Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

In this fascinating foray into the centuries-old relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. "The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions," say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion, and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a "curiously complicit" alliance. "The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds," they write. "Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it's a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology--which is more or less the same technology for both parties--nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinize it, dominate it, or use it to their advantage and someone else's disadvantage."

Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson's millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 09/11/2018
ISBN: 9780393064445
Pages: 576
Weight: 2.11lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.60d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 04/01/2018 pg. 45
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2018
Booklist 08/01/2018 pg. 11
Publishers Weekly 08/06/2018
Library Journal 09/01/2018 pg. 74
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2018 pg. 39
Choice 04/01/2019