The book is an overview of what led to the creation of the X Prize, and the running of that first X Prize. Profiles of the major players in the X Prize initiative are included in the book. It chronologically starts with the influences that weighed upon Peter Diamandis, and his progression into the space industry. It also covers the process to get funding, rejections, and the arrival of the Ansaris, becoming title sponsors. The book surveys several of the teams that entered into the competition to win the Ansari X Prize. The team that is focused on most is that which won the X Prize in 2004, the one headed by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan, of SpaceShipOne. The book ends with an epilogue about Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic acquiring the SpaceShipOne technology, and the spaceplane itself ending up in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The book includes a preface by Richard Branson and an afterword by Stephen Hawking.[4][3][5][6][7][8]
Publication
The book was originally entitled Beyond: Peter Diamandis and the Adventure of Space, when it was sold preemptively to Penguin Books in 2014.[9]How to Make a Spaceship was released in September 2016, in trade paperback, hardcover, audio book and e-book formats.[1] The book appeared on several "Best Of" book lists and became a New York Times bestseller.[10] Several parties expressed interest in obtaining the filming rights to the book.[11]
Reception
Gregg Easterbrook's review in The Wall Street Journal said the book "offers a rousing anthem to the urge to explore".[12]
