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Habitable Planets - a classic study
Feb. 9th, 2011 06:41 pmHabitable Planets for Man, by Stephen Dole, was published in the early 1960s and was the first attempt at a comprehensive analysis of which stars (within 20 light years) might have planets “man” could live on. It’s now available as a free download from the RAND Corporation here. From the blurb on the RAND website:
Habitable Planets for Man examines and estimates the probabilities of finding planets habitable to human beings, where they might be found, and the number there may be in our own galaxy. The author presents in detail the characteristics of a planet that can provide an acceptable environment for humankind, itemizes the stars nearest the earth most likely to possess habitable planets, and discusses how to search for habitable planets. Interestingly for our time, he also gives an appraisal of the earth as a planet and describes how its habitability would be changed if some of its basic properties were altered. Habitable Planets for Man was published at the height of the space race, a few years before the first moon landing, when it was assumed that in the not-too-distant future human beings “will be able to travel the vast distances to other stars.” More than forty years after its initial publication, and to celebrate RAND’s 60th Anniversary, RAND is proud to bring this classic work back into print in paperback and digital formats.
We know more about the nearby stars than we did when Dole wrote his book (age, metallicity… for that matter, a lot of stars within 20 light years weren’t discovered back in the sixties), but it remains a fascinating and thought-provoking read. And it’s free!
Habitable Planets for Man examines and estimates the probabilities of finding planets habitable to human beings, where they might be found, and the number there may be in our own galaxy. The author presents in detail the characteristics of a planet that can provide an acceptable environment for humankind, itemizes the stars nearest the earth most likely to possess habitable planets, and discusses how to search for habitable planets. Interestingly for our time, he also gives an appraisal of the earth as a planet and describes how its habitability would be changed if some of its basic properties were altered. Habitable Planets for Man was published at the height of the space race, a few years before the first moon landing, when it was assumed that in the not-too-distant future human beings “will be able to travel the vast distances to other stars.” More than forty years after its initial publication, and to celebrate RAND’s 60th Anniversary, RAND is proud to bring this classic work back into print in paperback and digital formats.
We know more about the nearby stars than we did when Dole wrote his book (age, metallicity… for that matter, a lot of stars within 20 light years weren’t discovered back in the sixties), but it remains a fascinating and thought-provoking read. And it’s free!