This was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an interesting read. I wish each object was presented a little bit more in depth. Overall, it whet my appetite to find out more about each subject. I think it would be a good introduction for anyone wishing to learn about our journey to the stars. 🙂🚀🛸🔬 ( )

How does a small, insignificant-looking rock pave the way for all the space discoveries and breakthroughs that follow its humble existence? How do early writings and calendars relate to building telescopes? Trace the development of the astronomer’s tools from the Abri Blanchard Bone Plaque, an ancient lunar phase calendar, to the Event Horizon Telescope that afforded us our first glimpse of a black hole.

While exploring each of the stories attached of these events, readers will discover there were some forty-one thousand years between the Blombos Ochre Drawing and the Abri Blanchard Bone Plaque. Yet there are less than two years between the development of the Tesla Roadster and the Event Horizon Telescope. Clearly, mankind can accomplish much, given the time, resources, and determination.

Certainly, we’ve explored only a minute portion of the vast universe of which we are an infinitesimal part. Yet human curiosity has driven us to reach out, to explore, to discover, to learn. From the artifacts of civilizations past to today’s exciting accomplishment of flying a helicopter in the Martian atmosphere and evolving plans to return to the moon, it’s clear that we’re continuing along the path, reaching even higher and learning even more.

One hundred illustrated, double-page spreads highlight each of the objects selected for inclusion here. The oldest, The Blombos Ochre Drawing dates from 71,000 B.C.E. while the newest is the Event Horizon Telescope from 2019 [the year of publication for this book]. Each of the object entries, including The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, The Star Charts of Senenmut, the Antikythera Mechanism, The Chaco Canyon Sun Dagger, Galileo’s Telescope, the Slide Rule, the Clock Drive, and so much more, include a photograph, a brief history, and an explanation of its relationship to humanity’s reach for space. A listing of resources and photo credits for each object is also included.

Readers will find much to commend in these captivating stories and tantalizing glimpses of objects that play a part in our reach for space. Readers interested in history will find much to appreciate here, as will those interested in space exploration. Don’t miss this one.

Highly recommended. ( )