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Ambassadors From Earth: An excellent addition to the Outward Odyssey series
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It is not one of the most famous images in space exploration history - but perhaps it should be. The image I am speaking about shows a tiny point of light in what looks like s ray of sunlight. A speck of dust perhaps? No, it's the planet earth, the place we call home. Everything we know and love exists on that speck of dust. The image puts into context what our place in the universe is. It is one of the topics that Jay Gallentine's Ambassadors From Earth covers first. It is an excellent way to open this book as it displays the value of unmanned spacecraft. The photo? It was not even on the primary "to-do" list of the spacecraft that took it, Voyager-1.
When one thinks of space exploration the names Glenn, Armstrong, Aldrin and Ride come to mind. This book is not about them, this book tells the story of the "other" lords of exploration, Voyager, Pioneer, Surveyor, Ranger and Explorer. Their attendants are not forgotten however with names that should be as famous as any astronaut - Pickering, Porco and Hansen. Hansen? Who is that? She was the person, who after sorting through numerous photos of empty space found the speck of light that was our home.
The University of Nebraska Press has outdone itself with the exceptional series that is Outward Odyssey. Easy-to-read, detailed and inspiring, this and the other books in this line work well as either an introduction to space exploration or as compendium for the versed space enthusiast.
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