Murmurs of Earth

Sagan, Carl. Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record. New York: Random House 1978. Print.

First Sentences:

 

On August 20th and September 5th, 1977, two extraordinary spacecraft called Voyager were launched into the stars. After what promises to be a detailed and thoroughly dramatic exploration of the outer solar system from Jupiter to Uranus between 1979 and 1986, these space vehicles will slowly leave the solar systems -- emissaries of Earth to the realm of the stars. Affixed to each Voyager craft is a gold-coated copper phonograph record as a message to possible extraterrestrial civilizations that might encounter the space craft in some distant space and time.


Description:

I cannot remember the last time a book made me say, on every page, "Wow, That's really interesting." The book which dis that for me is Carl Sagan's Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record, a detailed recounting of the idea, organization, experts, and final decisions involved in sending a message from Earth's humans out into the universe.

Sagan and his team of experts, from scientist to musicians to artists, were tasked to create something that could piggyback on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977 to provide a description of Earth and its inhabitants to any life form in the universe who happens upon it. The Voyagers were sent to explore Jupiter and Uranus, then launch themselves out of the solar system and into the unknown beyond, traveling indefinitely for billions (yes, billions) of years.

Even quite optimistic estimates place the nearest civilization at a few hundred light-years, where a light-year is almost six trillion miles. It would take our present spacecraft some tens of thousands of years to go the distance of the nearest star, and several tens of millions of years to travel this estimated distance to the nearest other civilization.

So first, Sagan and team had to decide on the medium to present this information, settling on a two-sided metal record and an accompanying player as the most durable, long-lasting medium. (Remember, the project was slated to last a billion years.) Of course, the team had to also create clear instructions on what the disk and player were and how to use them in order for non-humans to interpret the data, a huge challenge in itself.

Here is what Science News writer Jonathan Eberhart said of the project at that time:

Describe the world. Not just that multi-colored ball in the spacecraft photos, but the world -- its place in space, its diverse biota, its wide-ranging cultures with their lifestyles, arts, and technologies -- everything, or at least enough to get the idea across. And do it on one long-playing record.

Oh, there's one stipulation: Assume not only that your audience doesn't speak your language, but that it has never even heard of the Earth or the rest of the solar system. An audience that lives, say, on a planet orbiting another star, light-years away from anything you would recognize as home. 

Once the concept of sending a message was approved by NASA, Sagan was given the deadline to provide a complete recording disk in six weeks. Inconceivable, but NASA made it clear that it was impossible to stretch that deadline.

So what exactly should be included in this limited space? Sagan's team concluded that there should be text and photographs on one side of the disc and music on the other. But what text? What songs or other audio? Which photos? Here is their summary of the decisions made:

Affixed to each Voyager craft is a gold-coated copper phonograph record as a message to possible extraterrestrial civilizations that might encounter the spacecraft in some distant space and time. Each record contains 118 photographs of our planet, ourselves, and our civilization; almost 90 minutes of the world's greatest music; an evolutionary audio essay on "The Sounds of Earth': and greetings in almost sixty human languages (and one whale language).

Sagan's essay in Murmurs of Earth gently, clearly walks us through each phase of this challenging selection process. To introduce different languages, representatives from the United Nations were allowed to voice a brief message in their own language. Music was suggested by experts in ethnomusicology, classical, and modern genres (including "Prelude and Fugue in C" by Bach to "Pygmy Girls' Initiation Song" from Zaire, "Tchakrulo" Georgian chant, "Navajo Night Chant," "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor" by Beethoven, and "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry). 

Photos were selected from archives of National Geographic magazine, the Cornell University library, and shots created specially for this project. Since this was to be a description of the entire world, every country naturally wanted to be consulted and represented, so addressing their needs and suggestions was an added challenge.

And wonderfully, Murmurs of Earth contains all the photos included on the Voyager disk, complete with descriptions and reasons why each particular photo was selected. All music recordings are also listed, again complete with descriptions and stories behind the selection. 

Biologist Lewis Thomas, when asked what message he would send, replied "I would send the complete works of Johan Sebastian Bach." "But that" he added in an aside, "would be boasting."

