In a perverse way cloudy skies can be good. The condition allows you to catch up on your astronomy reading.

In my case I was intrigued by the title.

Space Enterprise: Living and Working Offworld in the 21st Century (Philip Harris, Praxis Publishing 2009)

At first glance one might be tempted to think this fellow was a bit on the squirrely side of crazy using a title which conveyed a meaning of humanity flourishing on planetary and space outposts rather than just barely managing to exist on two space stations not much larger than a couple of school buses glued together.

Obviously theoretical from start to finish.

Intrigued at all things on the squirrely side of crazy I decided to request a copy through inter-library loan.

The author's ability to write well leaves a great gaping chasm for further development. However, if one can manage to flounder through a bog whilst carrying the Titanic's anchor and chain they are in for some very thought provoking hours.

Far too many books out there deal with the whinging for more public interest and funding. This book is no different in this regard but puts a slightly different spin on it by devoting a chapter to how nations have/are developing what the author calls a "space ethos" (a common public psychological condition or spiritus for going into space).

Far too many books out there deal with the physical necessaries for going, living and colonizing space. More often than not these books bog down into the minutea or end up being flatulantly pie in the sky. This book takes an entirely different view of going, living and working in space. For instance.

On Earth as well as on any future colony how will human culture, behaviour, psychology, politics and governance change? What are the implications and possibilities necessarily implied for commerce and the various functions of commerce to exist and flourish?

These sorts of questions aren't trivial.

It's one thing to solve the difficulties of relieving oneself in a zero-gravity environment or of producing a gravity environment and then solving the plumbing issues. It's quite another to deal with the issues of pschology, behaviour, law, governance, commerce and the transmission to future generations of our culture. What will it take, what will we need to do, how will these things need to change.

The book isn't for the layman but then it's not so hyper-technical that the layman cannot grasp the idea's being addressed. Go ahead and pick up a copy. I think you'll enjoy it.