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The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science & Technology (2018)The historic quest to rekindle the human exploration and colonization of space led by two rivals and their vast fortunes, egos, and visions of space as the next entrepreneurial frontier
The Space Barons is the story of a group of billionaire entrepreneurs who are pouring their fortunes into the epic resurrection of the American space program. Nearly a half-century after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, these Space Barons-most notably Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, along with Richard Branson and Paul Allen-are using Silicon Valley-style innovation to dramatically lower the cost of space travel, and send humans even further than NASA has gone. These entrepreneurs have founded some of the biggest brands in the world-Amazon, Microsoft, Virgin, Tesla, PayPal-and upended industry after industry. Now they are pursuing the biggest disruption of space.
Based on years of reporting and exclusive interviews with all four billionaires, this authoritative account is a dramatic tale of risk and high adventure, the birth of a new Space Age, fueled by some of the world's richest men as they struggle to end governments' monopoly on the cosmos. The Space Barons is also a story of rivalry-hard-charging startups warring with established contractors, and the personal clashes of the leaders of this new space movement, particularly Musk and Bezos, as they aim for the moon and Mars and beyond.
The Space Barons is the story of a group of billionaire entrepreneurs who are pouring their fortunes into the epic resurrection of the American space program. Nearly a half-century after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, these Space Barons-most notably Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, along with Richard Branson and Paul Allen-are using Silicon Valley-style innovation to dramatically lower the cost of space travel, and send humans even further than NASA has gone. These entrepreneurs have founded some of the biggest brands in the world-Amazon, Microsoft, Virgin, Tesla, PayPal-and upended industry after industry. Now they are pursuing the biggest disruption of space.
Based on years of reporting and exclusive interviews with all four billionaires, this authoritative account is a dramatic tale of risk and high adventure, the birth of a new Space Age, fueled by some of the world's richest men as they struggle to end governments' monopoly on the cosmos. The Space Barons is also a story of rivalry-hard-charging startups warring with established contractors, and the personal clashes of the leaders of this new space movement, particularly Musk and Bezos, as they aim for the moon and Mars and beyond.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 20, 2018
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12232 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
November 1, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up.
This was fascinating, but I'm not sure why it's called Space Baron*S*. The author came across as a huge fan of Elon Musk; I would guess at least 80% of the book is about Musk and SpaceX. That could be because SpaceX seems to be the company that's really speeding forward, or maybe because Bezos and BlueOrigin are very secretive. It could also be because Bezos owns the Washington Post, where the author works. He might be trying so hard to be balanced and fair in his reporting that he focused too much on Musk instead. Branson's Virgin Galactic and Paul Allen's company (the name escapes me and I've returned the book already), are barely footnotes.
The whole thing could have used one more good copyedit; some things were worded really awkwardly (As I suspect this review is. Forgive a tired reviewer, please), and sometimes the same information was presented twice in quick succession.
Still, I enjoyed learning more about our private sector space companies and found myself idly daydreaming about taking a vacation on the moon when I'm an old woman. These guys believe it will happen, and it's impossible not to share their dreams.
This was fascinating, but I'm not sure why it's called Space Baron*S*. The author came across as a huge fan of Elon Musk; I would guess at least 80% of the book is about Musk and SpaceX. That could be because SpaceX seems to be the company that's really speeding forward, or maybe because Bezos and BlueOrigin are very secretive. It could also be because Bezos owns the Washington Post, where the author works. He might be trying so hard to be balanced and fair in his reporting that he focused too much on Musk instead. Branson's Virgin Galactic and Paul Allen's company (the name escapes me and I've returned the book already), are barely footnotes.
The whole thing could have used one more good copyedit; some things were worded really awkwardly (As I suspect this review is. Forgive a tired reviewer, please), and sometimes the same information was presented twice in quick succession.
Still, I enjoyed learning more about our private sector space companies and found myself idly daydreaming about taking a vacation on the moon when I'm an old woman. These guys believe it will happen, and it's impossible not to share their dreams.
December 7, 2018
After decades of state delays, the visionaries are turning to Mars cities and asteroid mining.
Please note that I have put the original German text to the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.
Science fiction, especially space operas, hard science fiction, and the classic series, have dealt with the issue in a vast variety of ways. Which variants will prevail in which time frame is the exciting question. Where, in principle, it is more likely that the cultural and ideological barriers will increase with spatial separation by the vacuum between colonized planets.
Every visionary and thus also the group pursue ideologically and economically different approaches to implementation. Accordingly, different professional competencies, blind spots, and individual mistakes arise. The research must also be adapted to the core areas of the company so that diversity is still increasing. At the same time, however, often the same developments are researched several times by different players. Even ideologically, depending on the company´s philosophy, the emphasis seems to be shifting additionally.
The sociological, political and economic components play an underestimated role. Not only ideological but also economic misconceptions can delay development. Whether the opponents see the despair of their faith or a threat to their economic concept, remains the same. The damage in the delay of development is done in both cases. These factors have led to inglorious deletions and budget cuts in space programs, especially in the previous government budgets. So much about the worldwide far too long starting phase for space programs.
The main focus of the book is on Musk, which may also be due to its extroversion. About a quiet man like Bezos, who prefers to remain silent in business, is just less to find and secrecy is prioritized. Speaking of a conflict of interest for the author to stay objective, because Bezos owns the Washington Post where the writer works, would be too far-flung and speculative. By contrast, Richard Branson and Paul Allen polarize less, though Branson is as compelling as Musk. But his space tourism is not so visionary put in relation to the other concepts.
Conceptually I am purely subjective and intuitive with Bezo's opinion. First, the industrial infrastructure for mass production in space has to be created. Without asteroid mining and terraforming, Musk's concept of a Martian city is too risky both technologically as well as economically. Only when one can produce and grow independently, one has achieved true independence and, above all, survivability. Besides, economic dependencies and extortions on Earth often led to conflicts in the past. Maybe a bad way to start with new colonies that start revolutions after decades. All already had, didn´t work well.
What delayed development in recent decades, apart from the lack of funding, was above all the lack of innovation. Just as incalculable as the breadth of inventions in the 21st century is their utilization for space travel. The main focus will first be limited to terrestrial use until one can start manufacturing in larger capacities for space and especially in space. Nanomaterials, graphene and quantum computers will go the same way as industrial steel, microprocessors or plain mirrors. It takes time to perfect and automate the manufacturing process, but then it can be produced 24 hours a day in each environment.
Concerning monopolization, it is more extreme than ever. Every nation on earth could claim colonies with a few ships in the past. Other companies could produce similar products and compete with the first ones in the market. But acquiring the, partially patented, knowledge about space technologies via reverse engineering is almost impossible in the time necessary to be competitive.
The effect is compounded by revenues from resource extraction, terraforming, development, and occupation of new territories and asteroid mining. What cements the lead is the advantage of being able to test all new technologies and devices directly on site, or in this case, the different vicinities. The extremely expensive laboratories and experimental setups, as on earth, are not necessary. And whoever is first on Mars will most probably be the first to enter all other worlds. Not to mention the prices that can be charged for all private and state customers.
Also, the corporations and states will also seek their legal departments or international courts to influence the newly defined laws in their favor. If one imagines the power already concentrated on earth in very few hands, one can not rudimentarily imagine its extent in a few hundred years. The first person on a planet also has no reason to fear any controllers who look at his fingers. No witness, no judge, no crime.
Only a few huge companies, often in cooperation with large states and their military and exclusive supply contracts, will be able to do so. Thus, the development of infinite vastness will be endowed with finite capacities and opportunities for all smaller companies, states, and individuals. Similar to many of the science fiction works that inspired and delighted the great visionaries as young people. And without which these endeavors might never have started so early on this massive scale. And in the far retrospective out of a long time in the future, this delay could have been fatal in many ways. Because as so often applies: All eggs in a basket = Bad idea.
Nach Jahrzehnten staatlicher Verzögerung heben die Visionäre zu Marsstädten und Asteroidenbergbau ab.
Science Fiction, insbesondere Space Operas, Hard Science Fiction und die klassischen Serien, haben die Thematik in verschiedensten Spielarten ausgebreitet. Welche Varianten sich in welcher Zeitspanne durchsetzen werden, ist die spannende Frage. Wobei es grundsätzlich wahrscheinlicher ist, dass sich die kulturellen und ideologischen Schranken bei räumlicher Trennung durch Vakuum zwischen kolonialisierten Planeten verstärken.
Jeder Visionär und damit auch der Konzern verfolgen ideologisch und ökonomisch verschiedene Ansätze zur Umsetzung. Entsprechend entstehen verschiedene Fachkompetenzen, blinde Flecken und individuelle Fehler. Die Forschung muss auch auf die Kerngebiete der Firma adaptiert werden, so dass die Diversität noch steigt. Gleichzeitig aber oft mehrfach an denselben Entwicklungen geforscht wird. Selbst ideologisch scheint sich je nach Firmenphilosophie die Schwerpunktsetzung zusätzlich zu verschieben.
Dabei spielt die soziologische, politische und ökonomische Komponente eine unterschätzte Rolle. Nicht nur ideologische, sondern auch wirtschaftliche Falschannahmen können die Entwicklung verzögern. Ob die Gegner eine Anzweiflung ihres Glaubens oder eine Gefährdung ihres Wirtschaftskonzepts sehen, bleibt sich gleich. Der Schaden in der Verzögerung der Entwicklung wird in beiden Fällen angerichtet. Insbesondere in den bisherigen staatlichen Programmen haben diese Faktoren zu unrühmlichen Streichungen und Budgetkürzungen bei den Raumfahrtprogrammen geführt.
Der Hauptfokus des Buches liegt auf Musk, was auch an dessen Extrovertiertheit liegen dürfte. Von einem ruhigen Mann wie Bezos, der sich auch geschäftlich lieber in Schweigen hüllt, ist schlicht weniger zu finden. Von einem Interessenskonflikt zu sprechen, weil Bezos die Washington Post gehört bei der der Autor arbeitet, wäre zu weit gegriffen und spekulativ. Richard Branson und Paul Allen hingegen polarisieren im Gegensatz dazu weniger, obwohl Branson ebenso mitreißend wie Musk ist. Aber sein Weltraumtourismus ist in Relation gesetzt nicht so visionär.
Vom Konzept her bin ich rein subjektiv und intuitiv Bezos Meinung. Es muss zuerst die industrielle Infrastruktur für die Massenfertigung vor Ort im Weltraum geschaffen werden. Ohne Asteroidenbergbau und Terraforming ist Musks Konzept einer Marsstadt sowohl technologisch als auch ökonomisch zu riskant. Erst wenn man autark produzieren und damit wachsen kann, hat man wahre Unabhängigkeit und vor allem Überlebensfähigkeit erreicht. Noch dazu führten wirtschaftliche Abhängigkeiten und Erpressungen auf der Erde in der Vergangenheit oft genug zu Konflikten.
Was die Entwicklung in den letzten Jahrzehnten verzögerte waren neben der mangelnden Finanzierung vor allem die fehlenden Innovationen. Ebenso unabsehbar wie die Breite der Erfindungen im 21 Jahrhundert ist deren Nutzbarmachung für die Raumfahrt. Das Hauptaugenmerk wird zuerst auf eine terrestrische Nutzung beschränkt sein. Bis man beginnen kann, in größeren Kapazitäten für die Raumfahrt zu fertigen. Nanomaterialien, Graphen und Quantencomputer werden den gleichen Weg wie Industriestahl, Mikroprozessoren oder schlichte Spiegel gehen. Bis zur Perfektionierung und Automatisierung des Fertigungsprozesses dauert es seine Zeit, aber dann kann 24 Stunden am Tag produziert werden.
