Episode · StarTalk Radio · 2021-05-17
Books mentioned on Alternative Aliens with Andy Weir and David Grinspoon
What do aliens look like? In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice talk aliens with David Grinspoon, “Dr.
Neil deGrasse Tyson discussed Chasing new horizons by Alan Stern, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Martian by Andy Weir, Mars by Ben Bova, The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. David Grinspoon discussed The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Chasing new horizons
Chasing New Horizons by Alan Stern and David Grinspoon chronicles the epic first mission to explore Pluto.
Discussed“so you've got a recent book author of several books i remember your early book on venus uh that was fun uh aren't many books on venus and you put one out there on it so uh but more recently you've got a book titled chasing new horizons”
Where to get it
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Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a gripping science fiction novel about a lone astronaut who wakes up with amnesia on a desperate interstellar mission to save Earth from an extinction-level extinction event caused by a sun-dimming microorganism.
Discussed“let me go straight to my first clip with andy weir the title of his book is project hail mary”
Where to get it
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The Martian
The Martian by Andy Weir is a hard science fiction novel about an astronaut stranded alone on Mars who must use his engineering ingenuity and scientific knowledge to survive.
Discussed“so so david andy weir's first book the martian didn't involve alien life it was human life on mars so with the clever title the martian the martian was humans on mars”
Where to get it
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Mars
Discussed“in 1992 he wrote a book called mars where the life forms there were more like they were sort of algae-like living on the surface of a cave”
Where to get it
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The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a sci-fi thriller about a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism brought back to Earth by a space probe and the frantic efforts of scientists to contain it.
Discussed“well i mean the andromeda strain was uh you know for one it still really holds up as a pretty good film”
Where to get it
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Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a sci-fi thriller novel about a theme park populated by genetically resurrected dinosaurs.
Discussed“well the same guy who wrote jurassic park oh get out of christian michael creighton”
Where to get it
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The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds by H.
Discussed“but like the idea of martians you know that it's that's the plot of the war of the worlds right”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“He's the author of the martian”
“Well the same guy who wrote jurassic park”