The chosen text was typed out and then photographed to more easily and permanently be placed on the record, with enough instructional information to make logical connections to language, mathematics, and astronomy for any intelligent being to (hopefully) understand.

Usually, I put torn scraps of paper in books while I'm reading to mark significant passages, unusual writing, or unexpected ideas. In Murmurs of Earth, I found myself marking almost every page. Astonishment, enlightenment, joy, and thrills were recorded in virtually every paragraph of Sagan's matter-of-fact prose, totally engrossing a reader into the complexity and importance of this project. 

 

There are also essays by F.D. Drake to explain the systematic ordering of language and scientific text; by Jon Lomberg on the photographs chosen; Ann Druyan on sounds from Earth; and Timothy Ferris on Voyager's music. Each essay is highly-readable and fascinating in its scope, as well as for the patience from each writer to ensure in layman's language that every reader understands the thorough selection process and value of the piece included.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is readable, fascinating, awe-inspiring, challenging, and beautifully inspirational. Go get it and revel in the diversity and quality of human, their creations, and the world we live in. 

Here is a list of the complete contents of the Voyager Golden Disk:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contents_of_the_Voyager_Golden_Record

(P.S. After reading the selections made by Sagan's team in music, photography, and text, what items would you include for a new message to other civilizations? A fun, challenging thought process.)

Happy reading. 

 

Fred

More book recommendations

About The First Sentence Reader blog

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Al-Khalili, Jim. Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterestrial Life,.   

The author assembled a team or renowned scientists to write essays on many aspects of potential extraterrestrial life, including such topics as "Identifying the Signs of Life on Distant Worlds," "Why Aliens Might Visit Us," "Abducted," "Flying Saucers: A Brief History of Sightings and Conspiracies," "Aliens in Science Fiction Writing," and many moire. Fascinating, challenging reading. (previously reviewed here)

 

Project Hail Mary

Weir, Andy. Project Hail Mary. New York: Ballantine 2021. Print

First Sentences:

"What's twp plus two?

Something about the question irritates me. I'm tired. I drift back to sleep.

A few minutes pass, then I hear it again.

"What's two plus two?

The soft, feminine voice lacks emotion and the pronunciation is identical to the previous time she said it. It's a computer. A computer is hassling me. I'm even more irritated now.

Description:

When I heard last year that Andy Weir, author of The Martian, had finished another science fiction novel (emphasis on the "science"), I marked my calendar for its publication date. Haven't ever done that before. So when Project Hail Mary finally came out, I was already on my library's "reserve" list and one of the first readers of that book in our area.

What a writer Andy Weir is: imaginative, scietific, ingenious, snarky, and best of all, a page-turning story-teller. And Project Hail Mary is a lulu of a tale.

Ryland Grace wakes to find himself in a strangely sterile room, unable to move his limbs, listening to a computer voice. Where is he? Gradually, his memory and body begin to return and he realizes he is the sole survivor on a space ship heading to a distant star. And not to just any star, but one that holds a secret that might mean the survival of a doomed Earth.

Alternating chapters between Grace's backstory and his current deep space mission, Weir unravels the current situation. An unknown microbe is slowly sapping the energy from the Sun, and at such an alarming rate that within a few decades the heat and light the Earth require will be extinguished. Astronomers have also discovered other stars in the galaxy which are experiencing similar energy loss -- all but one, that is, and this is the star Ryland Grace is heading toward.

But as these pieces slowly unfold in his memory and he arrives at this unique destination, he notices something strange. There's another space ship in the same area. Friend or foe? Similar purpose or unknown intentions? Grace knows he will have to meet this other ship and crew, and then deal with ensuing consequences. 

He also realizes his mission is designed to be only one-way. He is to find out why this star is not losing its energy, send his conclusions back to Earth via robot pods, and then live out his days in space since there was no room on his ship to carry food for the 18-year return trip.

Each chapter leaves Grace in a new quandry, facing a dificult decision, wondering what decisions to make, and how to deal with an alien. All these challenges are cleverly presented via Grace's stream of consciousness and self-discussions as he works through each obstacle with scientific reasoning, logic, and common sense.

