Bond, Peter 1948-

PERSONAL:

Born 1948, in Hampshire, England. Married. Education: Graduate of the University of London (with honors).

ADDRESSES:

Home—Cranleigh, Surrey, England. E-mail—peterrbond@aol.com.

CAREER:

Royal Astronomical Society, London, England, space science advisor and press officer, 1995-2007; European Space Agency, Paris, France, science communication office, consultant, 1998—. Former teacher.

MEMBER:

British Astronomical Association, Planetary Society, Association of British Science Writers, Royal Astronomical Society (fellow; member of Education Committee), British Interplanetary Society (fellow).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Junior Prize of the Aventis Prizes for Science Books, 2000, for DK Guide to Space: A Photographic Journey through the Universe; Group Achievement Award, National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA), 2004; certificate for outstanding contribution, European Space Agency (ESA), 2005.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Population and Settlement, Basil Blackwell (New York, NY), 1989.

Heroes in Space: From Gagarin to Challenger, Basil Blackwell (New York, NY), 1989.

People and the Environment, Basil Blackwell (New York, NY), 1990.

Reaching for the Stars: The Illustrated History of Manned Spaceflight, Cassell (New York, NY), 1993, revised edition, 1996.

DK Guide to Space: A Photographic Journey through the Universe (for children), DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

Zero G: Life and Survival in Space, Cassell (New York, NY), 1999.

The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, Springer/Praxis Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Judy Redfearn and Andrew Wilson) The Space Dimension: European Space Agency, edited by Andrew Wilson, ESA Publications Division (Noordwijk, the Netherlands), 2003.

(With Andrew Wilson) Benefits of Human Spaceflight, edited by Andrew Wilson, ESA Publications Division (Noordwijk, the Netherlands), 2005.

Distant Worlds: Milestones in Planetary Exploration, Copernicus Books/Praxis Publishing (New York, NY), 2007.

(With Brendan Gallagher) Jane's Space Recognition Guide, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2008.

Contributor to newspapers and magazines, including Independent, New Scientist, Astronomy Now, and Astronomy. Editorial advisor to journal Astronomy & Geophysics; consultant editor for annual publication Jane's Space Systems and Industry (formerly Jane's Space Directory), 2007—; consultant and writer for the ESA.

SIDELIGHTS:

Peter Bond has written extensively on space flight, a subject that has fascinated him all his life as he witnessed the development of space exploration. A onetime teacher, he moved on to positions with both the European Space Agency and the United Kingdom's Royal Astronomical Society, and is one of England's "most seasoned and expert" writers on the topic of space, according to Booklist critic Roland Green, in a review of Zero G: Life and Survival in Space. This book, like several other Bond works, has been characterized as scientifically sound yet accessible to a lay audience. Green noted that it has "up-to-date" information on the experience of a no-gravity environment, along with an "informative overview" of human space flight through the years.

In The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, Bond discusses the project begun in 1998 by the United States, Russia, and other European nations. The station is notable, among other things, for its cooperative nature, particularly because the United States and Russia were once such political and military enemies as well as competitors in space exploration. Bond reports on the controversies and complications surrounding the station, provides a history of its design and construction—which entailed sometimes hazardous space travel—and details the projects in which it has been and will be involved. The book features numerous drawings and photographs.

Some reviewers thought the book would be valuable to space enthusiasts, although it would almost inevitably be dated. "Discussions on the future of the ISS have carried on long after its publication," remarked Rob Coppinger in the Engineer, nevertheless finding it an "in-depth" work that would merit a place in any space collection. A contributor to Science in Africa, meanwhile, deemed the book "an astonishing journey."

With Distant Worlds: Milestones in Planetary Exploration, Bond relates what Earth's inhabitants have learned about the other planets in their solar system. He traces how sources of knowledge have evolved from the astronomical observations of Galileo hundreds of years ago to the probes sent by modern space agencies. There is a chapter on each planet as well as individual chapters on asteroids, comets, and the Earth's moon.

Several critics described Distant Worlds as a worthwhile overview of the solar system, although, as with the space station book, some noted that new developments have superseded some of its content. Space Review commentator Jeff Foust allowed that "that's to be expected of any book about an active field of scientific endeavor," but was disappointed that Bond did not include Pluto's downgrading to a "dwarf planet." "Despite those issues," Foust added, "Distant Worlds is a good review of our (more-or-less) current understanding of the solar system, particularly for those people not terribly familiar with anything more than the basics." While there are many books that go into detail on single planets, Foust said, there remains a need for general studies of the solar system. He continued: "That's the purpose, largely served well," by Distant Worlds, with its "readable, accurate review of our knowledge."

Mark Mortimer, a contributor to the Universe Today, found the work largely up-to-date and reported: "Being current … and detailed makes this book a good reference." Mortimer further related that "Bond is thorough, provides lots of facts and data, includes enough word-smithing to join everything." Stuart J. Goldman, writing in Sky & Telescope, praised Bond as offering "an engaging chronology" of each heavenly body he covers, and also remarked on the book's extensive appendices, listing space missions, facts about the planets, and "a wealth of" other resources. Mortimer concluded that Bond "well shows the steadily increasing plethora of facts and knowledge with each new discovery."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Astronomy, July, 1994, review of Reaching for the Stars: The Illustrated History of Manned Spaceflight, p. 97.

Booklist, July, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of DK Guide to Space: A Photographic Journey through the Universe, p. 1939; December 1, 1999, Roland Green, review of Zero G: Life and Survival in Space, p. 670; January 1, 2000, review of Zero G, p. 818.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, December, 2002, J.Z. Kiss, review of The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, p. 659; October, 2007, J.R. Kraus, review of Distant Worlds: Milestones in Planetary Exploration, p. 305.

Engineer, February 7, 2003, Rob Coppinger, review of The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, p. 38.

Library Journal, June 15, 1987, Thomas J. Frieling, review of Heroes in Space: From Gagarin to Challenger, p. 80; March 1, 1988, Ellis Mount, review of Heroes in Space, p. 33.

Nature, November 30, 2000, Monica Grady, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 520.

New Scientist, August 17, 2002, review of The Continuing Story of the International Space Station, p. 56.

Plays, October, 1999, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, May 10, 1999, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 70.

Reference & Research Book News, fall, 1987, review of Heroes in Space,

School Library Journal, September, 1999, John Peters, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 231.

Science Books & Films, January, 1988, review of Heroes in Space, p. 166; November, 1999, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 248; July, 2000, review of Zero G, p. 167.

SciTech Book News, September, 1987, review of Heroes in Space, p. 34.

Sky & Telescope, July, 2007, Stuart J. Goldman, review of Distant Worlds, p. 76.

Times Educational Supplement, April 30, 1999, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 18; April 28, 2000, review of DK Guide to Space. p. 23.

Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 2000, review of DK Guide to Space, p. 164.

ONLINE

Science in Africa,http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/ (February 19, 2008), "Multicultural Space Travel."

Space Review,http://www.thespacereview.com/ (June 4, 2007), Jeff Foust, review of Distant Worlds.

Universe Today,http://www.universetoday.com/ (October 23, 2007), Mark Mortimer, review of Distant Worlds.