The Space Barons

February 15, 2018
An enthusiastic account of the pursuit of "a holy grail--a technology with the potential to dramatically lower the cost of space travel."The United States no longer has a manned space program, and the government has not shown any immediate plans to fund another. However, a quartet of billionaires has stepped in to fill the void, writes Washington Post space and defense staff writer Davenport (As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard, 2009) in this well-researched account of the efforts of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Paul Allen. "If NASA, or Congress, or any president wouldn't stand up as John F. Kennedy did in 1961 when he promised to send a man to the moon within a decade," writes the author, "then this class of entrepreneurs would attempt it." First off the mark, in 2000, was Amazon's Bezos, whose startup is building a reusable rocket for suborbital flights; the first manned launch is scheduled for 2018. Microsoft billionaire Allen invested in SpaceShipOne, which, in 2004, became the first privately funded manned craft to reach space. Virgin's Branson took over to develop SpaceShipTwo, which will carry paying passengers on suborbital flights in a few years. Since founding SpaceX in 2002, Tesla's Musk, "the brash hare" in this race, has focused his attention on Mars. His privately built reusable rockets regularly supply the Space Station; soon they will deliver astronauts, and he has announced plans to fly men around the moon this year.Readers frustrated at the trickle of news from China (the only nation with an active manned space program) will thrill at this lucid, detailed, and admiring account of wealthy space buffs who are spending their own money, making headlines, producing genuine technical advances, and resurrecting the yearning to explore the cosmos.

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March 15, 2018

Washington Post journalist Davenport (As You Were) tells the story of four billionaires who are each trying to build a commercial spaceship: Elon Musk (SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), and Paul Allen (StratoLaunch). Each has a distinct vision of how to get to space and what to do once they arrive. Musk believes his company will transport people to Mars in the next decade. Bezos aims for people to live aboard space stations or ships in the solar system. Branson's goal is for customers to pay to visit space for a short time each trip, while Allen seeks to build a large ship so he can later deploy smaller satellites into space. Davenport interviews each of the billionaires and some executives, telling their stories in an entertaining way as he intertwines the men's accomplishments. His descriptions of the launches, landings, successes, and failures are thrilling. Includes a time line of major events and a listing of notes. VERDICT Fans of space travel, NASA, and engineering ingenuity will find this book highly engaging.--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
Strap in, you dreamers of space travel, you lovers of invention, you admirers of the unquenchable thirst for exploration, for here is a book that will thrill you to your core. It's the story of four billionaires?primarily Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, but also Richard Branson and Paul Allen?who have been pouring money into the still-in-its-infancy industry of private space travel. It's a wonderful story, a thrilling adventure of literal and metaphoric highs and lows, based on interviews with the billionaires but encompassing a much broader range of reporting. Davenport catches us up in the breathless excitement of these men who are trying to launch the biggest start-up in the history of the galaxy. But this is no puff piece; the author faithfully records the heartbreaking failures and the struggles to overcome serious opposition (from the U.S. government, among others). This is, too, a story of ego and the aggressive pursuit of number-one status, and the author does a fine job of capturing the personalities of these famous men. A big story, told through its vividly evoked small details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)