It is an incredibly readable book, chock full of reasonable-sounding science that make data and complex operations understandable to laymen like me. It's truly a gripping story that will keep you guessing as to how Grace can possible find success with yet another challenge. Right up to the last pages, it is impossible to predict what he will face next.

That's all you get. If you want more, you'll just have to sit down for a few days and immerse yourself in this future environment where one man tries to save the world. Sounds like a hackneyed topic, but in the hands of author Weir, the story is anything but formulalistic. Read it. Read it. Read it. I give Project Hail Mary my highest recommendation.  

Happy reading. 

Fred

Other book recommendations
About The First Sentence Reader blog

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Weir, Andy. The Martian.   

Accidentally left alone on Mars by his fellow astronaut team, Mark Watney must learn how to make his presence known to them and Earth so a rescue mission might be created... and he has to figure out how to survive for the months before any hope of another ship could come for him.  (previously reviewed here)

Stephenson, Neil. Seveneves.   

"The Moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason." Has there ever been a better first sentence? The people of the world realize the end of life on Earth will be caused by fallout of pieces from moon in less than two years. Therefore, they must work together to mount a rocket with representatives from Earth to preserve the species for eons until the planet becomes inhabitable again. Incredible, scientific yet readable, and thoroughly engrossing. My highest recommendation.  (previously reviewed here)

 

Apollo 8

Kluger, Jeffrey. Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon. New York: Holt 2017. Print

First Sentences:

August 1968 

The last thing Frank Borman needed was a phone call when he was trying to fly his spacecraft. 

No astronaut ever wanted to hear a ringing phone when he was in the middle of a flight, but when the spacecraft was an Apollo, any interruption was pretty much unforgivable. 

Description:

I admit it. I love books about space, NASA programs, and memoirs from astronauts. Here's a great book to add to any fellow space-lover's reading list: Jeffrey Kluger's Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon. This well-researched book is chock full of inside stories, data, interviews, and photos about the first manned space flight to the moon. Apollo 8 details every thrill, problem, and personality to allow readers to experience every aspect of this history-making flight.

In 1968, the United State was experiencing difficult times. Assassinations, Vietnam, civil rights protests, and the Cold War filled the newspapers. Even NASA was on shaky ground after the fiery deaths of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on the Apollo 1 launchpad. Therefore, NASA scrapped the next two Apollo missions to revamp all safety procedures, and used unmanned spacecraft for the Apollo 4-6 flights. Apollo 7, the first three-man Earth orbital mission, had problems with both the spacecraft and the crew who complained constantly during their flight about the craft and conditions. (NASA made sure none of these men was allowed to fly into space again.)

NASA needed some good publicity to increase interest from the citizens and government. They therefore decided to upgrade the mission of Apollo 8 from a simple Earth orbit into one that would head to the Moon. It would be humankind's first flight outside our own orbit. NASA even decided to add orbits of the Moon to take photos of potential landing sites and, for the first time ever, bring back scenes from the dark side of the moon. These ambitious goals would certainly catch the interest of the world!

Frank Broman, Jim Lovell, Bill Anders were the crew. NASA hoped these men would rise to the challenge of the more complex flight plan and the revamped training necessary to succeed in the daring mission. And NASA wanted these astronauts and flight to succeed with such perfection that Americans would recover from the Apollo 1 deaths and Apollo 7 sloppiness to again feel proud of the US space program. As a bonus, such an ambitious flight would make the Russians realize how far the US was pulling ahead in the space race.

There were 5.6 million separate parts in the command and service module...which meant that even if everything functioned 99.9 percent perfectly, 5,600 parts might go bad. 

The mission required Apollo use the giant, untested Saturn V rocket to break Earth's orbit. Designer Wernher von Braun assured NASA that the rocket would be ready for the 16-week launch date. Now all that was needed was for :

1. The Earth to be at the precise spot in its rotation for launch, orbit, moon shot to achieve the proper angles;
2. The Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to be in position under the returning spacecraft 6 days later for splashdown;
3. The Moon to be in proper phase for illumination of possible landing site photos

Astronauts and Mission Control staff practiced simulations of every procedure and problems thrown in. Trainers would disable three of the Saturn engines just after launch, kill communications systems, have individual systems break down and give the men three minutes to solve the problems.

