- Illuminating the future of interstellar space flight from interdisciplinary perspectives
- Contains contributions from numerous well-known authors, including Andreas Eschbach, Harald Lesch, and many more
- Takes readers on a journey into the depths and vastness of space
Where will interstellar travel take us? Once to the red planet Mars and back again? Or via wormholes to other galaxies? Or will we search for extraterrestrial life in Proxima Centauri, the solar system closest to Earth? Could extrasolar planets in other solar systems offer us a new home? What kind of spacecraft could transport us through the galaxy to the edge of the visible universe? And what if we witness first contact with a highly alien, intelligent species?
If you want answers to these and other exciting questions, then let this book take you on an expedition into the depths and vastness of the cosmic ocean. Your guides include scientists, engineers, science writers, philosophers, artists and writers who will shed light on the adventure of interstellar space flight from various perspectives in an interdisciplinary manner: philosophically, physically, astronomically, technically and artistically.
You don't need any prior knowledge to take a glimpse into the future of space flight for our species – a healthy dose of curiosity is all you need. So, are you ready to take the leap from Homo sapiens to Homo spaciens? Then buckle up – the journey begins!
Table of contents and authors:
- Explorers in space. Andreas Eschbach
- Per aspera ad astra. Hans-Joachim Blome
- The view from the sky – A philosophy of space flight. Ernst-Peter Fischer
- Humans in space – Home in space or uprooted? Florian Rötzer
- Operation Red Sand – Manned Mars Expedition and the Consequences. Raúl Rojas
- Ikaros' Epigones – The fall of the unfit Homo spaciens is great. Harald Lesch, Harald Zaun
- Infinite finite universe – On the immeasurable size of space. Norbert Junkes
- Ignition! – Mission concepts, fictional rockets and propulsion systems. Wolfgang Seboldt
- Cosmic watches tick differently – Space flight, relativistic effects and time dilation. Hans-Joachim Blome
- Extrasolar and exobiological – On the sense and nonsense of exosolar research expeditions. Hakan Kayal
- Interstellar message in a bottle – Messages from Earth aboard Pioneer and Voyager. Andrea Naica-Loebell
- Astral swarm intelligence – Nanosondes and mini-robots in extrasolar realms. Godart Palm
- Artificial intelligence and distant worlds – Robonauts, androids, cyborgs: the astronauts of the future? Klaus Mainzer
- Leap into the stellar-cosmic sea – quantum theory, consciousness and interstellar space flight. Thomas Görnitz
- Exoplanetary Ark – Generational Spaceships and Colonisation of Distant Systems. Dieter B. Herrmann
- Warp Drive – Surfing on the waves of space-time. Martin Tajmar, Hubert Zitt
- Exotic loophole – Through space-time with wormholes. Rüdiger Vaas
- Visitors from the distant past – Bracewell probes and the case of 1I/'Oumuamua. Harald Zaun
- First Contact – Encounters Beyond Earth. Predicting Interstellar Cultural Contact. Michael Schetsche
- Fantastic odysseys in space – The flight to the stars in literature. Christoph Endres
- Arrival – Fictional first contact scenarios via space flight. Bettina Wurche
- You Open the Door – An Intimate Play. Marcus Hammerschmitt
- Epilogue: Quo vadis, Homo spaciens? Ulrich Walter
The editor Harald Zaun (born 1962 in Cologne) has a doctorate in history and studied philosophy.
