IS THERE LIFE IN OUTER SPACE?

The true story of an interstellar message in a bottle.

This deceptively titled Dutch and Belgian import opens with an iffy claim that there are nearly as many stars in the universe as grains of sand on Earth (actually, according to published estimates, the numbers aren’t even close, though depending on how one measures, which is actually greater varies). It goes on to deliver a perfunctory overview of unsuccessful (so far) efforts to find extraterrestrial life that fails to unpack statements like “some of the moons of Jupiter might be inhabitable for humans” or even to mention the long-running SETI Project. All of this serves as preface to a short account of how the prospect of the Voyager probes’ launches in 1977 prompted a team led by Carl Sagan to gather earthly images and sounds, recorded on golden disks “attached” to the probes (which are repeatedly referred to as satellites) as a quixotic greeting to the universe. What were the final selections? Readers will come away little the wiser: “115 pictures of people, handmade things, and nature,” “55 greetings in different languages,” and “music from all over the world.” Sneyers’ illustrations are equally unforthcoming, being mostly a mix of vaguely scientific sketches, fanciful alien figures and space scenes, and UBOs (unidentified blobby objects). NASA’s Voyager website will do a better job of satisfying readers curious about what went onto those now-distant golden disks, and Curtis Manley’s Just Right, illustrated by Jessica Lanan (2019), offers an answer to the titular question (or at least current best guesses). (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.4-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% actual size.)

The only way this underpowered squib leaves the launch pad is by toppling off.