Editor Note: The books below have been extremely helpful in understanding the past, present and future of the Space industry. Recommendations are very appreciated and can be submitted using the form at the bottom of this page.
Elon Musk
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
By: Ashley Vance
A biography of Elon Musk. Good insights into some of his first childhood accomplishments and dives into into Paypal, Tesla, SpaceX, pre-Starbase
How to build a spaceship
By: Julian Guthrie, Richard branson
This book is extremely helpful in gaining an understanding in the history of human spaceflight and the drivers that enabled the Space Industry we know today.
The Martian
By: andy weir
A must read about a stranded Martian fighting for survival against the elements and time on Mars.
THe right stuff
By: Tom Wolfe
Another must read, covering the era of Test Pilots and the beginning of Human Space Flight (Russian and US) and the Mercury Program.
Mercury Rising
By: Jeff Shesol
Many of the same stories we heard in 'The Right Stuff" but with a larger focus on the politician, global political systems and global events discussed.
Recommended by Patrick L.
Artemis
By: Andy Weir
The second book on the list by Andy Weir. This is a great story about life on Earths Moon.
The Case for Mars
By: Robert Zubrin, Richard Wagner
The second book on the list by Andy Weir. This is a great story about life on Earths Moon.
PintPoint
By: Greg milner
Origin story of GPS and the impacts on terrestrial business and information systems associated with GPS.
Liftoff
By: Eric Berger
An origin story of the challenging start of SpaceX. Through failure and courage they have succeeded to change the aerospace industry as we know it.
Recommended by Alex Z. when he visited Starbase
escaping gravity
My quest to transform nasa and launch a new space age
By: Lori Garver
Miss Garver, a former NASA Deputy Administrator had a major impact on how NASA thinks about, completes with and collaborates with private space companies, she played a supporting role in ushering in the New Space Era.
Recommended by Alex Z. when he visited Starbase
Endurance
A year in space, a lifetime of discovery
By: Scott Kelly
Written by the Astronaut himself, Endurance give us a first hand look and feel about the extremely challenging in space (and coming back to earth) that accompany long duration space habitation.
Rockets, Missiles and Space Travel
By: Willy Ley
This book was first published after WWII in 1947 and has undergone several revisions and republication. It provides a foundation of rocketry fundamentals and explores what is necessary to transfer from one planet to another in understandable (non-mathmatic) terms.
Recommended by Michael P.
The Mars Project
By: Wernher Von Braun
Originally published in 1953, "The Mars Project" outlines in detailed charts and calculations how we could accomplish a successful mission to Mars, and back.
The exploration of Mars
By: Willy Ley(Author), Wernher Von Braun (Author), Chesley Bonestell (Illustrator)
Originally published in 1956, "The Exploration of Mars" builds on "The Mars Project" previously published by Braun. It give a recap of the telescopic exploration of Mars and then outlines with illustrations, how a human space voyage to Mars and back is possible.
Recommended by Michael P.
Culture series
By: iain m. banks
Consider Phlebas is the first book in the intergalactic sci-fi Culture Series. I discovered this book while researching the names of the autonomous drone ships used by SpaceX
The full series is:
Book 1: Consider Phlebas
Book 2: Player of Games
Book 3: Use of Weapons
Book 4: The State of the Art
Book 5: Excession
Book 6: Inversions
Book 7: Look to Windward
Book 8: Matter
Book 9: Surface detail
Book 10: The Hydrogen Sonata
Red Rising Series
By: Pierce Brown
The Red Rising series follows the journey of an underground miner on Mars as he rising out of slavery and into power then revolution. I learned of this series when trying to understand where Elon's twitter bio "Imperator of Mars" came from.
The full series is:
Book 1: Red Rising
Book 2: Golden Son
Book 3: Morning Star
Book 4: Iron Gold
Book 5: Dark Age
Book 7: Light Bringer (2023)
Book 8: Red God (TBD)