This collection of essays by top space policy and history writers provides excellent background on major issues in civil and commercial space. Among the topics covered are launch capabilities, the prospects for space commerce, the evolution of Earth observation, international cooperation on the space station, exploration of Mars, the potential for asteroid impacts, and the search for extraterrestrial life. For readers interested in these subjects who have not followed space issues closely, this book is very informative and engaging. There are some errors, but they are few and minor.
Despite these favorable remarks, I rate the book only three stars because of something the editor and authors have no control over: the dynamic nature of the subject matter. The book was published in 2003 and the essays - which were the result of a symposium held in spring 2000 - appear to have been finalized in 2001. Although the underlying issues remain essentially the same today, the circumstances in the space community have changed so much in the intervening years that the book is now seriously out of date. Its contents predate the loss of space shuttle Columbia, the initiation of a new space exploration program that includes returning to the Moon, the decision to terminate space shuttle flights after 2010, and many other developments large and small that would significantly affect what these authors would say on these subjects today. Civil and commercial space activities, and the policies underlying them, are exciting and important, but they evolve so quickly that any book like this one is destined to have a short shelf life.
There is still value in what's written here, but not as much as you'd expect from Amazon's price. This is the second reason why this book doesn't rate higher. At this writing, the price is $52, which is quite high for 270 pages of text, and outrageously high for 270 pages of outdated text. If you can find the book discounted to $15 to $20, it's worth it, but don't pay the full price.