Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like Weir writes solely to explain physics, math, and biology, which I'm not mad about. If I could always get difficult (for me) subjects explained to me in cute, slightly tense, interesting stories, I might have been much better at them. Weirs books also tend to help me believe the premise that no matter what circumstances happen on earth, smart people will come up with a solution. And Grace does seem to think his way out of every hiccup. Weir also sneaks in some questions about who should make decisions--how far should authority go? (is the end of the world reason enough for a dictator? does it necessitate it?). what does sacrifice and bravery look like? how do we impose our own biases on cultures we don't understand? If you go on this ride, you will believe that good will triumph, problems can be solved, and if you know enough math you can save the world.

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Believe it or not, light has momentum.  It exerts a force.  If you were out in space and you turned on a flashlight, you'd get a teeny, tiny amount of thrust from it.