Es ist von der Monopolisierung her noch extremer als jemals zuvor. Jede Nation konnte auf der Erde mit ein paar Schiffen Kolonien beanspruchen. Andere Firmen konnten ähnliche Produkte herstellen und mit den Ersten am Markt konkurrieren. Aber das einmal erworbene und teils patentierte Wissen rund um die Raumfahrt über reverse engineering zu erwerben, ist beinahe unmöglich.
Was den Effekt noch verstärkt, sind die Einnahmen aus Rohstoffabbau, Terraforming, Erschließung und Inbesitznahme neuer Territorien und Asteroidenbergbau. Was den Vorsprung endgültig zementiert, ist der Vorteil, alle Technologien und Geräte direkt vor Ort zu testen. Die extrem teuren Labore und Versuchsaufbauten wie auf der Erde sind nicht notwendig. Und wer als erster auf dem Mars ist, wird auch alle anderen Welten als erster betreten. Von den Preisen, die für sämtliche privaten und staatlichen Kunden verlangt werden können, ganz zu schweigen.
Ergänzend werden die Konzerne und Staaten auch ihre Rechtsabteilungen beziehungsweise internationalen Gerichtshöfe bemühen, um die neu zu definierenden Gesetze zu ihren Gunsten zu beeinflussen. Wenn man sich die auf Erden bereits in sehr wenigen Händen konzentrierte Macht vorstellt, kann man deren Ausmaß in ein paar Hundert Jahren nicht ansatzweise ermessen. Der Erste auf einem Planeten hat weiters keinerlei Kontrollinstanzen zu befürchten, die ihm auf die Finger schauen.
Nur wenige sehr große Firmen, häufig in Kooperation mit Großstaaten und deren Militär und exklusiven Lieferverträgen, werden dazu in der Lage sein. Somit wird die Erschließung unendlicher Weiten mit sehr endlichen Kapazitäten und Möglichkeiten für alle kleineren Firmen, Staaten und Privatpersonen ausgestattet sein. Ähnlich wie in vielen der Science Fiction Werke, die die großen Visionäre als junge Menschen begeisterten und inspirierten. Und ohne die diese Unterfangen vielleicht nie so früh in diesem Ausmaß begonnen worden wären. Und diese Verzögerung hätte sich, in der Retrospektive, auf mannigfache Weise rächen können. Denn wie so oft gilt: Alle Eier in einem Korb: Schlechte Idee.
Please note that I have put the original German text to the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.
Science fiction, especially space operas, hard science fiction, and the classic series, have dealt with the issue in a vast variety of ways. Which variants will prevail in which time frame is the exciting question. Where, in principle, it is more likely that the cultural and ideological barriers will increase with spatial separation by the vacuum between colonized planets.
Every visionary and thus also the group pursue ideologically and economically different approaches to implementation. Accordingly, different professional competencies, blind spots, and individual mistakes arise. The research must also be adapted to the core areas of the company so that diversity is still increasing. At the same time, however, often the same developments are researched several times by different players. Even ideologically, depending on the company´s philosophy, the emphasis seems to be shifting additionally.
The sociological, political and economic components play an underestimated role. Not only ideological but also economic misconceptions can delay development. Whether the opponents see the despair of their faith or a threat to their economic concept, remains the same. The damage in the delay of development is done in both cases. These factors have led to inglorious deletions and budget cuts in space programs, especially in the previous government budgets. So much about the worldwide far too long starting phase for space programs.
The main focus of the book is on Musk, which may also be due to its extroversion. About a quiet man like Bezos, who prefers to remain silent in business, is just less to find and secrecy is prioritized. Speaking of a conflict of interest for the author to stay objective, because Bezos owns the Washington Post where the writer works, would be too far-flung and speculative. By contrast, Richard Branson and Paul Allen polarize less, though Branson is as compelling as Musk. But his space tourism is not so visionary put in relation to the other concepts.
Conceptually I am purely subjective and intuitive with Bezo's opinion. First, the industrial infrastructure for mass production in space has to be created. Without asteroid mining and terraforming, Musk's concept of a Martian city is too risky both technologically as well as economically. Only when one can produce and grow independently, one has achieved true independence and, above all, survivability. Besides, economic dependencies and extortions on Earth often led to conflicts in the past. Maybe a bad way to start with new colonies that start revolutions after decades. All already had, didn´t work well.
What delayed development in recent decades, apart from the lack of funding, was above all the lack of innovation. Just as incalculable as the breadth of inventions in the 21st century is their utilization for space travel. The main focus will first be limited to terrestrial use until one can start manufacturing in larger capacities for space and especially in space. Nanomaterials, graphene and quantum computers will go the same way as industrial steel, microprocessors or plain mirrors. It takes time to perfect and automate the manufacturing process, but then it can be produced 24 hours a day in each environment.
Concerning monopolization, it is more extreme than ever. Every nation on earth could claim colonies with a few ships in the past. Other companies could produce similar products and compete with the first ones in the market. But acquiring the, partially patented, knowledge about space technologies via reverse engineering is almost impossible in the time necessary to be competitive.
The effect is compounded by revenues from resource extraction, terraforming, development, and occupation of new territories and asteroid mining. What cements the lead is the advantage of being able to test all new technologies and devices directly on site, or in this case, the different vicinities. The extremely expensive laboratories and experimental setups, as on earth, are not necessary. And whoever is first on Mars will most probably be the first to enter all other worlds. Not to mention the prices that can be charged for all private and state customers.
Also, the corporations and states will also seek their legal departments or international courts to influence the newly defined laws in their favor. If one imagines the power already concentrated on earth in very few hands, one can not rudimentarily imagine its extent in a few hundred years. The first person on a planet also has no reason to fear any controllers who look at his fingers. No witness, no judge, no crime.
Only a few huge companies, often in cooperation with large states and their military and exclusive supply contracts, will be able to do so. Thus, the development of infinite vastness will be endowed with finite capacities and opportunities for all smaller companies, states, and individuals. Similar to many of the science fiction works that inspired and delighted the great visionaries as young people. And without which these endeavors might never have started so early on this massive scale. And in the far retrospective out of a long time in the future, this delay could have been fatal in many ways. Because as so often applies: All eggs in a basket = Bad idea.
Nach Jahrzehnten staatlicher Verzögerung heben die Visionäre zu Marsstädten und Asteroidenbergbau ab.
Science Fiction, insbesondere Space Operas, Hard Science Fiction und die klassischen Serien, haben die Thematik in verschiedensten Spielarten ausgebreitet. Welche Varianten sich in welcher Zeitspanne durchsetzen werden, ist die spannende Frage. Wobei es grundsätzlich wahrscheinlicher ist, dass sich die kulturellen und ideologischen Schranken bei räumlicher Trennung durch Vakuum zwischen kolonialisierten Planeten verstärken.
Jeder Visionär und damit auch der Konzern verfolgen ideologisch und ökonomisch verschiedene Ansätze zur Umsetzung. Entsprechend entstehen verschiedene Fachkompetenzen, blinde Flecken und individuelle Fehler. Die Forschung muss auch auf die Kerngebiete der Firma adaptiert werden, so dass die Diversität noch steigt. Gleichzeitig aber oft mehrfach an denselben Entwicklungen geforscht wird. Selbst ideologisch scheint sich je nach Firmenphilosophie die Schwerpunktsetzung zusätzlich zu verschieben.
Dabei spielt die soziologische, politische und ökonomische Komponente eine unterschätzte Rolle. Nicht nur ideologische, sondern auch wirtschaftliche Falschannahmen können die Entwicklung verzögern. Ob die Gegner eine Anzweiflung ihres Glaubens oder eine Gefährdung ihres Wirtschaftskonzepts sehen, bleibt sich gleich. Der Schaden in der Verzögerung der Entwicklung wird in beiden Fällen angerichtet. Insbesondere in den bisherigen staatlichen Programmen haben diese Faktoren zu unrühmlichen Streichungen und Budgetkürzungen bei den Raumfahrtprogrammen geführt.
Der Hauptfokus des Buches liegt auf Musk, was auch an dessen Extrovertiertheit liegen dürfte. Von einem ruhigen Mann wie Bezos, der sich auch geschäftlich lieber in Schweigen hüllt, ist schlicht weniger zu finden. Von einem Interessenskonflikt zu sprechen, weil Bezos die Washington Post gehört bei der der Autor arbeitet, wäre zu weit gegriffen und spekulativ. Richard Branson und Paul Allen hingegen polarisieren im Gegensatz dazu weniger, obwohl Branson ebenso mitreißend wie Musk ist. Aber sein Weltraumtourismus ist in Relation gesetzt nicht so visionär.
Vom Konzept her bin ich rein subjektiv und intuitiv Bezos Meinung. Es muss zuerst die industrielle Infrastruktur für die Massenfertigung vor Ort im Weltraum geschaffen werden. Ohne Asteroidenbergbau und Terraforming ist Musks Konzept einer Marsstadt sowohl technologisch als auch ökonomisch zu riskant. Erst wenn man autark produzieren und damit wachsen kann, hat man wahre Unabhängigkeit und vor allem Überlebensfähigkeit erreicht. Noch dazu führten wirtschaftliche Abhängigkeiten und Erpressungen auf der Erde in der Vergangenheit oft genug zu Konflikten.
Was die Entwicklung in den letzten Jahrzehnten verzögerte waren neben der mangelnden Finanzierung vor allem die fehlenden Innovationen. Ebenso unabsehbar wie die Breite der Erfindungen im 21 Jahrhundert ist deren Nutzbarmachung für die Raumfahrt. Das Hauptaugenmerk wird zuerst auf eine terrestrische Nutzung beschränkt sein. Bis man beginnen kann, in größeren Kapazitäten für die Raumfahrt zu fertigen. Nanomaterialien, Graphen und Quantencomputer werden den gleichen Weg wie Industriestahl, Mikroprozessoren oder schlichte Spiegel gehen. Bis zur Perfektionierung und Automatisierung des Fertigungsprozesses dauert es seine Zeit, aber dann kann 24 Stunden am Tag produziert werden.
Es ist von der Monopolisierung her noch extremer als jemals zuvor. Jede Nation konnte auf der Erde mit ein paar Schiffen Kolonien beanspruchen. Andere Firmen konnten ähnliche Produkte herstellen und mit den Ersten am Markt konkurrieren. Aber das einmal erworbene und teils patentierte Wissen rund um die Raumfahrt über reverse engineering zu erwerben, ist beinahe unmöglich.
Was den Effekt noch verstärkt, sind die Einnahmen aus Rohstoffabbau, Terraforming, Erschließung und Inbesitznahme neuer Territorien und Asteroidenbergbau. Was den Vorsprung endgültig zementiert, ist der Vorteil, alle Technologien und Geräte direkt vor Ort zu testen. Die extrem teuren Labore und Versuchsaufbauten wie auf der Erde sind nicht notwendig. Und wer als erster auf dem Mars ist, wird auch alle anderen Welten als erster betreten. Von den Preisen, die für sämtliche privaten und staatlichen Kunden verlangt werden können, ganz zu schweigen.
