Posts: 2160
From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 03-17-2007 05:45 AM               

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It gives me considerable pleasure to announce that another author has been officially contracted to write a book in the Outward Odyssey series for the University of Nebraska Press. This book, due for delivery to the publishers in 2009, will be the tenth book in this fabulous series, and will tell the continuing story of private space flight; its origins, personalities, history and future.

While it's probably best to keep the title in house at this time, the author will be my co-author on the recent "Animals in Space" book, and collectSPACE regular, Chris Dubbs. Chris has already begun work on this book, and will undoubtedly do a superb job.

In closing, Chris Dubbs has told me he would love to hear from anyone who might have any information on the subject of private or commercial space flight that they could share with him.

Posts: 2160
From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 07-20-2010 06:52 PM               

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It gives me great pleasure to announce the imminent publication of the next volume in the Outward Odyssey series. It is "Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Space Flight" by Chris Dubbs and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, with a foreword by Charlie Walker.

This book traces the incredible history and evolution of private space endeavours, including such remarkable innovators as Robert Truax. There are copious quotes from people who were, and are, an inherent and vital part of this story.

Chris Dubbs is a truly wonderful and scholarly writer; he and I co-authored the Springer-Praxis book, "Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle." Emeline, along with her husband Eric, has been an integral part of the private spaceflight scene for many years, and is currently acting as Payload Flight Manager for the Odyssey Moon company.

A few details of the book (albeit sparse at the moment) can be found on the University of Nebraska website.

The website gives an official release date of 1 June 2011, but based on previous experience I would expect this book to begin customer delivery in March next year.

Posts: 145
From: Edinboro, PA USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 08-13-2010 11:28 AM               

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Thank you for the introduction Colin. It has been a very long wait for the appearance of this next volume in the Outward Odyssey series, as the release schedule got pushed back several times. But finally its appearance is on the horizon. The University of Nebraska Press has just released this tentative cover.

My co-author and I are much indebted to so many helpful cS regulars for their suggestions, the sharing of their experiences, and their help in making contacts, including cS host Robert Pearlman. The volume presents personal accounts of the movement of private individuals and private companies into space, from Gerard O’Neill to SS1.

The most daunting part of the whole writing experience was trying to live up to the very high standards that have been set by all of the previous authors in this series.

If you think you might be interested in the book, you can leave your email at the link in Colin's post, and the Press will notify you when the book appears in the spring.

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From: Edinboro, PA USA
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posted 04-19-2011 12:14 PM               

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I am happy to report that the long-delayed next volume in the Outward Odyssey series (Realizing Tomorrow: The Path to Private Space Flight), has officially been released and is available for purchase on the University of Nebraska Press website.

Hope you enjoy it.

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From: Atlanta, GA
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posted 05-03-2011 11:21 AM               

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I finished this book this morning and it is a wonderful read. There are many interesting stories and anecdotes in the book. The chapter on Robert Truax is especially interesting. As an avid NASA fan I was prepared to find fault with this book but in fact the opposite was true. One of the stories in the book tells of a project given to NASA and a private company at the same time - the private company spent 50 million dollars and produced a rocket that successfully flew three times while NASA spent 1.5 Billion dollars and produced a 1,000 page report. That's it, no hardware. This alone gave me insight into some of NASA's processes that I have not found elsewhere.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of manned spaceflight.

After reading all the books in this series I have to credit the editor, Colin Burgess for his efforts. Each book presents technical information in an easy to read format, but does not skimp on those technical details. Each book has some wonderful anecdotal stories not found elsewhere. Kudos to Mr. Burgess for his efforts at ensuring the excellence of this entire series.

Posts: 2160
From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 05-04-2011 12:29 AM               

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Thank you Gary for those kind words; I couldn't have done it without some particularly talented and enthusiastic authors, and I hope all go on to achieve even greater goals.

I have also just received a copy express posted to me here in Australia and it looks brilliant - well done Chris and Emeline and all involved in this fine series book. I know that I've seen and read the manuscript text often as the authors have put this book together, but it is simply wonderful to finally hold it in my hands as a publication. I had not seen the book's photos before now, but they are an excellent choice.

Congratulations to both Chris Dubbs and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom.

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posted 05-21-2011 09:53 AM               

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Although agreeing that Realizing Tomorrow is a well-written book I must admit that reading it has turned my opinion of commercial manned spaceflight on its head

I was initially pro-private spaceflight but now find myself growing sceptical about the motives of some of those involved.

Reading the chapter on the Rutan/Virgin Galactic effort was especially soul destroying as it seems as far removed from the ethos of Gerard O'Neill's space colony ideal as it's possible to get. Although they might promote themselves as the anti-establishment way of getting into space - it will still just be spaceflight for the super-rich!

Hats off to those that can afford the ticket but I'm still convinced that 99% of space fans will never be able to afford it, even if it drops alot from its present $200K over the next decade - which I seriously doubt!

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posted 12-01-2014 04:34 PM            

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I have had this book for a couple of years or so but somehow never seemed to get around to reading it, always finding something else among my interests instesd, but in the aftermath of the SpaceShipTwo tragedy decided that I must catch up in my knowledge of private spaceflight. Very glad I did. It's informative and I am now much more aware of what has been going on all these years and the struggles of the diverse characters involved. Fascinating.

Like all the Outward Odyssey series it is well written and highly recommended, if you don't already have it, to add to your collection. This series of books cover all aspects of space so thoroughly well. Thank you Colin for overseeing this great project.

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From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 08-28-2024 05:50 PM               

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I always leave such things up to the original author, but my feeling is that Chris Dubbs would be reluctant to tackle another book whose contents are certain to be outdated before the book is even published.

Even if such a book was completed and submitted in manuscript form today, it would not be published until around mid to late next year, and the way things are progressing today on so many different fronts and by so many different nations it would suffer from being seriously outdated before it even hit the shops. Sadly, it's just the way things are today in the very robust spaceflight scene.