In-flight problems still arose. For example, Commander Bormann was nauseated throughout the flight. Stored bags of urine leaked. Temperatures inside sun-facing spacecraft stayed at a steady 80 degrees. Along with the reality of three men living for six days in a small space, these factors combined to produce a definite ripeness to the air in the spacecraft. 

Many more fascinating details emerge from Apollo 8, including the history of the formation of the moon. Author Kluger describes how 4.5 billion years ago a passing body collided with Earth to knock it off its axis to create our seasons and send a ring of dust around our planet that after a billion years condensed into the Moon.

The highlight of the mission was the Christmas TV broadcast from Moon orbit where each man gave his personal impressions of Moon to the vast audience on Earth. Each recited portions of the Genesis biblical verses ("In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth..."), and the listeners were awestruck.

There is so much more, but I will prevent myself from revealing additional wonderful details to those who want to read and savor this historic account for themselves, and to stop myself from boring any who are not space enthusiasts. Apollo 8 is an important piece of the space program puzzle that eventually put humans on the Moon. I found Apollo 8 to be a fascinating documentation of this flight. It was riveting for an armchair astronaut like me to be part of each step for this particular mission.

Happy reading. 

Fred

Other book recommendations
About The First Sentence Reader blog

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Burrows, William E. This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age  

The most complete history of the space program, from initial experiments with rockets to landing on the moon and beyond. Loads of conversations, memos, speeches, flights, triumphs and failures, and the people behind all of these. Interesting because it draws on documents from the Soviet Union to follow the birth and development of their space program as well. 

Cernan, Eugene and Don Davis. The Last Man on the Moon  

Biography of Gene Cernan and his adventures in NASA from Gemini to Apollo to setting the final footprints on the moon. Wonderfully narrated by Cernan as he recalls the training, excitement, frustrations, and eventual rewards for his first space walk and eventual moon walk. (previously reviewed here)

Space Odyssey

Benson, Michael. Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece New York: Simon & Schuster. 2018. Print.

First Sentences:

Things were not going well at the Ceylon Astronomical Association.

Description:

I'm sure every commercial film has an interesting backstory and anecdotes relating to its creation, people, filming, and eventual premier. But when the film is arguably the most thought-provoking, original, technically-innovative masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, then the stories about every aspect and person who helped create it have to be the most riveting imaginable. 

Michael Benson in his brilliant Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece, delivers a breathtaking history behind the making of this film. From the original vague idea hammered out by sci-fi superstar author Arthur C. Clarke and brilliant director Stanley Kubrick to the never-seen-before scenes of space, Space Odyssey covers each intriguing idea and ingenious method necessary (or discarded) to bring the concept to film, all without the aid of computers. 

In 1964, Kubrick sought out Arthur C. Clarke, the best sci-fi writer, to create a story and film that was something completely new, inspiring, and thought-provoking. Together they watched every sci-fi movie, read every space-related book and story, and collected voluminous amounts of photos, articles, interviews, technologies, and everything else that might inspire them.

[Kubrick's factors to consider for every film] - Was it interesting? Was it believable? And, was it beautiful or aesthetically superior?

Eventually Kubrick chose Clarke's story The Sentinal as the basis for 2001, a story which focused on an alien creation found on the moon that, once exposed to sunlight, sent a signal across the universe to alert another civilization... to do what? The 2001 plot, characters, and especially the ending were all loosely defined and constantly argued over during filming, to be re-conceived and even completely abandoned over the next years. But always, 2001 was defined by Kubrick's goals to create a work that was "accurate scientifically" and tied "to current research of all kinds." Psychedelia, technology, NASA, and many more areas were carefully studied, and every conceivable expert was interviewed for opinions and ideas.

The entire project was kept completely secret from the media, public, and even the studio who had recently green-lighted Kubrick for any new movie after his international success with Dr. Strangelove. Of course, there were plenty of snags with 2001 along with the triumphs and lessons learned, and author Benson carefully details them all: 

• 2001 was filmed using 70mm film, a huge medium meant to replicate the new, popular Cinerama technique without requiring multiple cameras.

