Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You
It's been a while since my last post on space, but as a full-fledged space geek I couldn't help but get all excited hearing the news around space shuttle Discovery's landing this week. I'll admit I was a bit bummed on Sunday, when I first read about Discovery's long low Earth orbit landing path, and realized that it was not going to be flying over Portland. But for those in its flight path, who saw the streak and heard the sonic boom, you are so lucky! 
The library has so many great things for my fellow space geeks, for instance, NASA's Mission Reports and this documentary, but if you are specifically interested in the space shuttle program, it's history and forthcoming retirement, check out Final Countdown by Pat Duggins. Duggins, National Public Radio's space guy and shuttle expert, takes a look at the space shuttle program from its conception in the 1970s up through its impending retirement this year. And perhaps most interestingly, Duggins looks forward to NASA's plans for the future of space exploration. And it's not all science and technology, it's full of personal stories from astronauts and others involved in the space program. An entertaining and insightful read!
Another lovely book that talks about the history of the space program and the experiences of those involved is Voices From the Moon by Andrew Chaikin. Chaikin (obviously another space geek) writes tons of books filled with first-hand accounts and breathtaking images of space. This one in particular looks back at the epic Apollo missions and I highly recommend you read Chaikin's introduction. He eloquently describes what it was really like for the first men on the moon; engineers, military men, and "ultimate left brain thinkers", who since their return to Earth have been constantly bombarded with questions like, "how did it feel?" Chaiken, with his wife Victoria Kohl's help, gives us a sense of what each individual astronaut did feel, and accompanies it with NASA's beautiful, high resolution scans of the photographs taken during their missions. Though Chapters 11 and 12 have some of my favorite images, for me Chapter 10 was the most interesting, with quotes from the astronauts on what life was like after a trip to the moon. And on page 157, you get to see Apollo 12's lunar module pilot turned artist, Alan Bean, painting away in his Houston studio.
Speaking of beautiful photographs and astronaut artists, we have a wonderful oversized book celebrating 50 years of NASA-inspired art called NASA/Art: 50 Years of Exploration by James Dean and Bertram Ulrich. Back in the early 1960s, during the heyday of the space race, NASA's administrator decided they should use "the field of fine arts to commemorate past historic events." And this book shows you some amazing works of commemorative art, from painter Normal Rockwell to photographer Annie Leibovitz, and all sorts of folks and mediums in-between. As Michael Collins, astronaut and former director of the National Air and Space Museum, states in his forward to the book, "the artist fills the great gaps left by the astronaut and his camera." Personally, I'm rather fond of artist William Thon's gap-filling 1969 images of Apollo 11's launch, on pages 72 and 73.
I now have the overwhelming urge to watch The Right Stuff for the umpteenth time...I'm going to place it on hold!
Posted by Jennifer
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Four Russians, a German and a Frenchman Walk Into a Hermetically Sealed Tube...
Tuesday July 14th marked the end of an important early stage in the ambitious Mars-5oo project. Six Europeans spent 105 days in a hermetically sealed tube in Moscow meant to simulate conditions that might be experienced by astronauts traveling to Mars. While sequestered they conducted experiments, tended to their garden and watched "Lord of the Rings". This 3 and 1/2 month "voyage" was a build up to longer simulations that will be used to gauge the best way to prepare future traveler for the physically, mentally and socially challenging journey to the red planet. To that end, the Mars-500 call for candidates listed "Personal or family history of psychological disturbance or disease, which could adversely affect data or increase risk to the subject during the study" as one possible reason for exclusion from the experiment. Nobody wants to see a "Silent Running"-esque meltdown when the actual Mars expedition takes place.
The idea that perfectly rational, level headed people are the stewards of space travel is put to the test in Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle. Here we learn about the enigmatic co-founder of Jet Propulsion Laboratories and Aerojet Corp who associated with Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard and participated in occultist activities as leader of the Agape Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis. The cutting edge science that Parsons engaged in as a member of Caltech's "Suicide Squad" was emblematic of a time when humanity's potential seemed to be growing exponentially and Parsons applied this fearless experimentation to cultural matters with rare passion. Strange Angel documents the success that his imagination and skill made possible and delves into the fascinating and bizarre personal life fueled by that same ambition and creativity.