Ergänzend werden die Konzerne und Staaten auch ihre Rechtsabteilungen beziehungsweise internationalen Gerichtshöfe bemühen, um die neu zu definierenden Gesetze zu ihren Gunsten zu beeinflussen. Wenn man sich die auf Erden bereits in sehr wenigen Händen konzentrierte Macht vorstellt, kann man deren Ausmaß in ein paar Hundert Jahren nicht ansatzweise ermessen. Der Erste auf einem Planeten hat weiters keinerlei Kontrollinstanzen zu befürchten, die ihm auf die Finger schauen.
Nur wenige sehr große Firmen, häufig in Kooperation mit Großstaaten und deren Militär und exklusiven Lieferverträgen, werden dazu in der Lage sein. Somit wird die Erschließung unendlicher Weiten mit sehr endlichen Kapazitäten und Möglichkeiten für alle kleineren Firmen, Staaten und Privatpersonen ausgestattet sein. Ähnlich wie in vielen der Science Fiction Werke, die die großen Visionäre als junge Menschen begeisterten und inspirierten. Und ohne die diese Unterfangen vielleicht nie so früh in diesem Ausmaß begonnen worden wären. Und diese Verzögerung hätte sich, in der Retrospektive, auf mannigfache Weise rächen können. Denn wie so oft gilt: Alle Eier in einem Korb: Schlechte Idee.
October 27, 2019
While I love everything that has to do with space era (which, sadly, isn't anywhere in the observable future, since something went wrong at some point, somewhere), business, innovation, new tech, daring business undertakings, etc etc... But, somehow, this book, even though it's supposed to combine all of this, didn't click with me.
Instead, I felt like I was reading a monstrously overblown article from some newspaper. Some ingredients were missing. I do appreciate that the facts were all right-ish, they did this, invested that, the rocket blew up, another one returned and had legs, the citric acid was important, blah blah. Something was still missing, some core details, backgrounds in other places. It felt like the author was preoccupied with stuff other than what he wrote. Many things felt to be edited out.
Overall starting rating: 5 stars
+1 star: space and business
-1 star: disjointedness and overall bad, no, horrible structure.
-1 star: things that felt edited out
-1 star: unimportant or maybe important details left hanging
+1 star: facts used, hallelujah
-1 star: abruptness of topics changes and the overall journalist approach to writing, the whole read as unfinished draft.
Final rating: 3 stars.
Q:
“Paul, isn’t this better than the best sex you ever had?” Branson asked him, as the spaceship climbed higher.
“If I was this anxious during any kind of interpersonal activity, I couldn’t enjoy it very much,” Allen thought. (c)
Q:
AND SO THE moon. Again, the moon.
The greatest achievement in the history of humankind, revisited. Only now, so much time had passed that the twelve Apollo astronauts who had walked on the lunar surface were dying off, one by one.
James Irwin, Apollo 15, was the first to go, in 1991.
Alan Shepard, Apollo 14, died seven years later.
Pete Conrad, Apollo 12, passed a year after that.
Then Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11.
Then Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14.
In January 2017, Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, the last man to walk on the moon, died. (c)
Q:
“We believe space mining is still a long way from commercial viability, but it has the potential to further ease access to space and facilitate an in-space manufacturing economy,” an analyst for Goldman Sachs wrote in a note to investors. “Space mining could be more realistic than perceived… a single asteroid the size of a football field could contain $25 billion to $50 billion worth of platinum.” (c)
Q:
Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt invested in Planetary Resources, which planned to mine asteroids. Filled with precious metals, the asteroids are the “diamonds in the rough of the solar system,” Eric Anderson, the company’s cofounder, told CNBC.
Asteroids have “rare metals, industrial metals and even fuels,” he said, “so we could create gas stations in space that would enable us to travel throughout the solar system just like Star Trek.” (c)
Q:
FOR WEEKS, MUSK and a small SWAT team of SpaceX employees had spent their Saturdays working on the Mars architecture, and the presentation. But they seemed to overlook a key detail—the Q & A session that would follow.
…
Another guy told Musk he wanted to give him a comic book about the “first man on Mars, just like you.” But he couldn’t get by the guards protecting the stage, and asked, “Should I just throw this onto the stage?”
Then there was the woman who asked, “On behalf of all the ladies, can I go upstairs and give you a kiss, a good luck kiss?”
Musk shifted stiffly as the crowd started whooping and hollering, as if at a brothel.
“Thank you,” he offered, awkwardly. “Appreciate the thought.” (c) Why is this an issue, really? Q&A sessions can include lots of weirdness and still not be a doozy. This one definitely wasn't, so what was the author trying to tell in this paragraph?
Q:
For all its accomplishments, NASA could no longer lay exclusive claim to the title. The space shuttle program had been a compromise that didn’t deliver on its goal of providing reliable, low-cost access to space. It was pricey and dangerous, taking the lives of fourteen astronauts. Bush’s Constellation program, which was supposed to take humans back to the moon, had been killed. NASA’s replacement program, which was supposed to get to Mars, didn’t seem within decades of doing so with the overbudget, behind-schedule SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
Musk, then, filled a void that was larger than his space company. (c)
Q:
They were a mix of marketing and fantasy that went viral, a sign of the emergence of a new leader in human space travel. (c)
Q:
Investors, long leery of the risky industry, started to wade in. In 2014, the global space economy totaled $330 billion, a 9 percent jump from the previous year and up from $176 billion in 2005, according to the Space Foundation, a nonprofit space advocacy organization. In 2015, Google and Fidelity invested $1 billion in SpaceX, backing another of Musk’s ventures: a bold plan to build a constellation of thousands of small satellites that would swarm over Earth, beaming the Internet to remote parts of the world. (c)
Q:
For decades, the engine was the most important part of the rocket. But this rocket had something altogether different, something that had not been necessary before.
This rocket had legs. (c) And? What for, how did it fit into the design, what was it about, why was it needed, did it improve anything? Ugh!
Q:
SpaceX had demonstrated it—Pad 40 alone was a master class in creativity, not to mention the innovative ways it had built its rockets in-house. What, she wanted to know, was Blue Origin’s secret?
The answer, in part, was citric acid.
For a while the company had been using a toxic cleaner for its engine nozzles, which it intended to reuse. But that cleaner was expensive and difficult to handle—it had to be used in a separate, clean room because it was so toxic. Then someone discovered that citric acid worked just as well. So, the company started buying it by the gallon, an easier, less expensive solution that worked better.
“Now I’m the largest purchaser of lemon juice in the country,” (c)
Instead, I felt like I was reading a monstrously overblown article from some newspaper. Some ingredients were missing. I do appreciate that the facts were all right-ish, they did this, invested that, the rocket blew up, another one returned and had legs, the citric acid was important, blah blah. Something was still missing, some core details, backgrounds in other places. It felt like the author was preoccupied with stuff other than what he wrote. Many things felt to be edited out.
Overall starting rating: 5 stars
+1 star: space and business
-1 star: disjointedness and overall bad, no, horrible structure.
-1 star: things that felt edited out
-1 star: unimportant or maybe important details left hanging
+1 star: facts used, hallelujah
-1 star: abruptness of topics changes and the overall journalist approach to writing, the whole read as unfinished draft.
Final rating: 3 stars.
Q:
“Paul, isn’t this better than the best sex you ever had?” Branson asked him, as the spaceship climbed higher.
“If I was this anxious during any kind of interpersonal activity, I couldn’t enjoy it very much,” Allen thought. (c)
Q:
AND SO THE moon. Again, the moon.
The greatest achievement in the history of humankind, revisited. Only now, so much time had passed that the twelve Apollo astronauts who had walked on the lunar surface were dying off, one by one.
James Irwin, Apollo 15, was the first to go, in 1991.
Alan Shepard, Apollo 14, died seven years later.
Pete Conrad, Apollo 12, passed a year after that.
Then Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11.
Then Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14.
In January 2017, Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, the last man to walk on the moon, died. (c)
Q:
“We believe space mining is still a long way from commercial viability, but it has the potential to further ease access to space and facilitate an in-space manufacturing economy,” an analyst for Goldman Sachs wrote in a note to investors. “Space mining could be more realistic than perceived… a single asteroid the size of a football field could contain $25 billion to $50 billion worth of platinum.” (c)
Q:
Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt invested in Planetary Resources, which planned to mine asteroids. Filled with precious metals, the asteroids are the “diamonds in the rough of the solar system,” Eric Anderson, the company’s cofounder, told CNBC.
Asteroids have “rare metals, industrial metals and even fuels,” he said, “so we could create gas stations in space that would enable us to travel throughout the solar system just like Star Trek.” (c)
Q:
FOR WEEKS, MUSK and a small SWAT team of SpaceX employees had spent their Saturdays working on the Mars architecture, and the presentation. But they seemed to overlook a key detail—the Q & A session that would follow.
…
Another guy told Musk he wanted to give him a comic book about the “first man on Mars, just like you.” But he couldn’t get by the guards protecting the stage, and asked, “Should I just throw this onto the stage?”
Then there was the woman who asked, “On behalf of all the ladies, can I go upstairs and give you a kiss, a good luck kiss?”
Musk shifted stiffly as the crowd started whooping and hollering, as if at a brothel.
“Thank you,” he offered, awkwardly. “Appreciate the thought.” (c) Why is this an issue, really? Q&A sessions can include lots of weirdness and still not be a doozy. This one definitely wasn't, so what was the author trying to tell in this paragraph?
Q:
For all its accomplishments, NASA could no longer lay exclusive claim to the title. The space shuttle program had been a compromise that didn’t deliver on its goal of providing reliable, low-cost access to space. It was pricey and dangerous, taking the lives of fourteen astronauts. Bush’s Constellation program, which was supposed to take humans back to the moon, had been killed. NASA’s replacement program, which was supposed to get to Mars, didn’t seem within decades of doing so with the overbudget, behind-schedule SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
Musk, then, filled a void that was larger than his space company. (c)
Q:
They were a mix of marketing and fantasy that went viral, a sign of the emergence of a new leader in human space travel. (c)
Q:
Investors, long leery of the risky industry, started to wade in. In 2014, the global space economy totaled $330 billion, a 9 percent jump from the previous year and up from $176 billion in 2005, according to the Space Foundation, a nonprofit space advocacy organization. In 2015, Google and Fidelity invested $1 billion in SpaceX, backing another of Musk’s ventures: a bold plan to build a constellation of thousands of small satellites that would swarm over Earth, beaming the Internet to remote parts of the world. (c)
Q:
For decades, the engine was the most important part of the rocket. But this rocket had something altogether different, something that had not been necessary before.
This rocket had legs. (c) And? What for, how did it fit into the design, what was it about, why was it needed, did it improve anything? Ugh!
Q:
SpaceX had demonstrated it—Pad 40 alone was a master class in creativity, not to mention the innovative ways it had built its rockets in-house. What, she wanted to know, was Blue Origin’s secret?
The answer, in part, was citric acid.
For a while the company had been using a toxic cleaner for its engine nozzles, which it intended to reuse. But that cleaner was expensive and difficult to handle—it had to be used in a separate, clean room because it was so toxic. Then someone discovered that citric acid worked just as well. So, the company started buying it by the gallon, an easier, less expensive solution that worked better.
“Now I’m the largest purchaser of lemon juice in the country,” (c)
June 3, 2022
I'm still trying to explore parts of California.
