The term ‘space exploration’ might have Buck Rogers/Luke Skywalker connotations for some, but it’s been a part of the political, military and industrial scene for more than 60 years, which makes it a subject for historical analysis. While some authors compile memoirs and monographs on space history, writer and documentary-maker Rod Pyle adopts a more accessible approach, which is showcased in his latest book ‘Interplanetary Robots: True Stories of Space Exploration’ (Prometheus, $18.99, ISBN 9781633885028).

Although the title risks evoking the likes of Terminator and C3PO, it accurately describes what used to be called unmanned planetary probes. In the past half-century, these ‘robotic’ spacecraft have visited all the planets of the solar system – including former planet Pluto – along with several asteroids and comets. This book covers the era of interplanetary exploration from the early lunar probes and Voyager fly-by missions to the outer planets, to NASA’s Mars rovers and China’s lesser-known Chang’e-3 Moon rover. It has a colour photo insert and, for more serious researchers, there are 40 pages of chapter notes and an index.

What makes this book different from all the other space histories? As an experienced author and lecturer, Pyle understands the dual requirements of accuracy and engagement and thus attempts to engage his audience from the very first page. He asks them to imagine “floating in deep space sometime in 2024, about ten billion miles past the orbit of Pluto” (which is not something one does every day!). He then has Voyager 1 “blotting out the wan image of the Sun” and hurtling past us “at some 38,610 miles per hour”. The probe passed the distance of Pluto, he informs us, “back when big hair bands like Van Halen still topped the music charts.” The mixture of reverence for the technology and flippancy of delivery might not suit all readers, but compared to some academic histories it’s a breath of fresh air.

The author’s general approach and his contacts at JPL – the “centre of the universe” for planetary missions – allow him to strip away some of the ‘veneer of professionalism’ that often separates writers from their audience. Legendary JPL engineer John Casani, for example, admits likening the standardised layout of the Mariner probes to the Volkswagen Beetle: “They looked the same for years, with minor changes and improvements”, he says (and the author provides a “whimsical” diagram to prove it).

Later, recounting a ringside seat experience of Curiosity’s landing on Mars, he describes the seasoned space writers who meet at such events: “I think we fancy ourselves as something like the foreign correspondents who gather in various war zones around the world at hotel bars”, albeit, he admits, “infinitely safer”.

Elsewhere, a quote from long-term Voyager project manager Ed Stone summarises an inverse perspective: “Here was a room full of reporters wanting to know what the scientists had discovered… to me that was incredible”. Stone realised he had both an opportunity and an obligation to “communicate what we were discovering [and] help the media tell the story”. In this book, Pyle has followed Stone’s philosophy in his personal mission to tell the story of those interplanetary robots.

The term ‘space exploration’ might have Buck Rogers/Luke Skywalker connotations for some, but it’s been a part of the political, military and industrial scene for more than 60 years, which makes it a subject for historical analysis. While some authors compile memoirs and monographs on space history, writer and documentary-maker Rod Pyle adopts a more accessible approach, which is showcased in his latest book ‘Interplanetary Robots: True Stories of Space Exploration’ (Prometheus, $18.99, ISBN 9781633885028).

Although the title risks evoking the likes of Terminator and C3PO, it accurately describes what used to be called unmanned planetary probes. In the past half-century, these ‘robotic’ spacecraft have visited all the planets of the solar system – including former planet Pluto – along with several asteroids and comets. This book covers the era of interplanetary exploration from the early lunar probes and Voyager fly-by missions to the outer planets, to NASA’s Mars rovers and China’s lesser-known Chang’e-3 Moon rover. It has a colour photo insert and, for more serious researchers, there are 40 pages of chapter notes and an index.

What makes this book different from all the other space histories? As an experienced author and lecturer, Pyle understands the dual requirements of accuracy and engagement and thus attempts to engage his audience from the very first page. He asks them to imagine “floating in deep space sometime in 2024, about ten billion miles past the orbit of Pluto” (which is not something one does every day!). He then has Voyager 1 “blotting out the wan image of the Sun” and hurtling past us “at some 38,610 miles per hour”. The probe passed the distance of Pluto, he informs us, “back when big hair bands like Van Halen still topped the music charts.” The mixture of reverence for the technology and flippancy of delivery might not suit all readers, but compared to some academic histories it’s a breath of fresh air.

The author’s general approach and his contacts at JPL – the “centre of the universe” for planetary missions – allow him to strip away some of the ‘veneer of professionalism’ that often separates writers from their audience. Legendary JPL engineer John Casani, for example, admits likening the standardised layout of the Mariner probes to the Volkswagen Beetle: “They looked the same for years, with minor changes and improvements”, he says (and the author provides a “whimsical” diagram to prove it).

Later, recounting a ringside seat experience of Curiosity’s landing on Mars, he describes the seasoned space writers who meet at such events: “I think we fancy ourselves as something like the foreign correspondents who gather in various war zones around the world at hotel bars”, albeit, he admits, “infinitely safer”.

Elsewhere, a quote from long-term Voyager project manager Ed Stone summarises an inverse perspective: “Here was a room full of reporters wanting to know what the scientists had discovered… to me that was incredible”. Stone realised he had both an opportunity and an obligation to “communicate what we were discovering [and] help the media tell the story”. In this book, Pyle has followed Stone’s philosophy in his personal mission to tell the story of those interplanetary robots.