John Whiteside Parsons was eventually killed in an explosion but his writings provide some insight into a life that defied social convention. His collection of essays Freedom Is a Two-Edged Sword provides some insight with passages such as, "The truth, that is the truth about the immediate aspect of some culture, is always different from the accepted values and alleged truths of the culture. This truth is then irritating, annoying, upsetting, and highly dangerous." The truth is dangerous but so is messing with mercury fulminate in your home laboratory. Parsons' untimely death lends an air of intensity to Freedom but even without the mystery surrounding his demise this read sheds some light on an era in American history that typically is seen as rigid and conformist but must have necessarily contained the seeds for the social upheaval that occurred in following decades.
Certainly the six Mars-500 participants (the aforementioned four Russians, a German and a Frenchman) who spent fifteen weeks sharing 550 cubic meters experienced a greater test of personal freedom than most of us will face in our lifetimes but the experiment was equally about creating a self-reliant environment. Some might argue that those qualities, personal freedom and self-reliance, are inextricably inter-related. To that end I include here, The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living as edited and compiled by Walter Szykitka. In these 600+ pages the reader will find all the information necessary for living off the grid and/or seamlessly integrating effectively with society. Looking for tips on how to find a source of water in the desert? How about choosing between renting or buying a house? Either way The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living has you covered. Go forth and do what thou wilt!
Posted by Matthew
This is not my first post about space, nor will it be my last. I'll let you in on a little secret, if I didn't have such a problem with motion sickness and numbers, I'd be an astronaut floating around in space right now - a space librarian! But because I get nauseous on the merry-go-round and need my fingers to do the most basic math, it looks like I'm stuck here on Earth. So I live out my dreams of space travel in the form of books and movies. And as for movies, I think the new Star Trek is pretty much the most fun I've had watching a movie in a long time. So when I heard that a group of three Trekkie astronauts were going to watch the new movie from the International Space Station, I decided that was pretty much the coolest thing ever!
I am not a Trekkie, but I have a respect for those who live by the laws of the Federation and its Prime Directive. And I also love the costumes and makeup! Star Trek Fans and Costume Art by Heather R. Joseph-Witham is a tiny little book that wants to grow up and be a coffee-table favorite! It starts with some well done and thoughtful essays on Star Trek fandom - and all that entails - and then has more than 50 pictures of Trekkies dressed as Starfleet officers, Klingons, Romulans and more. These people are serious! And just in case you want to make your own costume, we have a book for that too!
But I realize that space, real space, is not all fun and games. It's extremely dangerous, and for us human beings, there is very little protection between life and death. I can still remember exactly where I was sitting when I heard about the Challenger* explosion. And I remember waking up to the news about Columbia*. You may remember that the Columbia disaster lead to NASA's decision to ground the shuttle program indefinitely. What many people don't know is that this decision meant three men who were only planning on a fourteen-week stay on the International Space Station were then, for all intents and purposes, stranded up there. And when they finally figured out a way home, it was a most harrowing return flight. Chris Jones does a really fantastic job of retelling this thrilling true story in his book Too Far From Home (later published as Out of Orbit). You won't be able to put it down!
Living on a space station, in very close quarters, has to be difficult. The complete lack of privacy, combined with the remoteness of being in the vast, dark sea of space, must elicit an odd combination of feelings. One novel, subsequently made into a film (twice), that in my mind speaks to these feelings of cramped loneliness, is Solaris. Originally written by Polish author Stanislaw Lem in the 1960's, Solaris tells the story of a space station orbiting a distant alien planet. The scientists on-board are supposedly studying the planet, but the opposite seems to be the case. It was made into a movie in 1972 by the amazing Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovskii and then again in 2002 here in the U.S. starring George Clooney. Tarkovskii's version is my personal favorite. In any case, the story is deeply poetic and powerful.
