Daydreaming in the Solar System

A thrilling journey through the solar system that merges imagination with hard science.


Imagine traveling to the far reaches of the solar system, pausing for close-up encounters with distant planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, accompanied by a congenial guide to the science behind what you see. What, for instance, would it be like to fly in Titan’s hazy atmosphere? To walk across the surface of Mercury? To feel the rumble of a volcano brewing on one of Jupiter's largest moons? In Daydreaming in the Solar System, John Moores and Jesse Rogerson bring that dream to virtual life. Through a combination of story and science they let readers know what such an otherworldly experience would actually look, feel, and even taste like.

With data gathered over the decades by our robotic spacecraft, and with Michelle Parsons’s evocative illustrations, Moores and Rogerson boldly take you where no living being has gone before, along the way giving an engaging and accurate explanation of the science. Where Carl Sagan’s storied “spaceship of the imagination” provided a window to outer space, Daydreaming in the Solar System opens a door, inviting readers to step through and truly explore the strange new worlds of the solar system. Undertaking this interplanetary journey powered by hard science, there is no limit to where your daydreams can take you.Foreword
Preface
1   Golfing on the Far Side of the Moon
2   Rappelling into Valles Marineras on Mars
3   Beneath the Europan Ice
4   Trekking Mercury’s Crest of Dawn
5   Prospecting on Venus’ Surface
6   Surfing Saturn’s Rings
7   Sailing the Titanian Sea
8   Around the World in Eighty Hours
9   A Year Shipwrecked on a Comet
10   Of Roses and Baobabs on Bennu
11   Skydiving in Jupiter’s Vast Atmosphere
12   Watching the Martian Clouds Scoot By
13   Spelunking on Hyperion
14   Caffeinated Flight on Titan
15   Pluto, the Edge of the Map
Epilogue: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Acknowledgments
Afterword
Notes
Index“Loaded with intriguing information that’s presented in a playful, conversational style, Daydreaming in the Solar System is an engrossing introduction to the astronomy and physics of the solar system.”
—Foreword Reviews

“I enjoyed the book, and anyone with an enthusiasm for space or 'hard' science fiction should do so too.”
—Popular Science (UK)“Our solar system through a space tourist’s eyes—a unique, captivating view.”
—Professor Sara Seager, MIT; author of The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
 
“A whimsical science-based romp through the solar system that put me vicariously on the fascinating worlds of our celestial neighborhood. From the craters of Mercury to the icy dunes of Pluto, it was just like being there.”
—Eric Choi, aerospace engineer; Aurora, Sidewise, and Asimov award–winning author of Just Like Being There

“You too can be an astronaut and explore some of the most fantastic vistas in the solar system. Wow, what a trip!”
—James Green, Former NASA Chief Scientist
 
“The first step in both art and science is imagination. This book’s fact-filled visions will inspire future space exploration, factual and fictional.”
—Emily Lakdawalla, author of The Design and Engineering of CuriosityJohn Moores is the York Research Chair in Space Exploration at York University. He is an author of nearly 100 academic papers in planetary science and has been a member of the science and operations teams of several space missions, including the Curiosity Rover Mission.
Jesse Rogerson is Assistant Professor at York University. He has over 15 years working in some of Canada's premier museums and science centres, including the Ontario Science Centre and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.