The Spacefarer's Handbook

PD Dr. Bergita Ganse is an Orthopaedic Surgeon and a Physiologist with a research focus on Space Medicine and the musculoskeletal system in spaceflight. She has received her Dr. med. from Lübeck University and her habilitation (postdoctoral thesis) from RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Bergita is currently a Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). She is a co-investigator of an ISS experiment and involved in large international studies working with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Dr. Urs Ganse is a Theoretical Space Physicist, with a research focus on plasma simulations. After studying physics and obtaining his doctorate from the University of Würzburg, Germany, on the subject of solar radio bursts, he has worked as a postdoc in Finland and South Africa, with research funding from DFG, ESA and the Academy of Finland. In his current position as a University Researcher at the University of Helsinki, he uses supercomputers to model the near-Earth plasma environment and its interactions with Earth's magnetic field.

1. How to Become a Spacefarer.- 2. Building Spacecraft.- 3. How to Fly a Spacecraft.- 4. Daily Life in Space.- 5. Space Medicine.- 6. Exploration and Colonisation.

"This book is intended as a general introduction to space travel for anyone contemplating such an adventure. Each chapter provides a general summary of the main topics that any non-professional astronaut might want to learn more about. ... this is a well-written, useful - and sometimes light-hearted - introduction for anyone who wants to know more about humanity's efforts to leave planet Earth." (Peter Bond, The Observatory, Vol. 141 (1284), October, 2021)

"Their book is presented in a breezy, refreshing style, and is an acceptable read even for knowledgeable people. ... The book also has some interesting anecdotes." ( John Silvester, Spaceflight, Vol. 63, August, 2021)

"If you have a question about going into space, and surviving once you're there, then this book needs to be on your shelf as soon as possible." (Stuart Atkinson, Popular Astronomy, popastro.com, July-August 2021)

"I can't remember when a book exceeded my expectations quite as much as this one did. ... the book has an affordable, far from academic-level price tag - so it's highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the finer points of human spaceflight." (Popular Science, popsciencebooks.blogspot.com, May 5, 2021)