Space History

When scientists discovered the first ocean beyond Earth, they had two big questions: “Is it habitable?” and “How do we get there?” To answer the first, they had to answer the second, and so began a vivacious team’s twenty-year odyssey to mount a mission to Europa, the ocean moon of Jupiter. Standing in their way: NASA, the White House, Congress, rivals in academia, and even Jupiter itself. Written with verve, humor, and uncanny empathy, The Mission is an exuberant masterclass in how a few determined cogs can change an entire machine.

Through immersive and intimate reporting, When the Heavens Went on Sale reveals the spectacular chaos of the new business of space, and what happens when the idealistic, ambitious minds of Silicon Valley turn their unbridled vision toward the limitless expanse of the stars. This is the tale of technology’s most pressing and controversial revolution, as told through fascinating characters chasing unimaginable stakes in the race to space.

Author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway best seller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers.

As a lifelong learner fascinated by the myriad wonders of our world, I've always been driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand more. This book is a culmination of that curiosity, offering 30 diverse chapters that explore a wide range of scientific and thought-provoking topics. From the intricacies of spider web construction to the potential future of AI-assisted mindfulness meditation, each chapter delves into a unique area of interest. In creating this book, I harnessed the power of AI chatbots to sift through the vast ocean of information available on the Internet. These advanced ...

The original Star Trek series debuted in 1966 and has spawned five TV series spin-offs and a dozen feature films, with an upcoming one from Paramount arriving in 2016. The Fifty-Year Mission is a no-holds-barred oral history of five decades of Star Trek, told by the people who were there. Hear from the hundreds of television and film executives, programmers, writers, creators, and cast as they unveil the oftentimes shocking story of Star Trek's ongoing 50-year mission.

In the most authoritative book ever written about Apollo, David Whitehouse reveals the true drama behind the mission, telling the story in the words of those who took part - based around exclusive interviews with the key players. This enthralling book takes us from the early rocket pioneers to the shock America received from the Soviets' launch of the first satellite, Sputnik; from the race to put the first person into space, through President Kennedy's enthusiasm and later doubts, to the astronauts' intense competition to leave the first footprint.

From one of our most acclaimed science writers: a dramatic narrative of the discovery of the true nature and startling size of the universe, delving back past the moment of revelation to trace the decades of work--by a select group of scientists--that made it possible.

In Beyond Biocentrism, acclaimed biologist Robert Lanza and astronomer Bob Berman take the listener on an intellectual thrill ride as they reexamine everything we thought we knew about life, death, the universe, and the nature of reality itself. The first step is acknowledging that our existing model of reality is looking increasingly creaky in the face of recent scientific discoveries.

SYNOPSIS: In 2012, an inventor discovers that time travel is possible, but only mentally and only within the duration of one’s life. However, when a user of his device accidentally oversteps the ‘death boundary,’ the military takes over, turning it into a reconnaissance machine. Evidently, knowing the future poses more than just a threat to national security. Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.2, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is not illustrated to save on file size (1 MB vs. 300mb).

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.

From a launchpad in Florida to the lunar surface ... Two cartoon flies join listeners as they blast off into space and step foot on the moon with Neil Armstrong, providing a blend of facts and fun while telling the story of a great moment in space-exploration history.

Dozens of astronauts travel to space every year, but what makes these amazing trips possible? Max Axiom has the answers. Join Max as he explores the science and engineering behind space travel.

On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on the Space Shuttle Program’s 35th mission, but this was no ordinary mission. In its payload bay, Discovery was carrying the Hubble Space Telescope, with the objective of putting the telescope into orbit.

Fatal Flight brings vividly to life the year of operation of R.101, the last great British airship - a luxury liner three and a half times the length of a 747 jet, with a spacious lounge, a dining room that seated 50, glass-walled promenade decks, and a smoking room.

Amid the ongoing reckoning over America’s history of anti-Black racism, scores of monuments to slaveowners and Confederate soldiers still proudly dot the country’s landscape, while schools and street signs continue to bear the names of segregationists. With poignant, lyrical prose, cultural commentator Irvin Weathersby confronts the inescapable specter of white supremacy in our open spaces and contemplates what it means to bear witness to sites of lasting racial trauma.

Time and space collide when aliens from all races come together to work to fix the timeline. In a world where time travel is possible, a group of aliens from different species have banded together to form the Chrononauts. Their mission: to travel through history and correct any changes to the timeline that could lead to disaster. The Chrononauts are a diverse team, with members from all walks of life. Each member brings their own unique skills and abilities to the team, and together they are unstoppable. But the Chrononauts are not the only ones who want to control the timeline. There are ...

A very short historical narration on the attempt to seek value in life, told by one of the last beings to exist. The story is guided by the endless crises humans have overcome.

Dune meets Star Trek! When a human spacecraft crash lands on a distant planet, this catastrophe triggers an ancient, alien prophecy! OATHBREAKER, OATHKEEPER follows three distinct POVs: Lawrence "Zero" Heimlock, the Harmonians, and the Honorians. Several hundred years from now, humanity has started to colonize other worlds. Zero is a middle-aged surveyor on a mission to find planets suitable for human colonization. The Harmonians are the dominant species; they host spores and serve the whims of a collective mind called the "Oathmother." The Honorians are amphibious lifeforms that rejected ...

It was a time of bold new technology, historic moments, and international jousting on the final frontier. But it was also a time of human drama, of moments less public but no less dramatic in the lives of those who made the golden age of space flight happen. These are the moments and the lives that Into That Silent Sea captures, a book that tells the intimate stories of the men and women, American and Russian, who made the space race their own and gave the era its compelling character.

After being rejected from the Space Academy, Ariel finds unexpected allies in Rachel and Eitan. Together, they’re suddenly thrust into commanding the hijacked military spaceship USS Exorbitant. But a cunning AI has set their course for the farthest reaches of known space, plunging the teenagers into a journey they never asked for. On Marde—a planet frozen in the Bronze Age—they uncover secrets that could rewrite Earth’s history. Can Ariel, Rachel, and Eitan outsmart a manipulative AI and hostile aliens, all while wielding powerful technology they barely understand? Join them on a ...