Space History

No direct explanation is given for the origin and nature of the luminous bodies, the sun, the planets, and the stars. Because the Sumerians regarded the moon-god, who went by the names Sin and Nanna, as the son of the air-god Enlil, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that they saw the moon as a bright, air-like body fashioned from the atmosphere. As the sun-god Utu and the Venus goddess Inanna are always referred to as children of the moon-god, these luminous bodies were probably imagined as having come from the moon after the latter had been formed from the atmosphere.

With the ongoing advancement of AI and other technologies, our world is becoming increasingly intelligent. From chatbots to innovations in brain-computer interfaces to the possibility of superintelligences leading to the Singularity later this century, our reality is being transformed before our eyes. This is commonly seen as the natural result of progress, but what if there's more to it than that? What if intelligence is an inevitability, an underlying property of the universe?

Best-selling author and commentator Jay Ingram is back to explain the magic and mysteries of the world around us. Jay takes listeners on a tour of the universe, exploring wonders big and small. From the farthest reaches of space to the most perplexing historical riddles to the marvels of who we are and what we're made of, Jay answers the important questions, such as: What's inside a black hole? Will machines ever learn to feel? And how much pee is in the average pool?

Written by the Officer Commanding and former Red 1 Team Leader, Wing Commander David Montenegro, and full of never-before-shared tales from pilots past and present, this thrilling history is both a faithful record and a fascinating account of not only what it takes, but what it means, to be a Red Arrow.

Welcome to the apocalypse, Norse style! In 2147, an insurgency prepares to strike at an occupying force that has warehoused most humans in orbital habitats. Across the post-American West of 2041, rival groups battle for control of a massive nuclear arsenal. On July 20, 1944, a group of German rebels are about to attempt the assassination of Hitler and launch a coup against the evil Nazi regime. A group hike in Iceland isn't supposed to make these three events intersect, much less end in the death of all Worlds. But that's exactly what six friends trigger when they accidentally breach the ...

Eighteen science fiction stories from the asteroid belt to otherwise messed up places: A lonely Soviet komisar searches for his lost love among the mines of the asteroid belt ... A desperate journalist follows the lead for a story that may cost his life ... A motley group of speed freaks get up to no good in a red-light district of the future ... And more!

In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the "rise of complexity" in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings.

While modern technology has helped astronomers view the furthest reaches of the Solar System, it has also allowed scientists to start discovering planets orbiting distant stars. To make it easier to assess the relative mass and size of the new planets being discovered, scientists give these measurements as multiples of those properties for either Jupiter or Earth

Mars has been a source of fascination and speculation ever since the ancient Egyptians observed its blood-red hue and named it for their god of war and plague. But it wasn't until the 19th century when "canals" were observed on the surface of the Red Planet, suggesting the presence of water, that scientists, novelists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs became obsessed with the question of whether there's life on Mars. The Big Book of Mars is the most comprehensive look at our relationship with Mars - yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

July 20, 1969. It’s a day that has earned a spot in history. It’s the day that America was the first nation to succeed in sending two astronauts - Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong - to the moon. But what led to this unforgettable event? What were the stakes riding on the Apollo 11’s safe landing? In acclaimed author Douglas Brinkley’s first young readers' edition, space fans will get the riveting and factual backstory of arguably the most significant achievement of the 20th century.

In his final book, Helias Doundoulakis demystifies Arecibo for the novice, from dreams to drawings. The chronological account of the iconic telescope is made plain for all to see, which spanned six decades. Read how his brother, George Doundoulakis, undertook its conception and fielding, finally winning patent rights for his brother Helias, CIA director William Casey, and Gus Michalos. Follow the inseparable brothers on their journey of courage, inspiration, and brilliance that advanced the design of Arecibo and inspired generations of space scientists for years to come.

They were banishing him from the austere world that was his home; from the people he loved, the place he had lived, and the things he loved to do. He would never see their new city Rubin built.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, and the Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today, but of all the world’s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In the past decade especially, there was a renewed focus on the Maya, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ended in 2012.

Even in our darkest hour, it must be stated clearly, the Living Goddess did not abandon Her flock. For beneath the alien jackboot, even when very hope itself seemed lost, there arose, by Her Grace, those yet willing to hold high the torch. We were rich. We were poor. We were young. We were old. We sprang from the soil of this planet. We came from far off-world. We were herdeiros. We were minorities. We held advanced degrees. We were illiterate. We’d been born to arms. We had never touched a weapon in our lives. We were as varied as Her Panoply, our paths to Her Truth – as many as the ...

It is difficult, I suppose, for the children of our safe, modern republic to imagine what life had been like in those days, under the Zin occupation. How does one explain the inexplicable? How does one describe the indescribable? How does one get across what it is like to live in a world with no safety, to expect, at any moment, the fatal knock on the door, to know, every waking minute of every waking day, that the very next breath might be one’s last? There are no words for such things. And so, when my grandchildren ask me, I tell them the only thing I can: We lived those days, I tell ...

Two questions guide this seven-year project: First, how can we approach the phenomenon, representation, and interpretation of total solar eclipses? Second, how can we heal the historical divide separating the natural sciences from the humanities, arts, history, music, and theology? The result of this interdisciplinary investigation into eclipses is an exciting look behind the scenes—into labs, archives, museums, studies, around fieldwork in astronomy, meteorology, animal behavior, and ecophysiology.

From designers to engineers, and even communication specialists and the builders who assembled these towering rockets, hundreds of thousands of people worked on getting humans to the moon, yet only a few have been recognized for their contributions. George D. Morgan sets the record straight by giving these forgotten figures of space travel their due.

The Short Story of the Universe is a new introduction to the subject of the universe. Covering 130 key components that make it up - from dwarf galaxies and spiral arms to red giants and the planets of the solar system - and linking these to the universe's structure and the theories that help us understand it, this book simplifies this riveting yet mind-boggling subject, telling the story of how it came into being and how it will eventually be no more.

Have you ever wondered how we came into being? Have you ever looked in the sky and marveled at the stars? This introduction to space gives you a foundation to explore whatever sparks your interest within this magnificent universe of ours. All this and more is available in this astronomy book. This book on astronomy is a perfect introduction to finding the truth out about wormholes, black holes, and the planets that surround us. Have you ever wondered what is out there? What about if there are more planets out there that we don't know about?

Alone in a Spartan black cockpit, test pilot Mike Melvill rocketed toward space. He had 80 seconds to exceed the speed of sound and begin the climb to a target no civilian pilot had ever reached. He might not make it back alive. If he did he would make history as the world's first commercial astronaut. The spectacle defied reason, the result of a competition dreamed up by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, whose vision for a new race to space required small teams to do what only the world's largest governments had done before.