The idea of spending all of my non-sleep hours working to advance the goal of making humans an interplanetary species doesn't seem compelling to me, but this book did shed some light on the many positives of the commercial space industry.
So many reviews are just bashing Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. As far as I can tell, both of these individuals are living purpose driven lives of their own design. As this seems to be a goal of many driven, passionate people - I think it's easy to conclude that there are some lessons to be learned from the development of SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Between the two of them, only ONE was a billionaire when he started his space company. Even then, it did take Musk over $100mm of his own money just to get to the plate with NASA. Bezos joked that the Blue Origin business plan was for him to sell $1b of Amazon stock and invest it into the company. Well, if you compare the two stories, all things held constant - what SpaceX has accomplished is absolutely amazing.
But, of course, the devil is in the details.
If you like rocket design, you may find this book a little boring. If you want to get up to speed on commercial space activity in the U.S., and the brief history of how it came to be, this book did offer some interesting facts that made it a smooth, informative read.
The idea of spending all of my non-sleep hours working to advance the goal of making humans an interplanetary species doesn't seem compelling to me, but this book did shed some light on the many positives of the commercial space industry.
So many reviews are just bashing Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. As far as I can tell, both of these individuals are living purpose driven lives of their own design. As this seems to be a goal of many driven, passionate people - I think it's easy to conclude that there are some lessons to be learned from the development of SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Between the two of them, only ONE was a billionaire when he started his space company. Even then, it did take Musk over $100mm of his own money just to get to the plate with NASA. Bezos joked that the Blue Origin business plan was for him to sell $1b of Amazon stock and invest it into the company. Well, if you compare the two stories, all things held constant - what SpaceX has accomplished is absolutely amazing.
But, of course, the devil is in the details.
If you like rocket design, you may find this book a little boring. If you want to get up to speed on commercial space activity in the U.S., and the brief history of how it came to be, this book did offer some interesting facts that made it a smooth, informative read.
January 7, 2018
The full title of this book, The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos, emphasizes the battle between two of the main figures in the book. While I understand the name-dropping can potentially help in selling more copies, I feel it is important to mention others featured in the book: Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder), Burt Rutan (not a “Baron,” but important for his role), and Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group).
I chose to read this book because of my previous interest in space exploration/colonization, which unfortunately did not extend much further than what NASA had accomplished. While I was aware of three of the names involved (Bezos, Musk, and Branson), I did not know who had accomplished what. Author Christian Davenport’s book helped to fill in my knowledge gaps. I questioned whether the book would be on the dry side, but the author’s storytelling style soon proved me wrong.
Mr. Davenport lists an extensive number of sources he employed to write the book, along with interviews with the people directly involved in this new space race involving individuals and companies. The end result is an inside look at the dreams and fears along with the failures and successes of each entrepreneur. All possess the ultimate goal of enabling mankind to be able to safely travel in space, yet each also has variations of what he believes can be possible. The author not only details what has happened, he outlines the future plans of each company.
I didn’t find this to be a quick read, as there was much to absorb. That said, I found the book to be engaging, and I didn’t feel the urge to speed-read through the content. Mr. Davenport presents the information as if it were a book-length feature article. Extremely informative for anyone wishing to learn what has been going on with the space program over the last twenty years. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Perseus Books (Public Affairs) for an advance copy of this book (Publish Date: April 17, 2018).
I chose to read this book because of my previous interest in space exploration/colonization, which unfortunately did not extend much further than what NASA had accomplished. While I was aware of three of the names involved (Bezos, Musk, and Branson), I did not know who had accomplished what. Author Christian Davenport’s book helped to fill in my knowledge gaps. I questioned whether the book would be on the dry side, but the author’s storytelling style soon proved me wrong.
Mr. Davenport lists an extensive number of sources he employed to write the book, along with interviews with the people directly involved in this new space race involving individuals and companies. The end result is an inside look at the dreams and fears along with the failures and successes of each entrepreneur. All possess the ultimate goal of enabling mankind to be able to safely travel in space, yet each also has variations of what he believes can be possible. The author not only details what has happened, he outlines the future plans of each company.
I didn’t find this to be a quick read, as there was much to absorb. That said, I found the book to be engaging, and I didn’t feel the urge to speed-read through the content. Mr. Davenport presents the information as if it were a book-length feature article. Extremely informative for anyone wishing to learn what has been going on with the space program over the last twenty years. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Perseus Books (Public Affairs) for an advance copy of this book (Publish Date: April 17, 2018).
February 11, 2019
3.5 stars for this book. This is a very interesting read if you are into space exploration and the advances the private industry is doing towards the goal of sending humans to mars soon. The book focuses on big names like Jeff Bezos and Elon musk and 2 other billionaires and the work their companies are doing , the book gets repetitive at times and doesn’t really have anything new after the first 100 pages but like I stated before if you are into space and eccentric billionaires then this is the book for you .
December 9, 2018
I am deeply impressed with the author's ability to write a book while also slobbering over the cocks of three billionaires at the same time. I aspire to have this level of multi-tasking ability someday!
Seriously though, this is some of the fluffiest and most inane piece of "journalism" I've ever read. I picked up this book hoping for an educational look at the nature of the space industry, its political economy, the technical challenges of building spacecrafts, etc. The book has a thin layer of all this, but its coating what is a mostly hollow and childish puff piece about how cool and sexy billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are. A sizeable chunk of the book is just copy-pasted from corporate press releases and publicity speeches, as well as the vague hopes and dreams of the various CEOs and how X and Y events in their childhood inspired them or whatever.
Anyways if know absolutely nothing about space travel, and are allergic to any level of depth or analysis, and are mainly interested in helping develop the personality cults of already cultish billionaires, this is the book for you! If not, then you're better off reading the Wikipedia articles about these companies, you'll get way more information in a much shorter and less frustrating amount of time.
Seriously though, this is some of the fluffiest and most inane piece of "journalism" I've ever read. I picked up this book hoping for an educational look at the nature of the space industry, its political economy, the technical challenges of building spacecrafts, etc. The book has a thin layer of all this, but its coating what is a mostly hollow and childish puff piece about how cool and sexy billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are. A sizeable chunk of the book is just copy-pasted from corporate press releases and publicity speeches, as well as the vague hopes and dreams of the various CEOs and how X and Y events in their childhood inspired them or whatever.
Anyways if know absolutely nothing about space travel, and are allergic to any level of depth or analysis, and are mainly interested in helping develop the personality cults of already cultish billionaires, this is the book for you! If not, then you're better off reading the Wikipedia articles about these companies, you'll get way more information in a much shorter and less frustrating amount of time.
May 9, 2018
I requested this book from Netgalley for a few different reasons. The number one reason being that I’m slightly obsessed with humanity’s scientific journey to attempt to get us in to space. My husband has heard me say more than once that, given the opportunity, I would gladly upend my life and go live on Mars to assist in terraforming. I’ve just always been interested in space, and space exploration and ultimately am a little resentful of the fact that I will most likely never get to see what’s beyond our Earth with my own eyes. I wanted to know what future generations have to look forward to with regard to space travel, and how we’re going to get there. I’m also a huge fan of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, so part of me requesting this was a little bit of fangirling.
Ultimately this ended up being an exceptionally interesting read about the engineering, politics, social-economics, and costs involved with getting us into space as a long-term solution for habitation and reparation to our Earth. Both of these men are scary smart and I truly believe that if anyone is going to get us into space, it’s going to be these 2. They’ve both had huge battles to get to where they are, whether it be using their own personal money to fund their space projects, fighting NASA for the right to do so, or suing the government for asinine contractual requirements and pressures.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in what our current space program looks like, and how the commercialization of space flight is ultimately going to be what gets us off our blue planet.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ultimately this ended up being an exceptionally interesting read about the engineering, politics, social-economics, and costs involved with getting us into space as a long-term solution for habitation and reparation to our Earth. Both of these men are scary smart and I truly believe that if anyone is going to get us into space, it’s going to be these 2. They’ve both had huge battles to get to where they are, whether it be using their own personal money to fund their space projects, fighting NASA for the right to do so, or suing the government for asinine contractual requirements and pressures.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in what our current space program looks like, and how the commercialization of space flight is ultimately going to be what gets us off our blue planet.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2018
Голямата битка за Космоса ще е с един победител: човечеството: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
Точно в дните, когато гледаме нови снимки от Марс от поредния апарат, успешно приземен там, е хубав момент да се впуснем в приключението, което описва Крисчън Девънпорт. Книгата му проследява основните етапи в развитието на няколкото частни компании, отправили предизвикателство към държавно субсидираните мастодонти, които успешно приземиха космическата програма на САЩ и я приравниха до бизнес, ориентиран само към изстрелване на апарати в околоземна орбита. Кацанията на Луната са далеч в миналото, една космическа станция се върти горе и толкоз – и Гагарин, и Армстронг едва ли са очаквали в десетилетията след техните подвизи човечеството да отвърне поглед от звездите и пак да се вторачи в пъпа на вечните си безсмислени противоречия.
ИК Кръгозор
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
Точно в дните, когато гледаме нови снимки от Марс от поредния апарат, успешно приземен там, е хубав момент да се впуснем в приключението, което описва Крисчън Девънпорт. Книгата му проследява основните етапи в развитието на няколкото частни компании, отправили предизвикателство към държавно субсидираните мастодонти, които успешно приземиха космическата програма на САЩ и я приравниха до бизнес, ориентиран само към изстрелване на апарати в околоземна орбита. Кацанията на Луната са далеч в миналото, една космическа станция се върти горе и толкоз – и Гагарин, и Армстронг едва ли са очаквали в десетилетията след техните подвизи човечеството да отвърне поглед от звездите и пак да се вторачи в пъпа на вечните си безсмислени противоречия.
ИК Кръгозор
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
September 30, 2019
Insgesamt ein sehr informativer Überblick der verschiedenen Privatunternehmer und deren Weltraumprojekten. Elon Musks Projekte waren mir aus der Biographie von Ashlee Vance bereits alle bekannt, trotzdem habe ich diese Abschnitte gerne gelesen, da ich doch schon einiges wieder vergessen hatte.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin wurde ebenfalls näher beleuchtet, was mich am meisten interessiert hat, da Mr. Amazon ja nur ungerne Genaueres über seine Pläne verrät.
Außerdem wurden auch Paul Allen und Richard Bransons Weltraumunternehmen vorgestellt.
Bezos und Musk nehmen aber ca. 80% des Buches ein, was aber in Ordnung ist, da diese beiden nun mal die meisten Erfolge erzielt und die größten Ziele gesteckt haben. Es werden aber nicht nur deren Projekte dargestellt, sondern auch die Vorgehensweise dieser beiden Visionär die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnte. Besonders diesen Aspekt fand ich faszinierend. So verschiedene Persönlichkeiten und Herangehensweisen bei gleichem Ziel. Musk der Hase der voran prescht mit dem Kopf durch die Wand, alles sofort der Presse bekannt gibt und eher den Exzentriker gibt. Auf der anderen Seite Jeff Bezos, die Schildkröte, mit dem Motto "slow is smooth and smooth is fast". Bezos gibt seine Projekte erst bekannt, wenn sie erfolgreich waren, er verkündet keinen Zeitplan in dem er auf dem Mond sein möchte und agiert lieber abgeschottet. Beide Arten haben Vor- und Nachteile und beide Unternehme sind auf ihre Weise erfolgreich und bewundernswert (wenn man die Arbeitsbedingungen der Angestellten etc. mal weglässt und sich lediglich auf die Errungenschaften konzentriert).
