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_ash0_'s review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, just amazing. The wealth of information that this book carries and the amount of knowledge that I gained after reading this book is really incredible. Must must read for anyone who is even slightly interested in astronomy and our solar system. I learnt everything about the outer planets and their moons in our solar system thanks to this book. Voyager mission is probably the most difficult mission ever undertaken. I appreciate the efforts of all those who were part of this mission, since even a small error from any one person on the team could have resulted in the failure of this mission. I am surprised at the accuracy with which they calculated every single trajectory, flyby and sling shots around planets. Greatest mission indeed.
The audiobook was narrated by the author himself and it was great.
The audiobook was narrated by the author himself and it was great.
officialkohls's review against another edition
4.0
Bell guides the reader along the flight paths of two of our greatest achievements, with the occasional detour and stop for snacks.
pato_myers's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read even though this is not one of my preferred genres.
nenya_kanadka's review against another edition
4.0
Man. I read a lot of science fiction, so you'd think I'd be fairly blasé on the subject of planets. But the real thing? Is so much more amazing and fantastic and delightful and awe-inspiring and just plain weird.
This book got off to a bit of a slow start (the writing didn't grab me quite as much initially as the Mars Curiosity Rover book I read earlier this year) but overall it was pretty great. I especially appreciated that the author talked about so many of the female scientists and NASA personnel who'd worked on Voyager and that he'd known. It's probably still a majority-boys-club, but it was really neat to have women's accomplishments being recognized and their memoirs shared like that, seamlessly alongside their male peers.
The one thing I'd change about this book is the pictures. It needed about three times as many, minimum! It did pretty well covering what was on the Voyager Golden Record, but it didn't even have a whole picture for each of the gas giants. Needs more pix. Otherwise, would rec.
This book got off to a bit of a slow start (the writing didn't grab me quite as much initially as the Mars Curiosity Rover book I read earlier this year) but overall it was pretty great. I especially appreciated that the author talked about so many of the female scientists and NASA personnel who'd worked on Voyager and that he'd known. It's probably still a majority-boys-club, but it was really neat to have women's accomplishments being recognized and their memoirs shared like that, seamlessly alongside their male peers.
The one thing I'd change about this book is the pictures. It needed about three times as many, minimum! It did pretty well covering what was on the Voyager Golden Record, but it didn't even have a whole picture for each of the gas giants. Needs more pix. Otherwise, would rec.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
5.0
It's incredible to think that both of the Voyager space probes are still out there sending data back to earth over 40 years after they were launched. Without these spacecraft, we would know very little about our outer solar system, in particular Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The sheer amount of information we learned from these two spacecraft alone probably doubled our knowledge of our solar system and we're still learning from them. It currently takes 13 to 16 hours just receive a message from them, they're currently 20 billion kilometers from earth and still going strong. This was a solid read by a clearly passionate and knowledgeable author who cares deeply for the Voyager missions. I found Jim Bell's excitement a huge plus and felt it rubbing off on me as I read along.
emilyrose486's review against another edition
5.0
LISTEN TO THIS AS AN AUDIOBOOK! It's so much easier to grasp that way. great book and great narrator! I'm listening to this after chasing new horizons but if you haven't read either, start with this one first. it's so amazing to think of all the hours and heart that went into exploring the solar system and beyond. this book will get you thinking
tomcat0's review against another edition
5.0
Ich war schon immer fasziniert von der langen Reise der Voyager-Sonden. Dieses Buch erzählt diese Geschichte nach und bietet faszinierende Hintergrundinformationen. Ein gutes Buch für jeden Weltraumnerd.
eldiente's review against another edition
3.0
Audio - lots of questions provoked as the author told the story of the Voyager space probe missions and pondered about implications. There was a bit much of the author's own story of education and personal connection (Carl Sagan fanboy?), but I found myself looking at the stars last night with renewed awe and respect.
obsessiveviewer's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
Interesting and engaging account of the Voyager missions and humanity's first foray into Interstellar space.
Jim Bell also does a great job communicating the wonder and importance of humanity expanding it's knowledge of the universe and even our celestial neighbors.
Informative and overall solid book that left me wanting to learn more.
Jim Bell also does a great job communicating the wonder and importance of humanity expanding it's knowledge of the universe and even our celestial neighbors.
Informative and overall solid book that left me wanting to learn more.