Author
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Topic: Infinity Beckoned (Jay Gallentine)
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Richard Easton Member Posts: 179 From: Williamsburg,Va USA Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 01-17-2015 08:37 PM
I'm sure that this book will be as interesting and informative as the first one was. |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 01-18-2015 03:56 AM
Is this the final title for the book? "Infinity Beckoned: Adventuring Through the Inner Solar System" |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 01-18-2015 09:44 PM
Philip, yes. That's the final title. Deciding on a title may have been THE most difficult part of the entire project.And Colin: thanks for the mention! Indeed, the book has officially entered "production", meaning that it's no longer a question of "acquisition" but one of publishing. So the title will definitely come out. I will be trying to set up at least one event in the L.A. area where both Bobak and I can be on hand. And there will definitely be a release party in the Minneapolis area. I'll be in touch! |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3479 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-19-2015 03:40 PM
The INNER Solar System...That leaves a lot of Solar System to write about...! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 02-19-2015 08:27 PM
The final, final title has changed just slightly:"Infinity Beckoned: Adventuring Through the Inner Solar System, 1969-1989" The publisher wanted to add a date range, which certainly does help communicate the book's scope. |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 02-20-2015 01:59 AM
Excellent... looking forward to your second book! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 03-14-2015 04:50 PM
Howdy, the first book release event will be at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA, in January of 2016. Both Bobak and I will be there. The final date isn't confirmed but will be on a Saturday afternoon.Thanks! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 04-08-2015 09:47 AM
Now listed on the website of the University of Nebraska Press - including a description and advance praise. Yay! |
rjurek349 Member Posts: 1220 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 04-08-2015 10:19 AM
Congratulations, Jay! Really looking forward to reading this one -- and the advance praise is outstanding. |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 04-09-2015 01:53 AM
Indeed... well done!!! |
cspg Member Posts: 6312 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 04-14-2015 05:00 PM
Infinity Beckoned: Adventuring Through the Inner Solar System, 1969-1989 by Jay Gallentine Foreword by Bobak Ferdowsi Infinity Beckoned illuminates a critical period of space history when humans dared an expansive leap into the inner solar system. With an irreverent and engaging style, Jay Gallentine conveys the trials and triumphs of the people on the ground who conceived and engineered the missions that put robotic spacecraft on the heavenly bodies nearest our own. These dedicated space pioneers include such individuals as Soviet Russia’s director of planetary missions, who hated his job but kept at it for fifteen years, enduring a paranoid bureaucracy where even the copy machines were strictly regulated. Based on numerous interviews, Gallentine delivers a rich variety of stories involving the men and women, American and Russian, responsible for such groundbreaking endeavors as the Mars Viking missions of the 1970s and the Soviet Venera flights to Venus in the 1980s. From the dreamers responsible for the Venus landing who discovered that dropping down through heavy clouds of sulfuric acid and 900-degree heat was best accomplished by surfing to the five-man teams puppeteering the Soviet moon rovers from a top-secret, off-the-map town without a name, the people who come to life in these pages persevered in often trying, thankless circumstances. Their legacy is our better understanding of our own planet and our place in the cosmos. - Hardcover: 504 pages
- Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (January 1, 2016)
- ISBN-10: 0803234465
- ISBN-13: 978-0803234468
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Henry Heatherbank Member Posts: 296 From: Adelaide, South Australia Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 04-17-2015 06:44 AM
I've pre-ordered mine. I hope it is just as good as Ambassadors... |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 04-23-2015 10:44 AM
Henry, thanks for your interest and kind words!I'm currently reviewing the copy-edit. I have about 3 weeks to go through all 542 pages. The pace breaks down to at least 26 pages reviewed per day. Then it goes back to the copy-editor for final clean-up. |
dom Member Posts: 1001 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 10-29-2015 02:00 PM
Colin/Jay. Is there a chance this title will be released in time for Christmas? |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 11-03-2015 08:27 PM
Dom, yes, I believe there is! I myself am optimistic about the release coming some time this month, in November. |
dom Member Posts: 1001 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 11-04-2015 01:14 PM
Good to hear that Jay. That's now one for the Christmas present list. |
Kite Member Posts: 1038 From: Northampton UK Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 11-04-2015 02:52 PM
Definately will be on my Christmas list. If it is any where near as good as Jay's 'Ambassadors from Earth' it will be brilliant. |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-11-2015 01:30 AM
Currently available for pre-order on Amazon: January 2016 release date... can't wait! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 11-25-2015 04:20 PM
The book is shipping; people are starting to receive copies! |
jjknap Member Posts: 299 From: Bourbonnais, IL USA Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 11-26-2015 07:34 AM
I received an email from Amazon that my copy will arrive Monday. |
rjurek349 Member Posts: 1220 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 12-05-2015 09:52 AM
Jay - I just received my copy this week from Amazon, and finally got a chance to crack it open last night... and, I just can't put it down. What a great book and accomplishment! I love your style and eye for detail and narrative — but also, your ability to bring great, important stories out of the shadows and into the light. Congratulations! And to all fellow cSers: run, do not walk, to get this book! You will not be disappointed. It's a great read. |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 12-13-2015 11:35 AM
Richard, thanks so much for your kind comments!There are two book release parties coming up which everyone is invited to. The first will be on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 from 3-6pm at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA. Foreword writer Bobak Ferdowsi will be in attendance, and I'm trying to round up as many personalities from the book as I can. The second party is on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 from 1-4pm at the Barnes & Noble Galleria store in Edina, MN. Bobak will NOT be at this one. Neither will any of the book personalities. Hope to see you all there! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 12-29-2015 08:48 PM