Auch die Streitigkeiten zwischen Musk und Bezos werden etwas beleuchtet, haben sich aber zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt etwas beruhigt.
Ich persönlich hätte gerne etwas mehr und Genaueres über zukünftige Projekte erfahren, wie bspw. Musks Marsprojekt oder Bezos Vorhaben die Schwerindustrie auf den Mond und Asteroiden auszulagern. Insgesamt aber ein empfehlenswertes Buch für alle die sich für Weltraum, Wissenschaft und visionäre Unternehmer interessieren.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin wurde ebenfalls näher beleuchtet, was mich am meisten interessiert hat, da Mr. Amazon ja nur ungerne Genaueres über seine Pläne verrät.
Außerdem wurden auch Paul Allen und Richard Bransons Weltraumunternehmen vorgestellt.
Bezos und Musk nehmen aber ca. 80% des Buches ein, was aber in Ordnung ist, da diese beiden nun mal die meisten Erfolge erzielt und die größten Ziele gesteckt haben. Es werden aber nicht nur deren Projekte dargestellt, sondern auch die Vorgehensweise dieser beiden Visionär die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnte. Besonders diesen Aspekt fand ich faszinierend. So verschiedene Persönlichkeiten und Herangehensweisen bei gleichem Ziel. Musk der Hase der voran prescht mit dem Kopf durch die Wand, alles sofort der Presse bekannt gibt und eher den Exzentriker gibt. Auf der anderen Seite Jeff Bezos, die Schildkröte, mit dem Motto "slow is smooth and smooth is fast". Bezos gibt seine Projekte erst bekannt, wenn sie erfolgreich waren, er verkündet keinen Zeitplan in dem er auf dem Mond sein möchte und agiert lieber abgeschottet. Beide Arten haben Vor- und Nachteile und beide Unternehme sind auf ihre Weise erfolgreich und bewundernswert (wenn man die Arbeitsbedingungen der Angestellten etc. mal weglässt und sich lediglich auf die Errungenschaften konzentriert).
Auch die Streitigkeiten zwischen Musk und Bezos werden etwas beleuchtet, haben sich aber zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt etwas beruhigt.
Ich persönlich hätte gerne etwas mehr und Genaueres über zukünftige Projekte erfahren, wie bspw. Musks Marsprojekt oder Bezos Vorhaben die Schwerindustrie auf den Mond und Asteroiden auszulagern. Insgesamt aber ein empfehlenswertes Buch für alle die sich für Weltraum, Wissenschaft und visionäre Unternehmer interessieren.
May 12, 2020
Tahle knizka me bavila. Popisuje zavody mezi SpaceX, Blue origin a Virgin galactic. Pokud vas zajimaji zavody mezi temito “soukromymi” (pisu v zavorce, protoze jim musela pomoci NASA) spolecnostmi v dobyvani kosmu, vrele mohu doporucit.
August 21, 2018
Over the last decade I’ve occasionally seen news items relating to Space X or Virgin Galactic, but hadn’t paid them too much attention. I’m more engaged with the subject now, having read this remarkable story of how a group of billionaire business rivals - each working separately – created start-up space technology companies that have added a new dimension to the space industry. The book predominantly features the pugnacious Elon Musk, the flamboyant Richard Branson, and quiet man Jeff Bezos. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is another who features.
As boys they were all mesmerised by space exploration, and as adults each has used their enormous wealth to pursue that dream. As the author points out, they were also driven by a feeling that NASA, that once-visionary organisation, had become ossified and risk averse. In the 1970s everyone imagined there would be people living in moon bases by the 21st century.
Throughout the book the author uses the fable of The Hare and the Tortoise to illustrate the differing approaches of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Two years ago Elon Musk announced his audacious plan to take humans to Mars by 2025. In contrast Bezos prefers to talk only “when he has something to talk about.” They are a real contrast. For the moment though, the hare still seems to be holding the lead.
The book seems to have been well-researched and doesn’t wander off its chosen subject. It’s also pitched at a suitable level for the general reader. One of the messages I picked up was how much truth remains in the old cliché, “Space is Hard.”
If I have a criticism, it’s that I didn’t find the early part a particularly quick read. Overall though I enjoyed it. After finishing I actually went onto Facebook and followed the pages for Space X, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. A book that gets me to do that has to rate pretty highly.
As boys they were all mesmerised by space exploration, and as adults each has used their enormous wealth to pursue that dream. As the author points out, they were also driven by a feeling that NASA, that once-visionary organisation, had become ossified and risk averse. In the 1970s everyone imagined there would be people living in moon bases by the 21st century.
Throughout the book the author uses the fable of The Hare and the Tortoise to illustrate the differing approaches of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Two years ago Elon Musk announced his audacious plan to take humans to Mars by 2025. In contrast Bezos prefers to talk only “when he has something to talk about.” They are a real contrast. For the moment though, the hare still seems to be holding the lead.
The book seems to have been well-researched and doesn’t wander off its chosen subject. It’s also pitched at a suitable level for the general reader. One of the messages I picked up was how much truth remains in the old cliché, “Space is Hard.”
If I have a criticism, it’s that I didn’t find the early part a particularly quick read. Overall though I enjoyed it. After finishing I actually went onto Facebook and followed the pages for Space X, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. A book that gets me to do that has to rate pretty highly.
May 21, 2021
*audiokniha*
V podstatě super, zajímavý, ale nějak to na mě nefungovalo. Bylo to hodně špatně strukturované, tak možná proto. Anebo proto, že jsem chvílemi měla pocit, že autor je strašná fangirl a o pár minut později mi zas přišlo, že se všem pošklebuje. Nevím, čekala jsem víc.
V podstatě super, zajímavý, ale nějak to na mě nefungovalo. Bylo to hodně špatně strukturované, tak možná proto. Anebo proto, že jsem chvílemi měla pocit, že autor je strašná fangirl a o pár minut později mi zas přišlo, že se všem pošklebuje. Nevím, čekala jsem víc.
Read
April 8, 2023The latest iPhone is great, but the real buzz in science and technology is the plight to colonize Mars. Perhaps still too far-fetched for some, the race to be the first commercial shuttle between Earth and Mars is a very real and burgeoning enterprise, with unthinkable funds being expended (and sometimes exploded) along the way. Recent movies and books such as Interstellar (2014), The Martian (2011; 2014), and The Terranauts (2016) have begun to imbue collective popular consciousness with the rather old space ambitions, but it is often hard to separate fact from fiction when they are so tightly coupled. This is where Christian Davenport’s forthcoming book, The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos, fills a rapidly widening void. A reporter for the Washington Post, Davenport has extensive material and history from which to work, and a reporter’s knack for stating facts and extracting the perfect array of material to tell the story.
Read full review: http://www.chrisviabookreviews.com/20...
Read full review: http://www.chrisviabookreviews.com/20...
February 22, 2018
Space Barons failed to capture my interest in the long run. The initial chapters about Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos weren't well organized, but they had enough interesting bits that I kept coming back to the book. When Burt Rutan's story was introduced, however, the author lost me.
Mr. Davenport followed the same patten too many times: tell a bit of a story, introduce a new character, swing back in time to fill in some history of the character, then proceed in the main story on to the next character. Much about the failed progress of NASA was repeated again and again.
This is an interesting topic, but it needs to be organized differently.
I read an advanced readers copy provided by NetGalley.
#Space Barons #NetGalley
Mr. Davenport followed the same patten too many times: tell a bit of a story, introduce a new character, swing back in time to fill in some history of the character, then proceed in the main story on to the next character. Much about the failed progress of NASA was repeated again and again.
This is an interesting topic, but it needs to be organized differently.
I read an advanced readers copy provided by NetGalley.
#Space Barons #NetGalley
January 24, 2019
Excellent narrative, both the broader context and reporting of key events.
May 25, 2020
This book was truly the most investigative of all non-fictions I've read this year. The amount of research that has gone into the writing of the historical quirks, chronologies, and stories embedded in this book is enormous. I picked up this book because I was getting more and more interested as well inspired by private space entrepreneurship - including space tourism, reusable rockets, cargo logistics, economically cheaper private contracts, extraterrestrial mining, satellites, and of course, the actual R&D, and exploration beyond our beautiful planet Earth. After all, it's about the space – the final frontier. On involving me immensely on those lines, the book didn't disappoint one bit.
As you would have already guessed, the book is about the latest breed of barons - the space barons. But unlike robber barons and oil barons (or even bitcoin barons), the space barons were ALREADY rich before they became that, and it's that riches they're pouring into space exploration, for a variety of reasons, profits is a primary one among which. The book is mostly about, obviously, SpaceX of Musk, Blue Origin of Bezos, Virgin Galactic of Branson which is also immensely contributed towards by Microsoft legend Paul Allen(Stratolaunch Systems). However, the book is so detailed that it also includes various other firms and barons whose stories get intertwined with the mainstream space exploration. Andy Beal of "The Corporation" of gambling, Kistler Aerospace etc. The 800 pound gorilla - like antagonists of the story are the usual suspects - Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
More the companies themselves, the book is also largely a testament to the ambitions and tenacity of the founders, most notable of Bezos and Musk. NASA gossiping about Musk as "There will be bumps, but he will not fail" is a compliment as good as any for Falcon rockets. And for Bezos, this was all in his to-do list from way back, as evidenced by his valedictorian speech which was about...space. He said "Space, the final frontier, meet you there".
The book keeps you captivated with stories that you'd have never heard of, like Bezos almost dying from a crash when he was looking for places in Texas for Blue Origin; his Zelfram LLC fake corporation that bough all the Texas ranches and named them after frontier explorers like James Cook and William Clark; Bezos's extreme brainstorming for building rockets that included even a bull whip as long as train before settling on chemical rockets; Musk's audacious Falcon roadshow; Bezos's and Musk's grandfathers' entrepreneurship stories and those of their will for exploring new frontiers; Branson's catastrophic transatlantic boat ride and many more of that sort!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who'd love to read how an industry shapes itself because of the audacity of a few to dream and accomplish.
As you would have already guessed, the book is about the latest breed of barons - the space barons. But unlike robber barons and oil barons (or even bitcoin barons), the space barons were ALREADY rich before they became that, and it's that riches they're pouring into space exploration, for a variety of reasons, profits is a primary one among which. The book is mostly about, obviously, SpaceX of Musk, Blue Origin of Bezos, Virgin Galactic of Branson which is also immensely contributed towards by Microsoft legend Paul Allen(Stratolaunch Systems). However, the book is so detailed that it also includes various other firms and barons whose stories get intertwined with the mainstream space exploration. Andy Beal of "The Corporation" of gambling, Kistler Aerospace etc. The 800 pound gorilla - like antagonists of the story are the usual suspects - Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
More the companies themselves, the book is also largely a testament to the ambitions and tenacity of the founders, most notable of Bezos and Musk. NASA gossiping about Musk as "There will be bumps, but he will not fail" is a compliment as good as any for Falcon rockets. And for Bezos, this was all in his to-do list from way back, as evidenced by his valedictorian speech which was about...space. He said "Space, the final frontier, meet you there".
