Audiobook9 hours
Dr Space Junk vs The Universe: Archaeology and the Future
Written by Alice Gorman and Adam Roberts
Narrated by Cat Gould
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Alice Gorman is a space archaeologist: she examines the artifacts of human encounters with space. These objects, left behind on Earth and in space, can be massive (dead satellites in eternal orbit) or tiny (discarded zip ties around a defunct space antenna). They can be bold (an American flag on the moon) or hopeful (messages from Earth sent into deep space). They raise interesting questions: Why did Elon Musk feel compelled to send a red Tesla into space? What accounts for the multiple rocket-themed playgrounds constructed after the Russians launched Sputnik? Gorman-affectionately known as "Dr Space Junk"-takes readers on a journey through the solar system and beyond, deploying space artifacts, historical explorations, and even the occasional cocktail recipe in search of the ways that we make space meaningful.
Engaging and erudite, Gorman recounts her background as a (nonspace) archaeologist and how she became interested in space artifacts. She shows us her own piece of space junk: a fragment of the fuel tank insulation from Skylab, the NASA spacecraft that crash landed in Western Australia in 1979. She explains that the conventional view of the space race as "the triumph of the white, male American astronaut" seems inadequate; what really interests her, she says, is how everyday people engage with space.
Engaging and erudite, Gorman recounts her background as a (nonspace) archaeologist and how she became interested in space artifacts. She shows us her own piece of space junk: a fragment of the fuel tank insulation from Skylab, the NASA spacecraft that crash landed in Western Australia in 1979. She explains that the conventional view of the space race as "the triumph of the white, male American astronaut" seems inadequate; what really interests her, she says, is how everyday people engage with space.
Related to Dr Space Junk vs The Universe
Related audiobooks
Look Up: Our story with the stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNot Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide to Life in the Space Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Missions to Mars: A New Era of Rover and Spacecraft Discovery on the Red Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Space 2069: After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alien Perspective: A New View of Humanity and the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Science of Science Fiction: The Influence of Film and Fiction on the Science and Culture of Our Times Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration, and Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Weightless World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dinner on Mars: The Technologies That Will Feed the Red Planet and Transform Agriculture on Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mission: A True Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sol Majestic: A novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kings of a Dead World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mutiny at Vesta Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Land of Wondrous Cold: The Race to Discover Antarctica and Unlock the Secrets of Its Ice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGalaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barbary Station Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIce Rivers: A Story of Glaciers, Wilderness, and Humanity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Aviation & Aeronautics For You
Private Pilot Blueprint Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Airplane Flying Handbook: FAA-H-8083-3B (Federal Aviation Administration) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Disappearing Act: The Impossible Case of MH370 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Killing Zone, 2nd edition: How and Why Pilots Die Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of the Moon: A Guide to Our Closest Neighbor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pass Your Commercial Pilot Checkride Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5FAA Part 107 Drone Exam AudioLearn: Complete Audio Review for the Remote Pilot Certification Exam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlying the SR-71 Blackbird: In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: FAA-H-8083-25B (Federal Aviation Administration) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Days of the Concorde: The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Hindenburg: The Untold Story of the Tragedy, the Nazi Secrets, and the Quest to Rule the Skies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Aviation Instructor's Handbook: FAA-H-8083-9B (Federal Aviation Administration) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Highest Duty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Picking Through The Pieces: The Life Story of an Aircraft Accident Investigator Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collision on Tenerife: The How and Why of the World's Worst Aviation Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pass Your Instrument Pilot Checkride 2.0: Your Examiner's Favorite Checkride Questions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Future of Geography: How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How We'll Live on Mars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Man On the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Dr Space Junk vs The Universe
Rating: 3.3333333333333335 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
6 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5File under: Not bad, not great. This book is equal parts life in science, field work, and prognostication, and it feels like two or three strong essays are struggling to get out; as opposed to being a collection of bullet points orbiting a gravity well. I do come away from this book feeling like I'd enjoy going drinking with Dr. Gorman, but there had to be a better way to organize this work. Some of the semi-humorous asides were of "dad joke" levels of groan-worthiness, whereas I would have liked more actual archeology theory.