The Farthest Shore isn't about the specifics of the future, but rather about what we've learned from 50 years in space and how it positions us for the voyage ahead.

This is an overview of man in space, from a look at how space-travel is explored in fiction to how space law has evolved to meet the challenges that inevitably follow wherever man goes.

Written by a multi-generational cast of contributors, many of whom were space pioneers themselves, including former astronaut Russell Schweickart, who contributed to the "Space Stories" section, in which we're regaled with tales about what it was like out there, and what we've done. Good stories, by and large. First person stories by folks who've been there, done that and got the t-shirt. Stories that put a human face on the endeavor.

For the first four chapters, we look at the humanness of reaching out into space. Then we turn our gaze forward to our future out there. "Are Space Programs Best Carried Out By Public Agencies?" asks the authors, which include Peter Diamandis, the founder of the X-Prize. Evidently not, agrees the President.

End to end this book is a quick course in everything you really need to know about space and space exploration, including chapters on the team and systems approach to designing spacecraft, the rationales of different missions in space, and the economics of creating markets for a space economy. And a lot more.