The book keeps you captivated with stories that you'd have never heard of, like Bezos almost dying from a crash when he was looking for places in Texas for Blue Origin; his Zelfram LLC fake corporation that bough all the Texas ranches and named them after frontier explorers like James Cook and William Clark; Bezos's extreme brainstorming for building rockets that included even a bull whip as long as train before settling on chemical rockets; Musk's audacious Falcon roadshow; Bezos's and Musk's grandfathers' entrepreneurship stories and those of their will for exploring new frontiers; Branson's catastrophic transatlantic boat ride and many more of that sort!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who'd love to read how an industry shapes itself because of the audacity of a few to dream and accomplish.
November 18, 2018
Great overview and current summary of one of the most interesting engineering and business achievements going on right now — the new space race, in particular Elon Musk and SpaceX as well as Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin, Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic, and some earlier (Beal) and more ancillary companies. In the 1990s if I’d thought space would someday be something other than NASA dead end shuttle bullshit, I probably would have gone into aerospace rather than computing and computer security. While computing and networks are one of the big engineering achievements in their own right (and in the form of AI, possibly greater than space, and on par with life extension as most important area of development), there is just something about space which makes it appealing.
Read
July 3, 2018As a kid, did you ever say to yourself, “Someday, I’m going to Mars.” Well, hello, we’re almost there and it’s not on the public’s dime as people used to complain about, it’s on Elon Musk’s many dimes and Jeff Bezo’s and other future-thinking minds. “The Space Barons…” should wake all of us up and get us all back on track to not only thinking about what we could do if something serious did happen to our planet Earth, but to doing something about it now. Musk and Bezo as children made for interesting reading. This is one book you won’t want to put down until it’s finished.
-Anna Q.L.
-Anna Q.L.
October 25, 2019
Илън Мъск си е поръчал да му напишат книга.
June 17, 2019
This book Chronicles the "race to space". It is a book written in a news article fashion. Fun to read, fast paced and well researched.
I would like it more if there was more of the Vision, of the 3 barons-protagonists of the book, but unfortunately the writer only shares parts of interviews, tweets and events that took place.
I would like it more if there was more of the Vision, of the 3 barons-protagonists of the book, but unfortunately the writer only shares parts of interviews, tweets and events that took place.
March 21, 2018
This book is a thorough and professional review of the current state of space flight in the US. As the cover promises, it’s a tale filled with the current rock stars of capitalism: Musk, Bezos, Branson, et al. And a few names that have made history but aren’t quite as familiar: Burt Rutan, Mike Melvill, and a host of others.
It’s a book of tales, not technology, and that’s great for most readers. And the stories and subplots are magnificent and glorious; just what you’d expect from men who have already achieved wealth and fame and now have the time and resources to feed the soulful flames that burn within. These are men not content to sit by the pool, but whose inner curiosity, in its immense proportions, define who they are.
The book is well researched and easy to read. I definitely came away with a much fuller portrait of Musk and Bezos (a study in contrast, for sure), in particular, and while it would be impossible for any author not to have an opinion about the players, Davenport is a pro and works hard to simply tell their stories and not show his own cards.
I only have two issues with the book. The first is common to all discussion involving the tech industry. There is a lot of effort expended differentiating between the commercial space industry (Musk & Bezos), the government (NASA), and the “contractors” (Boeing, LMT, & the military-industrial complex). The commercial companies (particularly SpaceX) are, of course, the quixotic “everyman,” the feisty, never-sleeps underdog who refuses to give in to convention and who is obsessed with saving money and making time. In that narrative, NASA and the contractors are old, overweight, slow, expensive, and risk-averse.
It’s the now familiar Silicon Valley (the figurative SV) narrative and it’s starting to sound a bit over-hyped and dated. Narrative is a function of perspective. Replacing the obscenely expensive latch previously used on the nose cone by the grumpy old men with the one used on the stall doors in the bathroom sounds ingenious; until it fails and we discover that the latch was expensive for a reason. It’s not the wrong idea, mind you. But the distinction between genius and rash judgment can be a subtle one that is only apparent with hindsight.
Which brings me to the second concern. There is an underlying implication that NASA and the contractors all get their money from the taxpayers but the "commercial" companies do not. The “astropreneurs”, in other words, have skin in the game and according to the SV narrative, that is the essence of genius and value. And that, too, is true to a point.
But all of this delightful technology ultimately comes from the American people. All of the engineers, whichever entity they work for, were all educated in large part with taxpayer funds, they drive on taxpayer-funded roads, they enjoy the protection of taxpayer-funded defense, etc. It’s not that the entrepreneurial perspective is false, but it is often over-stated for the world we live in. Whether we accept it or not, we now live in a collective society; made all the more collective by technology.
And on a related note, of course, there is a libertarian message from the tech entrepreneurs – regulation will kill the industry and the opportunity that is space. Again the narrative is classic tech libertarianism. But space doesn’t exist in isolation any more than tech ultimately does. If a commercial rocket plunges into a populated area, the fact is that the government/taxpayer will be expected to come to the rescue.
I am as anguished by the US lack of commitment to space as any of the people in the book. I was a teenager when Armstrong walked on the moon and I remember it vividly. It was liberating for every man, woman, and child on the planet in a way almost nothing since has been, although the fall of the Berlin Wall came close. But we were able to do it, in part, because we responded to President Kennedy’s bold challenge as a nation. It was a collective effort.
I think the space entrepreneurs covered in this book are remarkable men and women. They represent a core element of the American spirit. But at the heart of that same spirit is another American ideal; “It is amazing what can be accomplished if we don’t worry who gets the credit for it.”
It’s a book of tales, not technology, and that’s great for most readers. And the stories and subplots are magnificent and glorious; just what you’d expect from men who have already achieved wealth and fame and now have the time and resources to feed the soulful flames that burn within. These are men not content to sit by the pool, but whose inner curiosity, in its immense proportions, define who they are.
The book is well researched and easy to read. I definitely came away with a much fuller portrait of Musk and Bezos (a study in contrast, for sure), in particular, and while it would be impossible for any author not to have an opinion about the players, Davenport is a pro and works hard to simply tell their stories and not show his own cards.
I only have two issues with the book. The first is common to all discussion involving the tech industry. There is a lot of effort expended differentiating between the commercial space industry (Musk & Bezos), the government (NASA), and the “contractors” (Boeing, LMT, & the military-industrial complex). The commercial companies (particularly SpaceX) are, of course, the quixotic “everyman,” the feisty, never-sleeps underdog who refuses to give in to convention and who is obsessed with saving money and making time. In that narrative, NASA and the contractors are old, overweight, slow, expensive, and risk-averse.
It’s the now familiar Silicon Valley (the figurative SV) narrative and it’s starting to sound a bit over-hyped and dated. Narrative is a function of perspective. Replacing the obscenely expensive latch previously used on the nose cone by the grumpy old men with the one used on the stall doors in the bathroom sounds ingenious; until it fails and we discover that the latch was expensive for a reason. It’s not the wrong idea, mind you. But the distinction between genius and rash judgment can be a subtle one that is only apparent with hindsight.
Which brings me to the second concern. There is an underlying implication that NASA and the contractors all get their money from the taxpayers but the "commercial" companies do not. The “astropreneurs”, in other words, have skin in the game and according to the SV narrative, that is the essence of genius and value. And that, too, is true to a point.
But all of this delightful technology ultimately comes from the American people. All of the engineers, whichever entity they work for, were all educated in large part with taxpayer funds, they drive on taxpayer-funded roads, they enjoy the protection of taxpayer-funded defense, etc. It’s not that the entrepreneurial perspective is false, but it is often over-stated for the world we live in. Whether we accept it or not, we now live in a collective society; made all the more collective by technology.
And on a related note, of course, there is a libertarian message from the tech entrepreneurs – regulation will kill the industry and the opportunity that is space. Again the narrative is classic tech libertarianism. But space doesn’t exist in isolation any more than tech ultimately does. If a commercial rocket plunges into a populated area, the fact is that the government/taxpayer will be expected to come to the rescue.
I am as anguished by the US lack of commitment to space as any of the people in the book. I was a teenager when Armstrong walked on the moon and I remember it vividly. It was liberating for every man, woman, and child on the planet in a way almost nothing since has been, although the fall of the Berlin Wall came close. But we were able to do it, in part, because we responded to President Kennedy’s bold challenge as a nation. It was a collective effort.
I think the space entrepreneurs covered in this book are remarkable men and women. They represent a core element of the American spirit. But at the heart of that same spirit is another American ideal; “It is amazing what can be accomplished if we don’t worry who gets the credit for it.”
November 28, 2022
This is written by a Washington Post reporter on the space beat, so it's shocking that this book reads like an access-less summary of publicly available videos, blogs, tweets, press releases, and other reporting. Davenport is restrained in what he's willing to write about his boss (Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos) but bends over backwards to defend and deify Elon Musk. It's a puff piece for sure.
At one point Musk's proneness to "yell at employees on the middle of the factory floor" is cheered as--to use 2022 parlance--antidote to woke corporate culture (a SpaceX employee is impressed because he wouldn't have been able to get away with that at another company without being banished to "eighteen months of sensitivity training"). Later, Musk is described by the author as "a modern day amalgam of JFK and Neil Armstrong." WHAT? You have to actively cut through the hero worship and spin if you want to read this without getting dumber.
This would be less noticeable if the book spent more time with the other "Space Barons," plural. The content feels like 69% Musk, 20% Bezos, 11% others (Richard Branson, Paul Allen, Burt Ratan, Andrew Beal, et al).
Anyway.
The parts that aren't star struck provide a decent overview of the last 20 years of American private space flight, but expect some eye-rolling along the way. Or "head down, plow through the line" and keep being a lil Elon freak.
At one point Musk's proneness to "yell at employees on the middle of the factory floor" is cheered as--to use 2022 parlance--antidote to woke corporate culture (a SpaceX employee is impressed because he wouldn't have been able to get away with that at another company without being banished to "eighteen months of sensitivity training"). Later, Musk is described by the author as "a modern day amalgam of JFK and Neil Armstrong." WHAT? You have to actively cut through the hero worship and spin if you want to read this without getting dumber.
This would be less noticeable if the book spent more time with the other "Space Barons," plural. The content feels like 69% Musk, 20% Bezos, 11% others (Richard Branson, Paul Allen, Burt Ratan, Andrew Beal, et al).
Anyway.
The parts that aren't star struck provide a decent overview of the last 20 years of American private space flight, but expect some eye-rolling along the way. Or "head down, plow through the line" and keep being a lil Elon freak.
April 12, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I first decided to read it. It was on last year's Goodreads Choice Awards so I figured it was worth a try and that I might learn something.
In cause you're wondering I didn't really learn much. And I quit this book around 50 pages in. This book is ridiculous. The author is a fanboy of the worst kind, which not only made it annoying to read the book but also was just plain laughable. He tried to make it sound like the men who are now interested in space were on some kinds of epic journeys, instead of just bored rich men. And on top of it, he wasn't even a good writer, the cliches had me rolling my eyes so hard I'm surprised I didn't hurt myself. I was bored, annoyed and I'm pretty sure at one point I threw up in my mouth just a little.
This book was an utter waste of time and if you were considering reading this book, take my advice and don't. I'm sure there are better books that we can all read. I gave this book 1 star on Goodreads.
