Long before humans wrote, we painted. From mud and ash to acrylic and computers, artists across the centuries have found countless inventive ways to explore and express some of life’s biggest mysteries. Enter space art, a genre of artistic expression that strives to capture the wonders of our universe. This lavishly illustrated book chronicles the remarkable development of space art from a fledgling theme to a modern movement.
Celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of cutting-edge science fiction from the hit podcast, Escape Pod. Escape Pod has been bringing the finest short fiction to millions of ears all over the world, at the forefront of a new fiction revolution. This anthology gathers together fifteen stories, including new and exclusive work from writers such as from Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, Mary Robinette Kowal, T. Kingfisher and more.
From the beginning of the space age, scientists and engineers have worked on systems to help humans survive for the astounding 28,500 days (78 years) needed to reach another planet. They've imagined and tried to create a little piece of Earth in a bubble travelling through space, inside of which people could live for decades, centuries, or even millennia. Far Beyond the Moon tells the dramatic story of engineering efforts by astronauts and scientists to create artificial habitats for humans in orbiting space stations, as well as on journeys to Mars and beyond.
Today's astronauts require many different abilities. They must not only be expert in performing flight simulations but must also be proficient in such dissimilar subjects as photography, thermodynamics, electrical repairs, flight procedures, oceanography, public affairs, and geology. With plans to return to the Moon and future missions to Mars, the current selection criteria and training are very different from those used for short duration mission Space Shuttle crews. This book focuses on how astronaut candidates are taught to cope with different needs and environments (for example, hibernation, artificial gravity, and bioethics issues) and also includes brief discussions of the astronaut application and selection process.
The Moon boasts an unexpected variety of landscapes - including volcanic features, sinuous valleys and ghost craters - which are readily visible from Earth. This practical guide explains and demonstrates how you can capture impressive images of our nearest neighbour in space using a variety of different techniques.
For more than a century before 1957, scientists and adventurers dreamed about the exploration of space and designed rockets and vehicles to make it possible, but the real space age began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite. Until then, America's space exploration had been entrusted to the military, but immediately following Sputnik, the United States began to plan for the first civilian space agency. NASA was officially born on July 29, 1958. America in Space is a visual history of NASA, from its early days as a pioneer in supersonic flight, through the first manned space missions of the 1960s, to the shuttle and international space station missions that are still underway.
Embark on an exciting, adventurous, and dangerous journey through the galaxy with the motley crew of the spaceship Wayfarer in this fun and heart-warming space opera--the sequel to the acclaimed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who's determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together. A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to that beloved debut novel, and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect, and Star Wars.
We are entering a new Golden Age of space exploration. With irrepressible enthusiasm and a deep understanding of the cutting-edge research in space travel, World-renowned physicist and futurist Dr. Michio Kaku presents a compelling vision of how humanity may develop a sustainable civilization in outer space. He reveals the developments in robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology that may allow us to terraform and build habitable cities on Mars and beyond.
In this astronomically spectacular, large-format photographic retrospective, National Geographic celebrates the impact of the Hubble Space Telescope in its 25th anniversary year. The Hubble Telescope has now gazed into deep space for 25 years, imaging galaxies, nebulas, and supernovas for a new picture of the universe and our place in it. In honor of its 25th anniversary, space historians David DeVorkin and Robert Smith team up again to tell the stories of 25 iconic moments in the illustrious telescope's career, illustrated with breathtaking, never-before-seen images.
Legendary "space statesman" Buzz Aldrin speaks out as a vital advocate for the continuing quest to push the boundaries of the universe as we know it. As a pioneering astronaut who first set foot on the moon during mankind's first landing of Apollo 11--and as an aerospace engineer who designed an orbital rendezvous technique critical to future planetary landings--Aldrin has a vision, and in this book he plots out the path he proposes, taking humans to Mars by 2035.
When it comes to Mars, the focus is often on how to get there: the rockets, the engines, the fuel. But upon arrival, what will it actually be like? In 2013, Kate Greene moved to Mars. That is, along with five fellow crew members, she embarked on NASA's first HI-SEAS mission, a simulated Martian environment located on the slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawai'i. For four months she lived, worked, and slept in an isolated geodesic dome, conducting a sleep study on her crew mates and gaining incredible insight into human behavior in tight quarters, as well as the nature of boredom, dreams, and isolation that arise amidst the promise of scientific progress and glory.
