Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets

“One day people will learn to live on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.” These words begin the book “Beyond Earth,” written by planetary scientist Amanda Hendrix and science journalist Charles Walfort. Not on Mars, as was believed for many years, but precisely on Titan — with its dense atmosphere, gentle climate, and inexhaustible reserves of fuel and water — it may be possible to create an autonomous colony. Explaining their point of view, the scientist and the journalist show not only the inevitability and tempting prospects of exploring planets and moons of the Solar System, but also the pain points of governmental and commercial space development: political, bureaucratic, and scientific problems that prevent conquering other worlds. And yet, the authors believe, this is a real prospect, not a fanciful scenario — and they infect the reader with their faith.