad biology,awholenewfieldofsciencewhosediscover-
enough.Thepicturesarethewonderfulresultofan iesmaysomedayturnouttorivalthoseofCopernicus
elaborateprocesspatientlyexecutedbytheauthorand orEinstein.Thebiographersalsointroducereadersto
publisher,leadingtoperhapstoomuchofagood Sagan’spersonallifeandsomeofthemanypeoplehe
thing. touchedsodeeply.ThefoundingofThePlanetary
Bell’stext,ontheotherhand,isatreasure,asarethe Societyiscoveredinasectiontitled“Promoting
two-dimensionalimagesdisplayedonleft-sidepages. PlanetaryScienceandSETI.”
ItishugelyenjoyabletoonewholivedthroughApollo Althoughthisisagoodbookforreadersofallages,
anditsroboticprecursorsandfollowerstosee— I’despeciallyrecommendittoyoungpeople—say,
throughtheeyesofsomeonewhowasjustakiddur- thosebornaftertheCosmosTVserieswasshownon
ingtheheroicage—thegreatMoonRace,itssudden PBS.Thereisnowagenerationgrowingupwhowere
collapse,thewasteddecadesthatfollowed,and,finally, bornafterSagandied.Sadly,manyofthemhavebeen
today’smodestrecovery.Belleloquentlydescribesthe inschoolduringatimeofwidespreaddenigrationof
magicofthoseaudaciouslunarmissionsandofthe science,atleastintheUnitedStates.Saganprovided
ancientMoonitself,givingreadersarenewedand apowerfulantidotetoanti-intellectual,anti-science
thrillingsenseofwhathumanscandowhendrivento attitudes.Onewondersifhisuntimelydeath(andthe
risetogreatness. similarlyuntimelydeathofStephenJayGouldin
—JamesD.Burke,PlanetaryReportTechnicalEditor 2002)wasn’tinsomewayapartoftheshiftaway
fromscience.
CarlSagan:ABiography Theoldestinthisgenerationarejustbecoming
byRaySpangenburgandKitMoser teenagers,abouttoputtheirmarkandtheirattitudes
Prometheus,167pp. intothemainstreamofhumanlife.Republishingthis
$16.95,softcover veryreadablebiographyisverytimely,andIhopeit
introducesSagantoawholenewgeneration.
T
hisbiographyisan —LouisD.Friedman,PlanetarySocietyExecutive
excellentintroduction Director
toCarlSaganandhis
scientificinterests.Itis TheDrunkard’sWalk:
alsoveryreadable,and HowRandomnessRulesOurLives
itsomehowmanagesto byLeonardMlodinow
fitwithinits167pages VintageReprintedition,272pp.
awide-ranginglookat $15.00,softcover
Sagan’scareer,thecol-
M
leagueswhoinfluenced lodinow
him,andthescientific takesadif-
topicsthathepursued. ficultandcounter-
Italsocaptures,albeit intuitivesubject—
briefly,someofthecon- randomnessand
troversiesthatdogged statistics—and
himand,atthesame explainsquiteabit
time,madehimsointer- aboutitinavery
estingandsoinfluential entertainingand
withthepublic. informativebook.
Sagan’sattitudesabout Byusingexamples
way-outideasoftencon- “rippedfromto-
fusedpeopleandsome- day’sheadlines”—
timescausedhimtobemisunderstood.Forinstance, suchasassigning
headvancedthesearchforextraterrestriallifewhile individualblame
healsodebunkedthesearchforancientastronautsand orcredittocompa-
purportedevidenceofUFOs.SpangenburgandMoser nyexecutives,the
dealwellwithSagan’srigorandscientificdiscipline, makingandlosing
whichdemandedextraordinaryevidenceforextraor- offortunes,the
dinaryclaims.Theytakereadersonatourthrough statisticsofsportsstars,andthemakingofasuccess-
Sagan’sentirelife,fromhisboyhoodinBrooklynand fulcareerinHollywood—heshowshowrandomness
NewJersey,throughhisbroadandmultifacetedaca- rulesourlivesinwayswemaynotsuspect.
demictraining,tothejoyousdiscoveriesaboutthe Healsoprovidesthereaderwithlotsofpartyice-
otherworldsinoursolarsystemmadepossibleby breakers,withquestionsthatsoundliketheyhave
10 spaceexploration,andthentohisleadershipinastro- obviousanswersbutturnouttobemuchtrickier.For
THEPLANETARYREPORT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2009