In cause you're wondering I didn't really learn much. And I quit this book around 50 pages in. This book is ridiculous. The author is a fanboy of the worst kind, which not only made it annoying to read the book but also was just plain laughable. He tried to make it sound like the men who are now interested in space were on some kinds of epic journeys, instead of just bored rich men. And on top of it, he wasn't even a good writer, the cliches had me rolling my eyes so hard I'm surprised I didn't hurt myself. I was bored, annoyed and I'm pretty sure at one point I threw up in my mouth just a little.
This book was an utter waste of time and if you were considering reading this book, take my advice and don't. I'm sure there are better books that we can all read. I gave this book 1 star on Goodreads.
January 18, 2020
The idea of space exploration and it being privately funded combine to make a potentially interesting book topic. Several ultra wealthy people with a passion to push the bounds of space could lead to a compelling read, but it didn't. "The Space Barons" was bogged down throughout. It was page-after-page of essentially the same micro story being told over-and-over. This company, run by this successful entrepreneur, is testing this rocket and it failed because of xyz or it succeeded. Repeat over and over. I felt like I was reading about someone coding software. I suffered through much of the book. It could (should) have been an interesting long article in a newspaper, rather than an entire book. Light on content and the story never moved forward.
August 14, 2019
Bootlicking worship of the Barony.
And yet - even so, Musk comes off as petulant and childish. "The problem with governments and monopolies is that I don't literally own my own country!"
At least Besos has a twisted kind of class with the whole Lex Luthor thing he's going for.
Great quote from the book tho: "From the Mayflower, to Manifest Destiny, to the Moon."
Yeah, man, exactly. Isn't it about time for this shit to end?
And yet - even so, Musk comes off as petulant and childish. "The problem with governments and monopolies is that I don't literally own my own country!"
At least Besos has a twisted kind of class with the whole Lex Luthor thing he's going for.
Great quote from the book tho: "From the Mayflower, to Manifest Destiny, to the Moon."
Yeah, man, exactly. Isn't it about time for this shit to end?
December 18, 2017
My wife is from Cameroon so she thrilled that the first creature that America sent into orbit was from Cameroon.
The creature was named Enos. He was a chimp from Cameroon. He flew aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 on November 29, 1961. Enos logged three hours and 21 minutes in space. He paved the way for the first American orbital flight just three months later.
I’m a fan of space exploration and astronomy. I’m a even bigger fan of the privatization of spaceflight so I’ve been following the news fairly closely.
Still, just like I didn’t know about Enos the chimp, Christian Davenport’s upcoming book, Space Barons: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos, delivers plenty of facts that I didn’t know about.
If you’ve been meticulously following the headlines, then I suppose there’s little new in Davenport’s book. Test yourself.
Did you know that . . .
. . . Jeff Bezos nearly died in a helicopter crash?
. . . the big aerospace giants (e.g., Boeing) called SpaceX an “ankle biter” and that Elon Musk would basically call Blue Origin the same thing years later?
. . . Bezos and Musk are rocket geeks but that Richard Branson knows little about them?
. . . Paul Allen loves space exploration but is terrified of the risk of losing a human life?
. . . Bezos is the turtle and Musk is the hare?
Soviet space feats
Although it's not mentioned in the book, I recently learned that Americans were NOT the first to land something on the moon. The Soviets were. They landed Luna 2 on the moon's surface a stunning 10 years before Apollo 11 (the first humans to land on the moon).
It's just more proof how we glorify our own country. I wonder if you grew up in Russia, you'd hear nonstop about Luna 2 but almost nothing about Apollo 11.
Yes, it's more impressive to land humans on the moon and return to them safely to Earth than to crash an object into the moon, but we still ought to acknowledge the Soviet accomplishment and not ignore it.
Fortunately, Americans do talk about Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin.Still, that's just the tip of the Soviet Space Program's iceberg. To quote Wikipedia:
[The Soviets were] responsible for a number of pioneering accomplishments in space flight including the first intercontinental ballistic missile (R-7), first satellite (Sputnik 1), first animal in Earth orbit (the dog Laika on Sputnik 2), first human in space and Earth orbit (cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1), first woman in space and Earth orbit (cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6), first spacewalk (cosmonaut Alexey Leonov on Voskhod 2), first Moon impact (Luna 2), first image of the far side of the moon (Luna 3) and unmanned lunar soft landing (Luna 9), first space rover (Lunokhod 1), first sample of lunar soil automatically extracted and brought to Earth (Luna 16), and first space station (Salyut 1). Further notable records included the first interplanetary probes: Venera 1 and Mars 1 to fly by Venus and Mars, respectively, Venera 3 and Mars 2 to impact the respective planet surface, and Venera 7and Mars 3 to make soft landings on these planets.
So let's stop thinking that Americans were the only space pioneers.
Sadly, Space Barons continues this sad tradition of ignoring the pioneering accomplishments of the Russians. For example, it doesn't even mention MirCorp, which sent the first space tourist (and wannabe space baron), Dennis Tito, to the International Space Station.
Instead, Space Barons focuses mostly on Bezos and Musk since the biggest space barons today. The book discusses Paul Allen, Richard Branson, and Peter Diamandis.
Since Elon Musk and SpaceX are such great marketers, you've probably heard a lot about them and seen some of their videos. What I like about Space Barons is that it delves into the mysterious Blue Origin. I just wish Davenport's interview with Bezos was a bit more revealing than it was.
Fortunately, Blue Origin has come out of the closet and has shown off some amazing feats. Check out these two videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSDHM...
This second video really could use narration/music and an altimeter, but it's still stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZJgh...
Blue Origin claims that they land at 1 mile per hour, but that landing certainly doesn't look that soft. It looks at least 5 miles per hour, if not 10. Regardless, Skywalker Manniquin survived.
Space Barons does not mention several companies that plan to mine asteroids. That's a pity. Perhaps Davenport believes that other companies are too small and/or their leaders aren't true "barons" yet.
Despite these shortcomings, I loved reading Space Barons. It's one of those rare books that I devoured. I read a book a week. This is one that was hard to put down. It's one of my favorite books that I read in 2017.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to read it until April 17, 2018, which is when the book is made available to the public.
The main downside of the book is that by 2020 it will be out of date since progress in space is happening quickly. So pre-order it today and read it once you get it.
Verdict: 9/10 stars
The creature was named Enos. He was a chimp from Cameroon. He flew aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 on November 29, 1961. Enos logged three hours and 21 minutes in space. He paved the way for the first American orbital flight just three months later.
I’m a fan of space exploration and astronomy. I’m a even bigger fan of the privatization of spaceflight so I’ve been following the news fairly closely.
Still, just like I didn’t know about Enos the chimp, Christian Davenport’s upcoming book, Space Barons: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos, delivers plenty of facts that I didn’t know about.
If you’ve been meticulously following the headlines, then I suppose there’s little new in Davenport’s book. Test yourself.
Did you know that . . .
. . . Jeff Bezos nearly died in a helicopter crash?
. . . the big aerospace giants (e.g., Boeing) called SpaceX an “ankle biter” and that Elon Musk would basically call Blue Origin the same thing years later?
. . . Bezos and Musk are rocket geeks but that Richard Branson knows little about them?
. . . Paul Allen loves space exploration but is terrified of the risk of losing a human life?
. . . Bezos is the turtle and Musk is the hare?
Soviet space feats
Although it's not mentioned in the book, I recently learned that Americans were NOT the first to land something on the moon. The Soviets were. They landed Luna 2 on the moon's surface a stunning 10 years before Apollo 11 (the first humans to land on the moon).
It's just more proof how we glorify our own country. I wonder if you grew up in Russia, you'd hear nonstop about Luna 2 but almost nothing about Apollo 11.
Yes, it's more impressive to land humans on the moon and return to them safely to Earth than to crash an object into the moon, but we still ought to acknowledge the Soviet accomplishment and not ignore it.
Fortunately, Americans do talk about Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin.Still, that's just the tip of the Soviet Space Program's iceberg. To quote Wikipedia:
[The Soviets were] responsible for a number of pioneering accomplishments in space flight including the first intercontinental ballistic missile (R-7), first satellite (Sputnik 1), first animal in Earth orbit (the dog Laika on Sputnik 2), first human in space and Earth orbit (cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1), first woman in space and Earth orbit (cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6), first spacewalk (cosmonaut Alexey Leonov on Voskhod 2), first Moon impact (Luna 2), first image of the far side of the moon (Luna 3) and unmanned lunar soft landing (Luna 9), first space rover (Lunokhod 1), first sample of lunar soil automatically extracted and brought to Earth (Luna 16), and first space station (Salyut 1). Further notable records included the first interplanetary probes: Venera 1 and Mars 1 to fly by Venus and Mars, respectively, Venera 3 and Mars 2 to impact the respective planet surface, and Venera 7and Mars 3 to make soft landings on these planets.
So let's stop thinking that Americans were the only space pioneers.
Sadly, Space Barons continues this sad tradition of ignoring the pioneering accomplishments of the Russians. For example, it doesn't even mention MirCorp, which sent the first space tourist (and wannabe space baron), Dennis Tito, to the International Space Station.
Instead, Space Barons focuses mostly on Bezos and Musk since the biggest space barons today. The book discusses Paul Allen, Richard Branson, and Peter Diamandis.
Since Elon Musk and SpaceX are such great marketers, you've probably heard a lot about them and seen some of their videos. What I like about Space Barons is that it delves into the mysterious Blue Origin. I just wish Davenport's interview with Bezos was a bit more revealing than it was.
Fortunately, Blue Origin has come out of the closet and has shown off some amazing feats. Check out these two videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSDHM...
This second video really could use narration/music and an altimeter, but it's still stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZJgh...
Blue Origin claims that they land at 1 mile per hour, but that landing certainly doesn't look that soft. It looks at least 5 miles per hour, if not 10. Regardless, Skywalker Manniquin survived.
Space Barons does not mention several companies that plan to mine asteroids. That's a pity. Perhaps Davenport believes that other companies are too small and/or their leaders aren't true "barons" yet.
Despite these shortcomings, I loved reading Space Barons. It's one of those rare books that I devoured. I read a book a week. This is one that was hard to put down. It's one of my favorite books that I read in 2017.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to read it until April 17, 2018, which is when the book is made available to the public.
The main downside of the book is that by 2020 it will be out of date since progress in space is happening quickly. So pre-order it today and read it once you get it.
Verdict: 9/10 stars
May 23, 2018
Not long ago, I reviewed Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance, and The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. Both books are well done. They're the product of professional journalists who are good at what they do. But neither book comes close to Christian Davenport's superb new book, The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos, in offering insight into the personality of these two extraordinary men who are the central characters in his book.
Illuminating personal details
The personal details about the lives of Musk and Bezos are abundant and highly revealing. For example, here is Davenport with an anecdote from the early life of Elon Musk: "He had such concentration that as a toddler in Montessori school, his teachers would have to pick him up—in his chair—to keep him moving from task to task." And this about Bezos: "His girlfriend from high school had once told an interviewer that Bezos had founded Amazon in order to make enough money to start a space company." Davenport notes that Bezos "conceded that there 'is some truth to that.'"
The pivotal role of four private space companies
Davenport's subject in The Space Barons is the pivotal role of four billionaires and the private space companies they've started in the emergence of the rejuvenated space industry. All four men envision lowering the cost of space travel and making it more accessible—and Davenport makes clear that they have taken great strides toward this goal. Although Musk and Bezos occupy center stage, Paul Allen (cofounder of Microsoft) and Richard Branson (the Virgin companies) also play large roles. Davenport tells the tale with great assurance in prose that is always lively and engaging. He interviewed all four of his subjects and many of their associates (and critics) as well. This is the remarkable story of four self-made billionaires whose great wealth and passion allowed them to pioneer space technology that NASA had grown too old and bureaucratic to develop itself. If humankind ever succeeds in populating the solar system, historians may conclude that the determination and resources of these men were largely responsible.
