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Reflector Book Review:
The Millennial Project -
Colonizing the Galaxy
Category: Space Flight
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The Millennial Project - Colonizing the Galaxy
in Eight Easy Steps
Marshall T. Savage
Little, Brown, and Co., 1992/1994
ISBN 0-316-771-635 (Softcover -- $16.96)
508 pages with color illustrations
The introduction to The Millennial
Project - Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps
by sci-fi writer Arthur Clarke accurately sums this
book up: "I am completely awed, and I don't awe easily,
by the author's command of a dozen engineering disciplines
and his amazing knowledge of scientific and technical
literature." Usually, friendly reviewers overstate the
worth of a book, but in this case I fully agree with
Mr. Clarke.
Marshall T. Savage believes that we
must colonize space to preserve the bounty of life on
Earth, which seems at high risk of eventual doom if
we don't take positive steps soon. This thought is certainly
not unusual, but Mr. Savages proposals will be new and
exciting to most readers.
The writing style is fresh and motivating,
even though it is supported by 727 mostly technical
references. To achieve his lofty objectives, Mr. Savage
initiated the formation of The First Millennial Foundation,
which is independent of space agencies and governments,
all of which are bureaucracies which lack the vital
dedication to quickly move us into space. Utilizing
the rapidly growing worldwide communications networks,
the Foundation will operate a highly focused program.
I'm sure that anyone interested in
astronomy would be delighted by this book and I fervidly
hope, for the sake of mankind and all life on Earth,
that the fledgling Foundation will prosper.
Glen Wilkins
Treasurer, Warren Astronomical Society, Troy, Michigan
Reviewed in the May 1995 issue.
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