But what would space travel really be like? Well, that's simple and I can tell you in three words. Ready? Pigs...in...space! Your library has all of the Best of the Muppet Show available, including Volume 4 which includes the brilliantly funny John Cleese starring in "Pigs in Space". You can not beat that kind of realism! But seriously, the Jim Henson Company - creator of the Muppets - does seem to have the inside scoop on extraterrestrial life, as they clearly showed in their series Farscape that aired on the SciFi Channel from 1999 to 2003.
Space is indeed the final frontier and I suggest using the library as your ticket to the solar system and beyond!
* From outside the library, you will need a valid Multnomah County Library Card to read these articles from the Library's Facts.com database.
Posted by Jennifer
Geez, the news is so depressing. I can barely listen to NPR anymore. And as I scan the newspapers and news websites I honestly feel a bit nauseous. I worry about the viscous circle effect, the media keeps us constantly up-to-date on everything that is wrong or could possibly go wrong, and it creates an atmosphere of dread, and things just get worse. So I'm making it a priority to try and find the fun, positive, optimistic news! I may not succeed all the time. But why not try? So I checked out the Discoveries Blog from the Christian Science Monitor and learned about Comet Lulin, which will be zipping by remarkably close to Earth over the next couple nights (but not "natural disaster film" close). One tidbit that put a lot of things in perspective for me was the fact that this particular comet's orbital period is nearly 50 million years long. FIFTY MILLION YEARS! Awe-inspiring and humbling.
The library has tons of books for the amateur astronomer (here's just a few) but one that I like in particular is by H. A. Rey (the same H. A. Rey of Curious George fame) and is called The Stars: A New Way to See Them. I like it for many reasons. First, it has that very retro, H. A. Rey look that appeals to me. It uses narrative and pictures in a most delightful and practical way to teach about the stars, planets, constellations, and much more. And the first line says it all, "This book is meant for people who want to know just enough about the stars to be able to go out at night an find the major constellations, for the mere pleasure of it." That's me! Seriously, this is a fantastic book. Check out the 2008 edition for the most up-to-date information.
Another book I quite enjoy that focuses on space is called Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars and is a series of whimsical poems and beautiful paintings by Douglas Florian. It is technically for younger folks, but I believe it would appeal to any age. The colors are vivid and he does some wonderful things with cut-outs and collage. And this is my kind of poetry. For instance this one titled, The Universe:
The universe is every place,
Including all the e m p t y space.
It's every star and galaxy,
All objects of astronomy,
Geography, zoology
(Each cat and dog and bumblebee),
All persons throughout history --
Including you,
Including me.
Isn't that lovely?! This book also includes a further reading list in the back and a glossary that includes mention of the Oort Cloud, from which Comet Lulin originates.
If your looking for less poetry and more science, but with lots of breath-taking pictures of our universe, go with Bang!: the Complete History of the Universe, written by Brian May, Patrick Moore, and Chris Lintott. This book talks about the birth of our universe 13.7 billion years ago and follows it all the way through to what they presume will be its end. And it is all done in a very fun, easy-to-understand way - which is saying a lot seeing that it's about the creation of all things! Oh, and as an extra piece of trivia, the author Brian May was the co-founder and lead guitarist for the band Queen - he wrote the song "We Will Rock You"! He then went on to get his Ph.D. in astrophysics.
And all this talk of space and comets and Queen brings me to Science Fiction. I must recommend a short story I recently read that actually sent chills up my spine! The title is Finis and you can find it in The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories, edited by Tom Shippey. It was written in 1906 by Frank L. Pollack and I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just throw out there that it's about a sun, a very big sun in the center of the universe, and the title really tells it all. The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories is an awesome collection from some of the finest Science Fiction writers including H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Portland's own Ursula K. Le Guin. This book is perfect for the Sci-Fi fan (like myself), but also great for folks who are curious about the genre, as well as those who think Science Fiction is all green aliens and ranting robots. There is a story for everyone in this collection. My favorites were all written in the 1950s (and yes, there are a lot of robots in those).
So, if you miss seeing Lulin as it passes by, do not despair that it will not return for another 50 million years, the library has much to offer the stargazer!
Posted by Jennifer
