A rich visual history of real and fictional space stations,
illustrating pop culture's influence on the development of actual space
stations and vice versa
Space stations represent both the summit of space technology and,
possibly, the future of humanity beyond Earth. Space Stations: The Art,
Science, and Reality of Working in Space takes the reader deep into the
heart of past, present, and future space stations, both real ones and
those dreamed up in popular culture. This lavishly illustrated book
explains the development of space stations from the earliest fictional
visions through historical and current programs--including Skylab, Mir,
and the International Space Station--and on to the dawning possibilities
of large-scale space colonization. Engrossing narrative and striking
images explore not only the spacecraft themselves but also how humans
experience life aboard them, addressing everything from the development
of efficient meal preparation methods to experiments in space-based
botany. The book examines cutting-edge developments in government and
commercial space stations, including NASA's Deep Space Habitats, the
Russian Orbital Technologies Commercial Space Station, and China's
Tiangong program. Throughout, Space Stations also charts the
fascinating depiction of space stations in popular culture, whether in
the form of children's toys, comic-book spacecraft, settings in
science-fiction novels, or the backdrop to TV series and Hollywood
movies. Space Stations is a beautiful and captivating history of the
idea and the reality of the space station from the nineteenth century to
the present day.
