Open Space: From Earth to Eternity—the Global Race to Explore and Conquer the Cosmos

Journalist Ariosto (This Is Cuba) delivers an informative if uneven breakdown of today’s space race, which he argues is at a pivotal juncture as tech elites and rival nations vie to determine the future of humankind in the cosmos. Space is currently “an open canvas of possibilities,” according to Ariosto, so “it’s time for deliberate choices about the people, rules, and systems that we allow to win out.” He highlights the rise of private-sector space exploration in the U.S., recounting the launch of Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander Odysseus in 2024, the first spacecraft made by a private company to successfully land on the moon. Meanwhile, China continues to make rapid advancements in space exploration, Ariosto notes, describing the country’s expansion plans for its Tiangong space station and efforts to create a sustained presence on the moon, all of which are sparking national security concerns in the U.S. While the book’s first half captivates with suspenseful storytelling, particularly Ariosto’s detailed descriptions of moon landing attempts, the second half lacks a propulsive through line, jumping from the dangers of space debris to the prospect of colonizing mars to technical discussions of the theoretical possibility of warp-speed travel. Still, space aficionados will find much of interest. (Mar.)