Spacefaring: The Human Dimension

Rating:
Summary: A Brief Overview of Spacefaring
Review: "Spacefaring: The Human Dimension" is Albert Harrison's look at the many factors which affect the experience of humans in space. Harrison considers not just the physical and intellectual demands of spacefaring, but also the psychological ones as well.

Often overlooked by avid space enthusiasts is the fact that space travel is conducted by human beings. Humans have very real limitations and frailties which affect our ability to not just function in space but to merely survive. Space is such a forbidding environment that difficulties which appear minor on Earth can have deadly consequences in space.

Harrison goes over a wide range of potential problems that spacefarers may have including poor training, bad group dynamics, wide mood swings, medical emergencies, lack of things we take for granted on Earth, and potential exposure to extremely lethal environments. Harrison most often focuses in "Spacefaring" on the mental and psychological aspects of space travel.

Harrison also considers the potential effects of spacefaring on 'regular' people as opposed to just highly trained astronauts. If mankind wants to colonize or economically exploit space, we have to take under consideration that most future spacefarers will be poorly trained by NASA's standards and may cause problems in space not currently envisioned.

I found Harrison's treatment of the subject matter to be less than thorough. "Spacefaring" had the feel of an outline or paper instead of an in depth study. I felt that Harrison could have gone into much greater detail for almost every chapter he wrote. Perhaps he will do so at a later time but, as far as "Spacefaring" goes, it leaves a little to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: A Brief Overview of Spacefaring
Review: "Spacefaring: The Human Dimension" is Albert Harrison's look at the many factors which affect the experience of humans in space. Harrison considers not just the physical and intellectual demands of spacefaring, but also the psychological ones as well.

Often overlooked by avid space enthusiasts is the fact that space travel is conducted by human beings. Humans have very real limitations and frailties which affect our ability to not just function in space but to merely survive. Space is such a forbidding environment that difficulties which appear minor on Earth can have deadly consequences in space.

Harrison goes over a wide range of potential problems that spacefarers may have including poor training, bad group dynamics, wide mood swings, medical emergencies, lack of things we take for granted on Earth, and potential exposure to extremely lethal environments. Harrison most often focuses in "Spacefaring" on the mental and psychological aspects of space travel.

Harrison also considers the potential effects of spacefaring on 'regular' people as opposed to just highly trained astronauts. If mankind wants to colonize or economically exploit space, we have to take under consideration that most future spacefarers will be poorly trained by NASA's standards and may cause problems in space not currently envisioned.

I found Harrison's treatment of the subject matter to be less than thorough. "Spacefaring" had the feel of an outline or paper instead of an in depth study. I felt that Harrison could have gone into much greater detail for almost every chapter he wrote. Perhaps he will do so at a later time but, as far as "Spacefaring" goes, it leaves a little to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: Review by Pascal Lee, SETI Institute
Review: Al Harrison's book "SPACEFARING" has the qualities of an instant classic. It deals brilliantly with the central element in our ventures into space, the human being. It is a book about human factors in space. The work has the thoroughness and completeness of an academic treatise, but still reads easily. It is packed with little-known anecdotes and many cool historical and technical facts. The book's clear organization is particularly helpful, not just for guiding the layreader through a complex subject, but also for serving as a quick reference for space exploration professionals needing to read up on a specific topic. The book offers both a summary of lessons learnt and an analysis of our possible spacefaring future. For planners of a human mission to Mars, this is an ideal synthesis of where we stand on the subject of human factors.

Rating:
Summary: must-have for space scientists and sci-fi authors
Review: Al Harrison's new book is simply the best resource on the human side of spaceflight ever written. From radiation hazards to ergonomics to sex in space, Harrison provides a readable, comprehensive overview of the state of our knowledge. There are details aplenty, enough brilliant tidbits to add verisimilitude to any novel.

Harrison focuses on NASA's hostility to human-factors research, particularly in contrast to the Russians' long history of interest in crew selection and the effects of long-duration spaceflight. Given NASA's recent objections to the flight of Dennis Tito, this context is extremely timely.

His concluding chapter, on the drive to explore space, why we came so far so quickly, then walked away from human exploration, is well-reasoned, insightful and deeply passionate.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and important
Review: Al Harrison, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, is doing some far-reaching and somewhat unique work on the psychological impact of the "high frontier". His previous book, After Contact, explored some of the possible psychological and social implications of contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. Now, in Spacefaring, he tackles these same issues as they apply to long-term human habitation, exploration, and settlement in space. This book is not just for the academic or space specialist. Soon, we shall all be involved and affected in some way with the human migration into the solar system and beyond. Essential - and entertaining - reading for those who want to know what lies on the journey ahead!

Rating:
Summary: Great book about an unexplored topic
Review: Like many of you, I'm a total advocate for human space exploration. Sure, robots are great, with their industructability and unquestioning loyalty, but there are times when you really need to get some human hands and eyes on location to provide some solid data and deal with the unexpected. But humans are soft, fragile, and can sometimes get a little grumpy.

Spacefaring: the Human Dimension by Albert Harrison helps fill a niche that I've found largely unfilled in most of the space exploration books I've read - how to keep humans alive, and stop them from killing each other during long space trips. And by focusing only on this aspect of space travel, Harrison gives the subject matter the time and respect it deserves. Each element is covered in tremendous detail, including the basics of food, air, water, heat, etc. but also the more psycological elements of coping with stress, group dynamics, training, and dealing with mistakes and disasters. Harrison throws in a plenty of anecdotes to give real world examples to the topics covered.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who finds this aspect of space exploration fascinating. I'd especially recommend it to folks like the Mars Society, as many of the issues have been largely ignored by NASA so far. And I'd force scriptwriters and directors to read this book before they make another Mission to Mars. Great book!