• To find the right music for the score, Kubrick gave an assistant the equivalent of $5,000 to buy a wide selection of modern classical records (selling for about $2 each). The assistant returned with "his station wagon so jammed with vinyl it sagged visibly."

• HAL's final song, "Daisy Bell," was chosen in homage to the first song ever sung by a computer, recorded in 1962 in the Bell Labs;

• Stars on an inky space background were created using a solution of military turpentine and specks of paint flicked into the mix. Fumes were overpowering. A team of "blobbers" was hired to paint over minute white stars on each frame of film to hide unwanted stars;

• The original 12' tall by 2' thick monolith was created of clear plastic, but didn't film well so the extremely expensive piece was discarded. The new, equally costly black monolith had a surface so highly polished that it constantly showed dusty hand prints during the Dawn of Man and moon scenes;

• The rotating gravity centrifuge wheel of Discovery was 35' high and needed a new, specially-reinforced floor in the studio to support it and the cameras;

• Space helmets, to maintain realism, had no holes to release the stuntman's exhaled carbon dioxide . Filming with helmets was limited to 15 minutes or when the actor passed out, whichever came first;

• Kubrick, a former photojournalist for Look magazine, took Polaroid photos continually throughout the filming to get an idea of what a 3-D scene would look like on the final flat movie screen;

• Vivian Kubrick, the director's four-year-old daughter, played a key on-screen role as Heywood Floyd's daughter who was called on video phone from the lunar transport;

• Gary Lockwood, one of the lead actors, gambled so much with the crew that one man stopped showing up for work because he owed Lockwood so much money;

• Moonwatcher, the man-ape who leads the cluster of apes to fight, was played by a famous mime, Don Richtner, who choreographed all the Dawn of Man scenes;

• Arthur C. Clarke wrote and continually edited a voice-over narration that would help explain some of the abstract scenes and plots, but at the very last minute of editing the film, Kubrick scrapped the idea, leaving just silence;

The book is jam-packed with similar stories, scenes, equipment, conversations, dreams, and frustrations presented chronologically by author Benson. Space Odyssey chronicles the talented engineers, cinematographers, animators, and actors who, without the use of computers, over the period of four years, created the film. Benson even recounts the disastrous New York premier for critics (many of whom walked out of the screening) as well as the subsequent triumph for public movie-goers (who lined up for hours to watch and re-watch the film). 

In short, I loved this and devoured it every chance I got to read it. It is the kind of book you make time for, guard your quiet and privacy while reading, and talk the ears off of anyone around you as you re-tell an anecdote or quote, and in general sing its praises.

Of course, it is most highly recommended. And since this is the fiftieth anniversary of the film's release, I get to see the movie next week in its original 70mm glory. Can't wait.

Two possibilities exist: either we're alone in the universe, or we're not. Both are equally terrifying. - Arthur C Clarke

It is extremely difficult to represent any alien on the screen without either scaring, or amusing, an audience. But unless you show something, people will feel cheated. - Stanley Kubrick

Happy reading. 

Fred

Other book recommendations
About The First Sentence Reader blog

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Weir, Andy. The Martian  

One astronaut is accidentlly left behind as dead on Mars when his crew blasts off. Now he must use his wits to survive until someone realizes he is alive and can send a rescue mission months in the future. Excellent. (previously reviewed here)

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles  

Series of chronological-set short stories about the populating, dominance, and eventual fall of Earth explorers on the planet Mars. (previously reviewed here)

Artemis

Weir, Andy. Artemis: A Novel. New York: Crown 2017. Print.

First Sentences:

I bounded over the gray, dusty terrain toward the huge dome of Conrad Bubble.

Its airlock, ringed with red lights, stood distressingly far away. It's hard to run with a hundred kilograms of gear on -- even in lunar gravity. But you'd be amazed how fast you can hustle when your life is on the line.

Description:

So begins the newest, seat-of-your-pants action, Sci-fi novel from Andy Weir, author of The Martian. In Artemis: A Novel, Weir once again brilliantly depicts life on another world, this time the setting is the Moon in the permanent colony, Artemis. 

