Space Engineering

On March 21, 2013, the European Space Agency released a map of the afterglow of the big bang. Taking in 440 sextillion kilometers of space and 13.8 billion years of time, it is physically impossible to make a better map: We will never see the early universe in more detail. On the one hand, such a view is the apotheosis of modern cosmology; on the other, it threatens to undermine almost everything we hold cosmologically sacrosanct.

On July 14, 2015, something amazing happened. More than three billion miles from Earth, a small NASA spacecraft called New Horizons screamed past Pluto at more than 32,000 miles per hour, focusing its instruments on the long-mysterious icy worlds of the Pluto system, and then, just as quickly, continued on its journey out into the beyond.

Astronomers have successfully observed a great deal of the universe’s history, from recording the afterglow of the big bang to imaging thousands of galaxies, and even to visualising an actual black hole. There’s a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the universe began and grew up, we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the universe.

Ambassadors from Earth relates the story of the first unmanned space probes and planetary explorers - from the Sputnik and Explorer satellites launched in the late 1950's to the thrilling interstellar Voyager missions of the '70's - that yielded some of the most celebrated successes and spectacular failures of the space age. Jay Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond.

After the Apollo program put 12 men on the moon and safely brought them home, anything seemed possible. In this spirit, the team at NASA set about developing the space shuttle, arguably the most complex piece of machinery ever created.

As a kid, Aomawa Shields was always bumping into things, her neck craned up at the sky, dreaming of becoming an astronaut. A year into an astrophysics PhD program, plagued by self-doubt and discouraged by a white male professor who suggested that she—a young Black woman who also loved fashion, makeup, and the arts—didn’t belong, she left astronomy and pursued acting professionally for a decade, before a day job working for NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope drew her back to the stars.

Humanity thought they could run. They were wrong. The ongoing trials and tribulations of the Gaea Ark and the last remnants of humanity in the galaxy. New Threat is the fourth book in the series. Aboard the Ark, there are as many secrets as there are survivors.

The ancient menace has finally escaped from Lalonde, shattering the Confederation's peaceful existence. Those who succumbed to it have acquired godlike powers but now follow a far from divine gospel as they advance inexorably from world to world. On planets and asteroids, individuals battle for survival against the strange and brutal forces unleashed upon the universe.

The queen is back.... Her hair is white, her grin is nasty, and she's a little pissed. The war is about to get a whole lot bigger. A breakthrough with the Etheric has given Bethany Anne an edge - and an opportunity to take the fight to the Ooken. What is a good Queen to do when not-so-good neighbors become royal pains in the ass? Baba Yaga comes out to play. Family drama on Devon isn’t the only thing standing in the way of Bethany Anne’s liberation of Moen.

From planets and stars to black holes and the Big Bang, take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Featuring topics from the Copernican Revolution to the mind-boggling theories of recent science, The Astronomy Book clarifies hard-to-grasp concepts and explain almost 100 big astronomical ideas. Covering the biographies of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking, The Astronomy Book details their theories and discoveries in a user-friendly format to make the information accessible and easy to follow.

Much has been written about Neil Armstrong, America's modern hero and history's most famous space traveler. Yet, shy of fame and never one to steal the spotlight, Armstrong was always reluctant to discuss his personal side of events. Here for the first time is the definitive story of Neil's life of flight he shared for five decades with a trusted friend - Jay Barbree.

A woman having a psychotic episode, talking with her oldest friend from college who’s calming her, sees Earth devoid of humans is populated with monsters and discovers two secrets, he’s her “father” and…

The role of not only the test pilots but the engineers, aerodynamicists, and support staff in making supersonic flight possible has been widely overlooked. Beyond Blue Skies charts the triumphs and tragedies of the rocket-plane era and the unsung efforts of the men and women who made amazing achievements possible.

It’s time to make plans, hide the truth, and get the HELL off her throne. But how to accomplish creating a federation when those coming together want to gut her empire? Anyone who understands the Queen Bitch knows she won't accept that condition without a fight. However, to accomplish meeting her love again in a system far away, she will accomplish the impossible. Her eyes start to glow red. No one will stop her from getting back to Michael.

Director G.T. Titus inserted an obedience chip into his brain and sent him on a secret mission 800 light-years away. On a distant planet, he broke the programming, smashed the chip, and remembered that he was Force Leader Marcus Cade of Battle Unit 175. Now, he’s heading back to Earth to find his wife. If Director Titus tried to use her as well....

A compelling look inside the Space Shuttle missions that helped lay the groundwork for the Space Age, Shuttle, Houston explores the determined personalities, technological miracles, and 11th-hour saves that have given us human spaceflight. Relaying stories of missions (and their grueling training) in vivid detail, Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving flight director, examines the split-second decisions that the directors and astronauts were forced to make in a field where mistakes are unthinkable and errors led to the loss of national resources - and more importantly one's crew.

Award-winning science writer and documentarian Rod Pyle presents an insider's perspective on the most unusual and bizarre space missions ever devised inside and outside of NASA. The incredible projects described here were not merely flights of fancy....

Most of us have heard of black holes and supernovas, galaxies and the big bang. But few of us understand more than the bare facts about the universe we call home. What is really out there? How did it all begin? Jo Dunkley begins in Earth's neighborhood, explaining the nature of the solar system, the stars in our night sky, and the Milky Way. She then moves out past nearby galaxies - and back in time - to the horizon of the observable universe, which contains over a hundred billion galaxies, each with billions of stars, many orbited by planets, some of which may host life.

Mixing Bethany Anne and politics is inevitably going to cause an explosion. Unfortunately for the Federation council, she’s the only one with the power to take the fight to the Kurtherians. But not for long.... Gödel wants her revenge for Qu’Baka. Unbeknownst to Bethany Anne, the Seven are approaching Devon. Gödel’s bold move has far-reaching consequences for everyone playing the game. While coming to a solution to the sideshow on Red Rock, an old friend returns, reminding Bethany Anne of a time when things were simpler. See enemy. Kick enemy’s ass.

Unite, Fight, Survive: A High-Stakes Mission to Rescue Loved Ones, Stop an Alien Invasion and Take Down an Evil Corporation Elliot: Trained from birth to be a killer, he's the best in the business. But when his only two friends are kidnapped by a shadowy corporation, he'll have to use his deadly skills to bring them home. Arthur: Life as a D-list celebrity has left him wanting more. But when Hellinix kidnaps his wife and daughter, he'll stop at nothing to get them back. When these two men with nothing to lose cross paths, they'll have to rely on each other to take down the evil corporation ...