Space Mission

On the morning of January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched for the 10th time, beginning mission STS-51-L. Space shuttles had already successfully completed 24 missions, and no American spacecraft had ever failed to reach orbit during an official mission.

It was Christmas Eve 1968. And the astronauts of Apollo 8 - Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders - were participants in a mission that took them faster (24,000 mph) and farther from the Earth (240,000 miles) than any human had ever traveled. Apollo 8 was the mission that broke humanity's absolute bond to the Earth: it was the first manned vehicle to leave the Earth's orbit. Confined within a tiny spaceship, the astronauts were aided in their journey by a computer less powerful than one of today's handheld calculators.

Today, the Space Race is widely viewed poignantly and fondly as a race to the Moon that culminated with Apollo 11 "winning" the race for the United States. In fact, it encompassed a much broader range of competition between the Soviet Union and the United States that affected everything from military technology to successfully launching satellites that could land on Mars or orbit other planets in the solar system. Moreover, the notion that America "won" the Space Race at the end of the 1960s overlooks just how competitive the Space Race actually was in launching people into orbit.

Orphaned when her parents vanished in deep space, Petrina dreamed of one day piloting a ship to explore the stars for the Intergalactic Coalition of Planets. But when she learns that her four-times-great grandfather has been trapped at the edge of a black hole for a century, she knows she has to rescue him. Family is the one missing element in her life, and her grandpa is the only family she has left. For the rescue, she will need to steal a starship. The one she chooses is home to Selka, an AI who isn’t thrilled with being stolen. In journeys of adventure, danger and amazement, the ...

Adam Cain is a super Human, everyone's hero, the go-to guy when the galaxy needs saving. So why is he broke and looking to hire out his special talents just to keep his head above water? Don't misunderstand him; busting alien heads is what he does best. It's just that he thought those days were over after the evil Klin were wiped out. Not hardly. It seems his adventures are just beginning.

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.

The moon Pyres is an uninhabitable hell, but a scientific shuttle just discovered signs of life on the satellite’s unforgiving surface. This discovery sparks a mystery—and raises serious concerns. Admiral Timpson of the United Planets fears the discovery suggests an impending attack on Earth, but the nature of the threat is infuriatingly unclear. The most likely culprit is the Proxees, defeated by the United Planets in the Great War. If so, the Proxees have used the Border Zone Treaty as a delaying tactic while they regroup for a second strike. A second, mysterious race, however, has ...

This is the dramatic and inspirational first-person story of theoretical physicist Dr. Ronald Mallett, who recently discovered the basic equations for a working time machine that he believes can be used as a transport vehicle to the past. Combining elements of Rocket Boys and Elegant Universe, Time Traveler follows Mallett's discovery of Einstein's work on space-time, his study of Godel's work on a solution of Einstein's equation that might allow for time travel.

The Apollo space program is the most famous and celebrated in American history, but the first successful landing of men on the moon during Apollo 11 had complicated roots dating back over a decade, and it also involved one of NASA’s most infamous tragedies.

Carl Ramsey has done the unthinkable: he turned down a lucrative job. When the deed is too despicable even for outlaws like the Mobius crew, someone nasty had to be behind it. Carl and his friends decide to hunt down their potential employer and turn him over to the authorities. But as amateur vigilantes, they mire themselves in a moral quagmire of conflicts of interest. With victory (and a tidy payday) in their sights, can they live with the awful truth they uncover?

NASA's Orion spacecraft is pushing the limits of space travel and exploration like never before. The ultimate goal is a mission to Mars! Learn about the challenges that scientists, engineers, and astronauts must overcome to make this dream a reality.

While the discord of a Broken Alliance embroils the Commonwealth in Civil War across the Interstellar Network, the new stardrive technology was hastily removed from the theater of conflict. However, a brief skirmish with forces from a Secessionist blockade left the Meridian damaged and her crew responsible for rescued refugees. Although the whole galaxy has now become accessible for exploration, the technology must be kept safe, secret, and secure. These dilemmas must first be resolved before the voyages of discovery into the Unknown Reaches of deep space may proceed. Reunite with the ...