Four distinctive personalities
Musk, Bezos, Allen, and Branson are very different from one another, though each is undoubtedly brilliant in his own way, and at least three of the four are science fiction fans. Musk is the youngest of the lot—he was born in 1971—and by far the brashest and most impulsive. His company, SpaceX, has made the biggest splash to date and has generated by far the most revenue, but Musk has a bad habit of setting impossible deadlines for what he envisions as the principal goal of his efforts: building a city of one million people on Mars. He has also gotten his way at times only by suing NASA and the Pentagon. By contrast, Bezos and his company, Blue Origin, have been the tortoise to SpaceX's hare ("Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" as compared to "Head down. Plow through the line.") Bezos' highly secretive company has consistently been wary of publicizing its achievements.
Both Musk and Bezos (born in 1964) envision traveling into space on their own rockets. Allen and Branson, who are older—born in 1953 and 1950, respectively—do not contemplate the trip to Mars that Musk hopes to take. Allen's part in the emergence of the new industry was for a time very limited by his fear that lives might be lost in the process; later, however, he staked out a unique project of his own: building a spaceplane larger than any airplane ever built. Branson, who is even more flamboyant than Musk, is all showman and marketer. His contribution was initially to promote the work of aircraft designer Burt Rutan, assuming the controlling interest in Rutan's company in place of Allen and only later getting into the business of building rockets, as Musk and Bezos have been doing for nearly two decades.
Differing views of humanity's future in space
Elon Musk is single-mindedly focused on building a large city on Mars. Jeff Bezos does not share this focus. "'There's all kinds of interesting stuff you can do around the solar system,'" he told Davenport, "'but the thing that's going to move the needle for humanity the most is mining near-Earth objects and building manufacturing infrastructure in place . . . That's the big thing.'" Given the obstacles to living on the surface of Mars that I have learned through other reading, I tend to agree with Bezos.
About the author
Christian Davenport is a reporter for the Washington Post, which is owned by Jeff Bezos. He acknowledges that it is "somewhat awkward writing a book about someone who could have you fired." However, his editor, Marty Baron, "has made it clear that [the Post] covers Jeff's companies as it would any other" and encouraged him to write the book. The Space Barons is Davenport's second.
Illuminating personal details
The personal details about the lives of Musk and Bezos are abundant and highly revealing. For example, here is Davenport with an anecdote from the early life of Elon Musk: "He had such concentration that as a toddler in Montessori school, his teachers would have to pick him up—in his chair—to keep him moving from task to task." And this about Bezos: "His girlfriend from high school had once told an interviewer that Bezos had founded Amazon in order to make enough money to start a space company." Davenport notes that Bezos "conceded that there 'is some truth to that.'"
The pivotal role of four private space companies
Davenport's subject in The Space Barons is the pivotal role of four billionaires and the private space companies they've started in the emergence of the rejuvenated space industry. All four men envision lowering the cost of space travel and making it more accessible—and Davenport makes clear that they have taken great strides toward this goal. Although Musk and Bezos occupy center stage, Paul Allen (cofounder of Microsoft) and Richard Branson (the Virgin companies) also play large roles. Davenport tells the tale with great assurance in prose that is always lively and engaging. He interviewed all four of his subjects and many of their associates (and critics) as well. This is the remarkable story of four self-made billionaires whose great wealth and passion allowed them to pioneer space technology that NASA had grown too old and bureaucratic to develop itself. If humankind ever succeeds in populating the solar system, historians may conclude that the determination and resources of these men were largely responsible.
Four distinctive personalities
Musk, Bezos, Allen, and Branson are very different from one another, though each is undoubtedly brilliant in his own way, and at least three of the four are science fiction fans. Musk is the youngest of the lot—he was born in 1971—and by far the brashest and most impulsive. His company, SpaceX, has made the biggest splash to date and has generated by far the most revenue, but Musk has a bad habit of setting impossible deadlines for what he envisions as the principal goal of his efforts: building a city of one million people on Mars. He has also gotten his way at times only by suing NASA and the Pentagon. By contrast, Bezos and his company, Blue Origin, have been the tortoise to SpaceX's hare ("Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" as compared to "Head down. Plow through the line.") Bezos' highly secretive company has consistently been wary of publicizing its achievements.
Both Musk and Bezos (born in 1964) envision traveling into space on their own rockets. Allen and Branson, who are older—born in 1953 and 1950, respectively—do not contemplate the trip to Mars that Musk hopes to take. Allen's part in the emergence of the new industry was for a time very limited by his fear that lives might be lost in the process; later, however, he staked out a unique project of his own: building a spaceplane larger than any airplane ever built. Branson, who is even more flamboyant than Musk, is all showman and marketer. His contribution was initially to promote the work of aircraft designer Burt Rutan, assuming the controlling interest in Rutan's company in place of Allen and only later getting into the business of building rockets, as Musk and Bezos have been doing for nearly two decades.
Differing views of humanity's future in space
Elon Musk is single-mindedly focused on building a large city on Mars. Jeff Bezos does not share this focus. "'There's all kinds of interesting stuff you can do around the solar system,'" he told Davenport, "'but the thing that's going to move the needle for humanity the most is mining near-Earth objects and building manufacturing infrastructure in place . . . That's the big thing.'" Given the obstacles to living on the surface of Mars that I have learned through other reading, I tend to agree with Bezos.
About the author
Christian Davenport is a reporter for the Washington Post, which is owned by Jeff Bezos. He acknowledges that it is "somewhat awkward writing a book about someone who could have you fired." However, his editor, Marty Baron, "has made it clear that [the Post] covers Jeff's companies as it would any other" and encouraged him to write the book. The Space Barons is Davenport's second.
January 6, 2025
Got to this book after a long time - this was written 5-6 years back when the space economy had just entered public discourse. Of course last few years and what we have seen in public domain clearly indicates there is lot more to come and exciting things and several feats ahead - so that’s something to keep in mind approaching this book as this the story till 2018 in terms of how the private led space industry emerged in USA.
A couple of years back when I visited NASA and did the usual tour seeing some of those rockets, engines and moon landing related stuff up close there was this thought of how did it all stop. Lot of us exposed to a steady diet of sci-fi books and movies/shows like Star Wars, Star Trek to name a few always thought this era will be all about space. But as the book clearly brings out ‘space is hard’ - it’s incredibly tough to take things forward. NASA and other nations have labored hard to keep costs down and ensure these programs continue but it’s been tough. Lot of it per the book is down to industrial complex where so many companies bill cost plus rates to get work done leading it big bloat with minimal incentives to try new things or experiment leading to stagnation.
It has taken several ultra rich successful men - who grew up as kids dreaming about space - who decided to take on these entrenched monopolies and create a new industry thanks to their deep pockets and immense self belief in taking on something very hard but exciting which could radically change the world. So this is the story of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Paul Allen ( Microsoft ) and Richard Branson who all poured millions into space ambitions and took on big challenges in very different ways but all made a dent and ultimately created a space economy.
It’s clearly not just writing checks and watching - these billionaires challenged the status quo and pushed along new ideas to take one example of Musk who with his mars vision - focused on reusable rockets and pushed overall cost down tremendously. They also pioneered scrappy approaches just like many tech startups to keep costs low fighting an uphill battle in one of the toughest industries. Was a very good read to understand the origin stories of the space industries and what it took to reignite this.
A couple of years back when I visited NASA and did the usual tour seeing some of those rockets, engines and moon landing related stuff up close there was this thought of how did it all stop. Lot of us exposed to a steady diet of sci-fi books and movies/shows like Star Wars, Star Trek to name a few always thought this era will be all about space. But as the book clearly brings out ‘space is hard’ - it’s incredibly tough to take things forward. NASA and other nations have labored hard to keep costs down and ensure these programs continue but it’s been tough. Lot of it per the book is down to industrial complex where so many companies bill cost plus rates to get work done leading it big bloat with minimal incentives to try new things or experiment leading to stagnation.
It has taken several ultra rich successful men - who grew up as kids dreaming about space - who decided to take on these entrenched monopolies and create a new industry thanks to their deep pockets and immense self belief in taking on something very hard but exciting which could radically change the world. So this is the story of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Paul Allen ( Microsoft ) and Richard Branson who all poured millions into space ambitions and took on big challenges in very different ways but all made a dent and ultimately created a space economy.
It’s clearly not just writing checks and watching - these billionaires challenged the status quo and pushed along new ideas to take one example of Musk who with his mars vision - focused on reusable rockets and pushed overall cost down tremendously. They also pioneered scrappy approaches just like many tech startups to keep costs low fighting an uphill battle in one of the toughest industries. Was a very good read to understand the origin stories of the space industries and what it took to reignite this.
January 9, 2019
The Space Barons tells the stories of the four billionaires - Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Paul Allen.
The companies profiled have set huge milestones as privateers in space industry. Davenport chronicles the tumult of the beginnings of Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX and Mojave Aerospace Venture. The first liftoffs, explosions, failures and plain daring stubbornness of the mentioned, to advance in the field of space flights.
Additional to interviews, following books influenced Space Barons: Ashlee Vance’s Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Brad Stone’s The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, and Julian Guthrie’s How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight.
I’ve read some of them but nonetheless it was a pleasure to read the stories again (cz, you know, I worship SapceX, no surprise here).
The individual progress of the companies is well structured. The narrative takes turns, paying attention to each one of them in linear order.
It’s informative, without diving into deep technical and engineering details. Emphasizing the vision to get humans to space (or orbit at least). SBs focus is on always on the persons, driving the companies. I would’ve liked more insight into the company’s daily business, marketing strategies and so on. The beef between Musk and Bezos deserves less pages – hardly anyone missed it on twitter or anywhere else on he internet, for that matter.
A clear picture emerges by the end, from the first steps the industry has taken to the place we are in now.
I liked the included photographs in the last pages but would’ve appreciated having them in the corresponding chapters.
All in all, it was a nice, fast paced read.
The companies profiled have set huge milestones as privateers in space industry. Davenport chronicles the tumult of the beginnings of Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX and Mojave Aerospace Venture. The first liftoffs, explosions, failures and plain daring stubbornness of the mentioned, to advance in the field of space flights.
Additional to interviews, following books influenced Space Barons: Ashlee Vance’s Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Brad Stone’s The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, and Julian Guthrie’s How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight.
I’ve read some of them but nonetheless it was a pleasure to read the stories again (cz, you know, I worship SapceX, no surprise here).
The individual progress of the companies is well structured. The narrative takes turns, paying attention to each one of them in linear order.
It’s informative, without diving into deep technical and engineering details. Emphasizing the vision to get humans to space (or orbit at least). SBs focus is on always on the persons, driving the companies. I would’ve liked more insight into the company’s daily business, marketing strategies and so on. The beef between Musk and Bezos deserves less pages – hardly anyone missed it on twitter or anywhere else on he internet, for that matter.
A clear picture emerges by the end, from the first steps the industry has taken to the place we are in now.
I liked the included photographs in the last pages but would’ve appreciated having them in the corresponding chapters.
All in all, it was a nice, fast paced read.
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