There is welcome news from Greg Matloff. His new book, written with the artist C Bangs and physicist Les Johnson (NASA MSFC) will be published by Springer/Praxis in December. Following on the success of Solar Sails, the latest is Paradise Regained, a look at how we might use the resources of the Solar System to alleviate environmental problems here on Earth. Here’s an absorbing video presentation on the book.

Extending Earth’s resource base beyond our atmosphere, and in the process protecting the Earth from asteroid and comet impact, is essential as we gradually become not just a terrestrial but, in Matloff’s words, a cosmic species. “If we are wise enough to work together on this, terrestrial life in the Solar System can live as long as the Sun,” says the author, an optimism that should resonate with Centauri Dreams readers.