What readers think of Orbital, plus links to write your own review.

This is not a narrative-driven or compulsive book. It's a poetic and philosophical book.

It presents a set of vignettes describing the beauty of planet earth, meaning of life questions, some politics and some science. Instead of chapters, we have orbitals which is one spin around the planet earth. Each "spin cycle" has a little theme. This is basically a smart author thinking out loud about heavy stuff.

We share the emotions and inner philosophizing of the 6 astronauts who report their adventures. There are women and “Christian Americans”. Two of the “astronauts” are cosmonauts, that is Russian, which is weirdly (accurately?) a source of rivalry and separation. It immediately recalls the John Lennon verse "Imagine there's no country". Although national borders are not visible from space, the boundaries are clear on the space station. Too bad.

The magnificent beauty of the planet earth is described in an abundance of colors, which felt like a Crayola Crayon box of creative names. Very beautifully written. You can pull in a lot of science if you read electronically and Google everything. Orbital is not a technical book. I love the part where the lab mice learn to fly.

If you had trouble interpreting the orbital graphic, try this:
•   The International Space Station moves in a prograde orbit, which means it is moving in the same direction as the earth’s rotation.
•   The ISS travels at ~17K mph, so it is going faster than earth and is lapping it 16 times per day.
•    The ISS is in low earth orbit a mere 250 miles above sea level. Musk’s 4500 Starlink satellites are around 350 miles high. (The moon is way out there at about 230,000 miles.)
•    The ISS travels with about a 50-degree tilt. (Circling at the equator would be 0 tilt) The Starlink satellites crisscross the globe from about 50 to 90 degrees. We need Internet at the poles!

'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey, with its 207 pages, is a thought-provoking journey that does not pretend to be something it is not. It takes us into the minds of astronauts and cosmonauts as they float around the Earth, sharing their profound thoughts about what they see. This deep and existential narrative values introspection over dramatic events, a style that may not appeal to everyone but certainly left me with a lot to ponder.

While we often ponder the moon landing and the search for life on Earth, 'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey takes a different approach. It prompts us to consider the implications of encountering other beings and what that means for our place in the universe. The book Sailors of the Stars focuses on Earth and its appearance from the outside, a perspective few will experience, reinforcing our secure place in this world.

As a 9-year-old, when the Challenger exploded, I didn't dwell much on its impact on the space travel industry. But Samantha Harvey, the author of 'Orbital, 'delves deep into this existential question. What did it mean? Her contemplation extends to the very purpose of space travel, often meandering in thought to the point of losing the reader.

Still, there is some beautiful imagery here. If you have difficulty imagining what Earth would look like from the International Space Station, Harvey paints a picture. The astronauts are learning as they go, which means we are, too. They stand in awe of how they see the Earth and recognize different countries and borders. Some have more extended tours of duty than others.

I have more friends doing reading challenges than I previously imagined, so a short but deep work like this will serve its lofty purpose. You will love its universal message and understand its profound significance to humanity.