Jasmine Bashara, the young woman racing for her life in the first sentences, is a long-time resident in this new world. She is a survivor, currently working as a lowly transport specialist, loading and delivering cargo from supply rockets. But Jazz has dreams of becoming an EVA Guild member. Such a membership would allow her to don a space suit and conduct lucrative outings for visitors outside the city's protective bubble to tour the original Moon landing site. Unfortunately, during her Guild qualification test, her second-hand suit fails and she barely makes it back to safety. Failure, with no second chance for six months.

So Jazz goes back to her real money-making profession: smuggling contraband from Earth into the closed system of Artemis. This job, along with her street savvy, leads to an shady opportunity to finally make enough "slugs" (Artemis currency) to live a much better life than her current grubby situation. The proposed caper involves sabotage, science, and illegal excursions outside the bubble from a person with ultimate self-confidence, all of which Jazz thinks she can handle. 

The operation goes well - until things fall apart. Her promised million slugs are quickly slipping away unless she can dream up another, even more daring plan. But the bad guys and a few good guys have suspicions about her secret involvement with this operation and soon become involved. And thus the real action of Artemis commences.

Weir cleverly mixes the science behind a living community on the Moon throughout the plot. He introduces the giant, interconnected bubbles housing the cities and various support systems: the handheld Gizmos communication/information devices; the production of aluminum and oxygen for building and survival; and the coffin-size sleeping beds available to the poor. 

Everything must function smoothly for such an intricate closed system to survive and grow. When something (or someone) threatens the colony, drastic measures are taken. Artemis welcomes people who can contribute, but does not hesitate to deport back to Earth anyone deemed undesirable. Such a city must have a hierarchy of individuals to keep order among those who choose to live on Artemis, from Jazz at the bottom up through techno geeks, EVA Guild members, bartenders serving fake beer, police enforcers, industrialists, and an overall Administrator who oversees Artemis using any means to succeed for the good of the city. Each has an important role in Weir's colony. 

Told in Jazz's snarky, street-wise voice, Artemis is a lively story full of surprises, interesting science, and non-stop situations with clever solutions much like The Martian. The details imagined by Weir along with the clever survivor, Jazz, and the nefarious plots all combine to deliver a imaginative, scientific story full of complexities both environmental and human. Weir comes through again. Wonder when his next novel will come out?

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Weir, Andy. The Martian  

One astronaut is accidentally left behind as dead on Mars when his crew blasts off. Now he must use his wits to survive until someone realizes he is alive and can send a rescue mission months in the future. Excellent. (previously reviewed here)

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles  

Series of chronological-set short stories about the populating, dominance, and eventual fall of Earth explorers on the planet Mars. (previously reviewed here)

Aliens

Al-Khalili, Jim, ed. Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterestrial Life. New York: Picador. 2016. Print.

First Sentences:

Extraterrestrial life and alien intelligence have always been fascinating topics on the speculative fringe of science. 

But in the last decade or two, serious advances on several fronts have generated wider interest in these subjects. They have become almost "mainstream" -- vibrant frontiers of science. 

Description:

Who isn't in some way curious about the possibile existence of outer space aliens? From popular movies to government listening devices pointed towards sections of the galaxy, from rumors of alien landings in Roswell, New Mexico, to abductions, there certainly are plenty of sightings, stories, and experiences from all over the world regarding extraterrestrials. A National Geographic Survey in 2012 found that "36% of people surveyed believed UFOs exist and only 17% did not." The rest of were undecided, maybe needing more real proof.

Jim Al-Khalili decided to get to the bottom of all this alien "evidence," but wanted to do so scientifically. In his book, Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterestrial Life, he assembled a stable of reputable scientists from the fields of astrobiology, zoology, physics, psychology, planetary and space sciences, molecular genetics, NASA, and more. Each scientist contributed a chapter on his/her area of expertise regarding a specific alien encounter or idea. They examined the known data and the science behind the possibility for each occurrence, and then made logical if tentative conclusions. Each scientist provided plenty of references to books (fiction and non-fiction), websites (credible and iffy), and movies for additional info on any topic. 

