The coffee-table book “RE:VIEW – Wozu die Menschheit retten?” (“RE:VIEW – Why Save Humanity?”) was published on September 14, 2026. “While ESA’s HERA spacecraft is gathering data in space for planetary defense, this book project turns its gaze back toward Earth: What is humanity, what does it destroy, what does it create – and does it deserve a future? Planetary defense – a global challenge with little public visibility. The first part of the book provides the background and tells the story of the first talking spacecraft, which made it into space against all odds. The central question Hera is intended to answer on its mission: Can space objects that come dangerously close to Earth be deflected from a collision course with our home planet through deliberate spacecraft impacts? Collaged illustrations and photographs combine facts with emotion, bringing science to life.” (Publisher’s description) “The book then develops a multifaceted portrait of our species from HERA’s perspective, featuring contributions and conversations between its AI companion and notable figures from science, art, culture, and society.” (Publisher’s description) Contributors include Queen musician and astrophysicist Brian May, former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari, “Interstellar” visionary Paul Franklin, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, science fiction author Andreas Eschbach, artist Jonathan Meese, and philosopher of technology and machine ethicist Oliver Bendel, who published the book “300 Keywords Weltraum” (“300 Keywords: Space”) in 2025. “In this way, a mission becomes a visually powerful book object exploring humanity, technology, responsibility, and hope.” (Publisher’s description) The 400-page book, featuring numerous images, is available from booksellers (Photo: We Mind Publishing).
More News of the World
In 1977, Queen released the album “News of the World”. Its cover likely fascinated or disturbed many teenagers and adults at the time, a reaction that later found its way into popular culture – for example, in the animated sitcom “Family Guy”, where Stewie is terrified of it. The artwork depicts a gigantic humanoid robot holding two dead people in its right hand while blood drips from its left. Science fiction artist Frank Kelly Freas had already used a similar motif in one of his earlier works. Brian May has repeatedly emphasized that “News of the World” represented a deliberate stylistic shift for the band – more direct, rawer, and more contemporary. The cover art clearly reflected that new direction. The guitarist has always been as passionate about science fiction as he is about the reality of outer space. In 2007, after a long interruption, he completed his Ph.D. at Imperial College London with a dissertation on interplanetary dust. A few months ago, he was interviewed for the book “RE:VIEW: Wozu die Menschheit retten? (RE:VIEW: Why Save Humanity?)”. The book’s first section features extensive ESA imagery from the AI-supported planetary defense mission Hera, complemented by works of AI-generated art. In the second section, Hera’s own AI system takes on the role of interviewer, conducting “thirty in-depth conversations with figures from the worlds of art, science, philosophy, and society” (publisher’s description, own translation). In addition to Brian May – who was thus able to discuss both science fiction and the reality of space – the interviewees include, among others, the world’s first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari, “Interstellar” visionary Paul Franklin, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, science fiction author Andreas Eschbach, artist Jonathan Meese, and technology philosopher and machine ethics expert Oliver Bendel. The book is being published by We Mind Publishing in collaboration with the agency Jung von Matt. It is already listed on Amazon, where extensive information about the book is now available, and is scheduled for release in September 2026.