Here's a link to the January party at Vroman's page as well. Please come if you can! I will bring plenty of snacks. |
RobertB Member Posts: 259 From: Israel Registered: Nov 2012
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posted 01-02-2016 06:25 AM
It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but what is the chance of organizing remote purchase of signed books, similar to the recent "Go, Flight" session? |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 01-10-2016 04:29 AM
What a superb book... Thanks Jay!!! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 01-10-2016 07:17 PM
RobertB, please message me and we'll work something out! |
Dennis Beatty Member Posts: 380 From: Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 01-19-2016 05:48 PM
Any word on the remote purchase of Pasadena signed copies? Thanks! |
fredtrav Member Posts: 1799 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 01-19-2016 06:12 PM
I too would like one form the Vroman signing. |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 01-20-2016 04:11 PM
Hello Dennis and fredtrav!Thank you so much for your interest in my research. I'm very happy to set aside books for you folks that are signed by both Bobak and myself. Could you please email me so that we can discuss personalizations, inscriptions, etc. and I'll get you on the list! |
spacehiker Member Posts: 467 From: London, UK Registered: Aug 2009
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posted 01-22-2016 01:49 PM
I would also like to get hold of a signed copy. Could you add me to the list for the signing? I have also emailed you. Thanks. |
lordolsen Member Posts: 112 From: Denmark Registered: Jun 2010
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posted 01-22-2016 05:11 PM
Please also add me! |
Grounded! Member Posts: 501 From: Bennington, Vermont, USA Registered: Feb 2011
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posted 01-23-2016 02:09 PM
I would like a copy also. Will e-mail you. Thanks Jay. |
jiffyq58 Member Posts: 221 From: Durham, NC, USA Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 01-24-2016 11:18 PM
Jay, I would also like one of these copies signed by you and Bobak. I will email you as well. Thanks. |
spacehiker Member Posts: 467 From: London, UK Registered: Aug 2009
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posted 01-26-2016 01:50 PM
Jay, I haven't heard back from you regarding getting a signed copy. Can you confirm you have received my email? |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 02-01-2016 07:36 PM
To all those I corresponded with prior to the Vroman's event, we were able to accommodate all signing requests. There were quite a few more than anticipated (thanks, everyone!) and I'm in the process of contacting everyone individually.Sincerely appreciate your support - I'll be in touch! |
dss65 Member Posts: 1300 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 02-11-2016 07:43 PM
I am not yet halfway through this book, and let me say that it is a real triumph of effort. That Jay is able to introduce us to the people behind these missions in sufficient detail to make us feel as though we have met them is remarkable enough, but to have succeeded to this degree in terms of the persons whose work had been done behind the Iron Curtain is an incredible accomplishment. (The book covers missions from both the U.S. and the Soviet Union.) I can also say with confidence that there are fascinating photos in this book that you haven't seen elsewhere. If Jay's first book was a home run — and I think it was — then this one is a grand slam. I'm sure that others on this site can and will write more "professional" reviews than I can, but I highly recommend that everybody read this work. I can't wait to get back to it. |
Philip Member Posts: 6150 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 02-12-2016 06:00 AM
Indeed a great read!!! |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 02-14-2016 12:40 PM
Don, thanks very much for your kind comments! There are many many days when you're working away in solo silence, wondering if the chapters you have "in the oven" will emerge to widespread acceptance... or be thrown in the trash. Thanks for validating that work.To all those who ordered copies from the Vroman's signing, they have all been shipped. Notifications have been individually e-mailed out. Please contact me privately for any questions or concerns about your orders. Thanks so very much to all. |
Henry Heatherbank Member Posts: 296 From: Adelaide, South Australia Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 04-30-2016 05:50 AM
Jay, well done with Infinity. I have given it 5 stars on my Amazon review today, making pretty much the following comments:First, the research that has gone into this book is obviously extremely detailed, especially on the Soviet stories. This book is a worthy follow-on to Ambassadors. Thankfully, somebody has captured these stories while the main players are still alive. A couple of tips for those planning on reading the book: you need to concentrate and devote your full attention to the story lines when reading this book. Do not make the mistake I did of picking it up, reading a few pages and putting it down again. It becomes very hard to follow if you do that, not helped by the sometimes colloquial, conversation writing style. That writing style worked very well in Ambassadors; less so with Infinity because of the added complexity of some of the subject matter. So this book needs to be read in large slabs. A major theme running through the book is the life science experiment program onboard Viking. This is obviously an extremely technical subject matter, and the results of the experiments were inconclusive and subject to interpretation by different program scientists who had experiments onboard. By including Viking in the book, Jay had no choice but to tackle the monumental task of simplifying this very complex subject. Although (by and large) this has been done well, I still found it hard to follow especially when split across a number of non-sequential chapters. So pay particular attention this when reading this part of the book; you may find yourself flipping back to earlier pages to recall details that become relevant in later chapters. Another major story is the Lunakhod program. This is covered really really well, not only by describing the highly-secret Soviet system behind which the program operated, but also the trials and tribulations of the "sitting cosmonauts" who drove the Lunakhods remotely and on a time delay. This is one of the best aspects of the book, in my view. Also, the Venera program is detailed very well; less so the the Vega program in my opinion. If you have read Ambassadors, then you really need to read Infinity as well. If you loved Ambassadors (like I did), then it may take you a little extra time before you warm up to Infinity, but you will be rewarded for your perseverance in the end. Full marks to Jay for covering material that nobody has ventured near before. Really well done. |
Jay Gallentine Member Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 09-16-2016 01:08 PM
I've just received word that an audiobook of Infinity Beckoned will be in production shortly. This is supposed to be available 6-12 months from now. |