Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

by Avis Lang (Author), Neil Degrasse Tyson (Author)

New
Hardcover
2018
$27.15

In this fascinating foray into the millennia-long relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist and the world's best science communicator (Times Literary Supplement) Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions , say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a curiously complicit alliance. The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds , they write. Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it's a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology-which is more or less the same technology for both parties-nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinise it, dominate it or use it to their advantage and someone else's disadvantage.

Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry and power that will introduce Tyson's millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.

Synopsis

In this fascinating foray into the millennia-long relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist and the world's best science communicator (Times Literary Supplement) Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions , say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a curiously complicit alliance. The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds , they write. Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it's a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology-which is more or less the same technology for both parties-nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinise it, dominate it or use it to their advantage and someone else's disadvantage.

Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry and power that will introduce Tyson's millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.

$27.15

Quantity

3 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 576
Edition: 1
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 12 Oct 2018
ISBN 10: 0393064441
ISBN 13: 9780393064445

Media Reviews

Throughout history, wars tend to be won by nations that are at the forefront of science. Thus astronomers and physicists have, since ancient times, benefited from an uneasy alliance with the military. This enlightening book explores the history and current implications of this partnership between space science and national security. -- Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and professor of history, Tulane University

Author Bio

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, director of its world-famous Hayden Planetarium, host of the hit radio and TV show StarTalk, and the New York Times best-selling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. He lives in New York City. Avis Lang is a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. For half a decade, she edited Tyson's Natural History magazine column, Universe, parts of which became the basis for his Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and later edited his anthology Space Chronicles. She lives in New York City.