Alien-related topics they explored and explained include:

• Why Aliens Might Visit Us
• Flying Saucers: A Brief History of Sightings and Conspiracies
• Abducted
• Search for Life on Mars
• Aliens in Science Fiction Writing
• The Chemistry of Life
• Aliens in Movies
• Identifying the Signs of Life on Distant Worlds

And what a wealth of information they provide, both for the alien encounters and the questions each incident raises. These scientists ponder: 

• What elements make up life as we know it and how rare/plentiful are these elements throughout the galaxy? 
• What conditions promoted the stages on Earth to create life, then allowed that basic life to evolve into intelligent beings?
• Are those life-promoting conditions and stages possible on other worlds?
• What exactly should we be looking for in the search for life: living creatures or traces of emerging or extinct life (such as on Mars)?
• What are the types of alien movies (first contact; alien invasion; man invades alien worlds; and alien as monster)

And the conclusions and suggestions we get from these scientists? 

• We should practice communication with an intelligence on earth, such as octopuses, that are completely different from us in their brains, thoughts, memories, and lifestyles. Why do we think it will be easier to talk with an alien than an octopus?

• We should look for microscopic signs of developing life, the conditions for life, or evidence of the previous existence of life rather than search for a fully-developed civilization of extraterrestrials with flying spaceships.

• We should consider that we might be alone in the universe. Man must understand that humans have been extremely lucky with conditions that allowed us to develop life, evolve, escape dinosaur domination, etc. Those conditions might never have occurred in other worlds, thus preventing the formation of basic life on other planets, much less evolution, ever having taken hold. 

One interesting comment regarding science fiction stood out for me :

The main role of aliens in well-crafted SF is to provide new and imaginative ways to examine what makes us human. Aliens provide problems for us to overcome, and act as a mirror in which we can examine our own faults and foibles. How we treat aliens, or react to their presence, reveals a lot about ourselves.

Seems an observation highly relevant in today's world. We may be alone in the galaxy. But if we are not, our next steps will be incredibly important and highly revealing, both for us and for our new neighbors. 

Happy reading. 

Fred

(See more recommended books)
________________________________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles

Science fiction stories about humans and their history of exploration, colonization, development, and destruction of Mar and its aliens. (previously reviewed here)

A Sound of Thunder

Bradbury, Ray. A Sound of Thunder & Other Stories. New York: HarperCollins. 1990. Print.

First Sentences:

Out there in the cold water, far from land, we waited every night for the coming of the fog, and it came, and we oiled the brass machinery and lit the fog light up in the stone tower.

Feeling like two birds in the gray sky, McDunn and I sent the light touching out, red, then white, then red again, to eye the lonely ships..

Description:

After reading any one of the science fiction/fantasy stories in Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder & Other Stories, I had to put the book down and reflect. The plot, the characters, the writing were so strong, so real, so interesting that I couldn't just plunge into the next story right away. I needed time to roll the images and events over and over in my mind. Read a sample sentence for yourself.

The darkness like a velvet shroud hung before her to be stroked by a trembling hand, with the darkness like a black panther breathing there, looking at her with unlit eyes...

With none of the usual ray guns and aliens often found in sci-fi/fantasy literature, A Sound of Thunder gives tales of people facing challenges familiar to all of us: love, uncertainty, obsession, racism, decision, and adventure. Yet each one is told in a unique voice, making the situation and people uniquely fascinating and compelling. Here's what I mean:

• A lighthouse fog horn that calls out to the lonely ocean and a creature millions of years old responds;

• A rocket ship pilot, on leave with his family at his home, simply cannot resist the call of space;

• A baseball game at a resort between the white guests and the black staff;

• A murderer obsessed with erasing every fingerprint he might have left at the crime scene;

• A hunter who time-travels back to confront a T-Rex;

• A young woman who contemplates her impending rocket ride to Mars where she will marry her waiting boyfriend.

These are people with dreams, with pride, morals, passion, and of course greed, bigotry, and ego. Each story is written by a master of words, sucking you into the plot and motivations immediately and hold on through the final paragraph. 

