Ground Control

"""Ground Control is far more than just an argument about why we should question the necessity of space exploration. It's also a very personal account that traces Savannah Mandel's journey from true believer to space sceptic with nuance and flair. Mandel exposes the myths at the foundation of the space industry and talks about whose voices are not at the table. Along the way we learn what space anthropologists do, and hear some of the hidden stories that are often left out of mainstream histories. A highly readable and thought-provoking book."" --Alice Gorman, author of Dr. Space Junk vs the Universe ""Well-researched and personally-driven, Savannah Mandel's Ground Control packs a punch and provides an important critique and call to action--or call to less action on some fronts with more efforts toward others. Mandel takes readers through recent time and space--from recent Spaceport America conversations to 1960s protests against Apollo exploration and to a better future that we could have here on Earth. Mandel offers a glimpse to space industry outsiders of how things are and a glimpse for insiders on how things could be."" --Ashley Shew, author of Against Technoableism ""In Ground Control, Savannah Mandel adroitly uses anecdotes from her career as a space-industry anthropologist and commentator to argue that our current haste to plant human habitats on the moon and beyond incorporates the colonizing attitudes that have created conflict and waste on Earth. Instead, Mandel asks her readers to consider our cosmic responsibilities not to destroy other worlds as we reshape them, and to dream of a green approach toward space exploration. Her simplest recommendation--that social scientists should be part of any effort involving humans in space--deserves immediate recognition and action."" --Don Goldsmith, author of The End of Astronauts ""Savannah Mandel has drawn from anthropology, ethics, and her personal journal for a uniquely interesting and provocative look at the future of human space exploration . . . that may surprise you."" --Kris Kimel, founder of Humanity in Deep Space ""Savannah Mandel has written a provocative and thoughtful book that is also a very personal memoir. You need not entirely agree (and I don't) with her thesis or all of her arguments to enjoy the great account of her trials and triumphs on the road to becoming a space anthropologist. Even certified space geeks like me will leave with new questions to consider."" --Mat Kaplan, Senior Communications Adviser, The Planetary Society"