We've all asked ourselves the question. It's impossible to look up at the stars and NOT think about it: Are we alone in the universe? Books, movies and television shows proliferate that attempt to answer this question and explore it. In OUT THERE Space.com senior writer Dr. Michael Wall treats that question as merely the beginning, touching off a wild ride of exploration into the final frontier. He considers, for instance, the myriad of questions that would arise once we do discover life beyond Earth (an eventuality which, top NASA officials told Wall, is only drawing closer). What would the first aliens we meet look like? Would they be little green men or mere microbes? Would they be found on a planet in our own solar system or orbiting a star far, far away? Would they intend to harm us, and if so, how might they do it? And might they already have visited?
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it's possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.
We now have the technology to reach nearby planets. Even though many long-term technical issues still need to be resolved to create the conditions for a permanent, self-sustaining human life on another planet, imagining humans as a multiplanetary species is no longer merely the stuff of science fiction. Against this backdrop, Planetary Echoes considers the place of this dream of human life on other planets in the arts, literature and sciences at the beginning of the 21st century. In this volume, a broad, interdisciplinary list of contributors (scientists, astronauts, designers, philanthropists, inventors, artists and curators) weighs in on the imaginable possibilities of space settlement.
Within the pages of this eclectic pop-history, scientist and educator Sten Odenwald at NASA examines 100 objects that forever altered what we know and how we think about the cosmos. From Sputnik to Skylab and Galileo's telescope to the Curiosity rover, some objects are iconic and some obscure--but all are utterly important.
A wry and compelling take on the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space. From bone-whittling micro-gravity to eye-popping profits, the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close at hand. More than fifty years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, why is there so little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? What will it take to become a multiplanet species, colonizing the solar system and traveling to other stars? Spacefarers meets these questions head on.
Thorough coverage of space flight topics with self-contained chapters serving a variety of courses in orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, and astronautics. Space Flight Dynamics focuses on orbital mechanics with emphasis on two-body motion, orbit determination, and orbital maneuvers with applications in Earth-centered missions and interplanetary missions. It discusses relative motion, entry flight mechanics, low-thrust transfers, rocket propulsion fundamentals, attitude dynamics, and attitude control.
Many societies have imagined going to live in space. What they want to do once they get up there - whether conquering the unknown, establishing space "colonies," privatizing the moon's resources - reveals more than expected. In this fascinating radical history of space exploration, Fred Scharmen shows that often science and fiction have combined in the imagined dreams of life in outer space, but these visions have real implications for life back on earth.
Captain Roystan is a cargo runner who has stumbled across the find of a lifetime: a disabled exploration ship and its valuable contents. His engineer, Josune Arriola, said her last assignment was in uncharted rim. But she is decked out in high-level bioware that belies her backstory. A body-modification artist, Nika Rik has run afoul of clients. She has to flee off-world, and is dragging along a rookie modder, who seems too experienced in weapons and war. Together this mismatched crew will end up on one ship, hurtling through the lawless reaches of deep space in search of unimaginable riches.
Explaining the science behind science fiction and fantasy--from the probable to the impossible. From teleportation and space elevators to alien contact and interstellar travel, science fiction and fantasy writers have come up with some brilliant and innovative ideas. Yet how plausible are these ideas--for instance, could Mr. Weasley's flying car in the Harry Potter books really exist? Which concepts might actually happen, and which ones wouldn't work at all? Wizards, Aliens, and Starships delves into the most extraordinary details in science fiction and fantasy--such as time warps, shape changing, rocket launches, and illumination by floating candle--and shows readers the physics and math behind the phenomena.
he Journal of Aerospace Engineering promotes the implementation and development of space and aerospace technologies and their transfer to other civil engineering applications. Topics of interest include aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing of buildings and structures, aerospace structures and materials, advanced composite materials, dynamics and control, real-time data acquisition, space engineering and construction, lunar base construction, field and remote sensing, and robotics.