Seattle sci-fi author Robert Blevins' third novel is an exciting tale in the spirit of works such as Marooned and Red Planet. A new U.S. President with vision has challenged NASA to do the impossible - launch a manned mission to Mars within four years, when Earth and Mars make their closest approach in a decade. The Mars 1 mission is a calculated risk and the stakes are high for both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, who have combined forces to make it happen. Conflict between a stubborn mission commander and the woman assigned to get everyone safely to the Martian surface increases those...

Set at an experimental community on Mars in the year 2039, the Mars Diaries feature 14-year-old virtual-reality specialist Tyce Sanders. When a quake triggers the appearance of some strange black boxes on the Martian landscape, Tyce and others journey across the Martian plain. As Tyce approaches the boxes, he makes a startling discovery: one that could change life for everyone in the universe. That is, if he lives to uncover the truth. As Tyce explores his strange surroundings, he finds that the mysteries of the planet point to his greatest discovery - a new relationship with God.

When five members of a middle school marching band are accidentally projected into an alternative universe during a field trip to the NASA headquarters, their fates land in the hands of the Multiverse Allied Council: a group of extraterrestrial delegates responsible for preserving harmony across the multiverse. Then Dev, Isaiah, Tessa, Maeve, and Lewis discover that Earth’s destruction is imminent due to an environmental collapse caused by humans. What can they do when their most formidable skill is marching in formation?

The Moon has always been more than a celestial body—it’s a symbol of human curiosity, imagination, and the unyielding desire to explore. In "The Moon: Humanity's Next Frontier," this timeless companion of Earth takes center stage in a fascinating journey that blends history, science, and the bold visions of the future. Discover the Moon’s dramatic origin story, forged in a fiery collision that forever linked its fate to our planet. Explore how its influence shaped Earth's environment, stabilized its seasons, and played a pivotal role in the emergence of life. Travel through history to...

Adam and his crew are faced with the ultimate challenge: to save the Milky Way Galaxy from the Nuorean invaders. This time their backup will be two-and-a-half MILLION light-years away. They knew this could be a one-way trip, but the stakes were too high not to try. Someone had to step up and be the hero, and Adam's eclectic mix of humans and aliens have been there before. Yet even in victory, they could lose, trapped in a far, distant galaxy with no way to get home. But first things first, Adam Cain and the gang have to cut off the Nuoreans' link to the Milky Way before it's too late.

When the crew of the Mobius takes on passenger Bryce Brisson to make some easy money, they find themselves caught up in his business dealings with Tanny's estranged family: the Rucker Syndicate. On top of that, Tanny has exhausted her supply of the drugs she needs to keep up her enhanced marine physiology. But will Carl double-cross family to make his payday or dive headlong into a trap that wasn't meant for him? If he plays this wrong, he risks making enemies of the most ruthless gangsters on Mars.

The good news is that the Rangers have reinforcements on the way. The bad news is that the aliens do too. Can the Colonial Rangers hold back the aliens long enough for the starship Marco Polo and the 2,000 Rangers aboard her to get there? Things have been mostly quiet since the battles at the end of the summer at the New Hope Colony. The aliens have been licking their wounds and wondering what the humans might do next. The Rangers are also licking their wounds but that doesn’t mean they are standing pat. The Rangers want to strike first but how and where? Maybe the Hot Tub Brain Trust ...

In Apollo's Legacy, space historian Roger D. Launius explores the many-faceted stories told about the meaning of the Apollo program and how it forever altered American society. The Apollo missions marked the first time human beings left Earth's orbit and visited another world, and thus they loom large in our collective memory. Many have detailed the exciting events of the Apollo program, but Launius offers unique insight into its legacy as seen through multiple perspectives.