[The foghorn's voice was] like an empty bed beside you all night long, and like an empty house when you open the door, and like trees in autumn with no leaves. A sound like the birds flying south, crying, and a sound like November wind and the sea on the hard, cold shore....a sound that's so alone that no one can miss it, that whoever hears it will weep in their souls, and hearths will seem warmer, and being inside will seem better to all who hear it in the distant towns....whoever hears it will know the sadness of eternity and the briefness of life.

And that's just one random paragraph, full of Bradbury's images and imagination. In A Sound of Thunder, you have 300+ pages of equally compelling, breath-taking writing. Simply the best characters, plots and writing there is. 

Happy reading. 


Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles

Chronological science fiction stories about the exploration of Mars by Man, from the first ships to the final days of Earth. Fabulous. (previously reviewed here)

The Last Man on the Moon

Cernan, Eugene and Don Davis. The Last Man on the Moon. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1999. Print.

First Sentences:

Friday, January 27, 1967, was another balmy southern California winter day with temperatures in the low seventies, but a blizzard might as well have been hammering the North American Aviation plant in Downey.

Inside the altitude chamber, where Tom Stafford, John Young and I were buckled into a titanium container not much larger than a kitchen table, there wasn't any air, much less any weather.

Description:

Ever wonder exactly what kind of person joins NASA with the expressed purpose to walk on the moon? Wonder what sort of qualifications and training such an astronaut needs both prior to joining the space program and then throughout the program? And what it is like to actually fly in space, suiting up, squeezing into the spacecraft, blasting off, space-walking, and finally walking (and driving a moon buggy) across the lunar surface?

Well, rest easy. Astronaut Eugene Cernan with Don Davis provide all the details of Cernan's
journey as a space traveller in his autobiography, The Last Man on the Moon. From his life before joining NASA to his training for three Gemini and Apollo missions and then walking on the moon, The Last Man has it all.

What makes this book special is the narrative voice of Cernan who calmly lets readers into his mind for every step of the way. Readers follow along as he masters the flight simulators, pilots a lunar landing craft, walks in space (a very dangerous, life-threatening two-hour experience for Cernan), and drives the famous moon buggy. There are also his show-off non-space escapades that nearly killed him and worse yet threatened to remove him from his assigned Apollo mission.

We feel his frustration when, suited up and sitting in his Gemini 9 capsule, the blast-off is postponed with less than two minutes to ignition -  twice. We feel his exhaustion during his spacewalk when he was barely able to return to the spacecraft. And there is his sadness when three fellow astronauts are killed in a launchpad fire, when two other astronauts die in a jet crash, and when a Russian cosmonaut is crushed on re-entry after his parachutes fail to deploy. A death also meant Cernan was bumped up to fill the empty Gemini seat. He later learned that his pilot on this flight, just before blast-off, had a secret briefing regarding the possibility of locking Cernan out of the capsule during his spacewalk if things went haywire and the mission was in jeopardy.

Last Man is full of such details that bring Cernan's experience to life: blasting off with one hand on the D-ring ejection lever; experiencing in-flight nausea (as most astronauts did) but fearing to admit it to NASA in case they remove him from future flights; and the feel of wearing a space suit:

My legs were pushed into those stiff, metal-shrouded pants, and my arms were jammed into the sleeves of that protective cocoon. I tried to flex my fingers and became aware again of the lack of dexterity in the suit, even when it was deflated. It was thicker ... because of the extra layers of insulation needed to protect me from the extreme temperatures I would encounter during my spacewalk.

In 1972 Cernan became the last person to walk on the lunar surface as NASA funds and public interest waned. But what he and 400,000 others in NASA and private industry did to propel their spacecrafts and the men inside on each step over many years towards the moon is an accomplishment all mankind should be proud of. With Cernan's personalized narration of this journey, we can all experience one man's part of this glorious program.

And don't forget, as comedian Bill Dana pointed out, "every one of Gemini's 1,367,059 parts was made by the lowest bidder."

Happy reading. 


Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Smith, Andres. Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth

Interviews with the surviving astronauts who actually walked on the Moon. 
 (previously reviewed here)

Tyson, Neil DeGrasse. Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier

Short reflections by the number one space expert Tyson on a multitude of space-related and exploration questions. (previously reviewed here)