This Is A New Release Of The Original 1891 Edition.

The federal government collects, maintains, and uses geospatial information -- data linked to specific geographic locations -- to help support varied missions, including national security and natural resources conservation. To coordinate geospatial activities, in 1994 the President issued an executive order to develop a National Spatial Data Infrastructure -- a framework for coordination that includes standards, data themes, and a clearinghouse. This book describes the geospatial data that selected federal agencies and states use and how much is spent on geospatial data; assess progress in establishing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; and determine whether selected federal agencies and states invest in duplicative geospatial data.

Science opens the door to speculations about Man's future. This book speculates about space travel in the far distant future based on our understanding of elementary particle physics, astrophysics and gravitation. It is technical in part (some math) although much of the material is understandable to the layman. Its theme: In tens of thousands of years Man may reach beyond our universe to countless other universes located in the space beyond our universe that we call the Multiverse. The multiverse is an infinite 16-dimensional flat space that we call the Flatverse. We see reason to believe that an infinity of universes, including our own universe, may exist within the Flatverse. They are separated generally by large distances - trillions of light years - island universes containing matter and energy. The all-enveloping Flatverse is like a desert - no matter and no energy - with universes dotting the Flatverse like oases. This book makes a leap of tens of thousands of years of research and development - perhaps 50,000 years (four times the approximately 12,500 year period from human hunter-gatherer clans to the present) - to describe travel to far universes from our universe. It describes the general features of a starship, called a uniship, for travel to other universes. Uniships differ significantly. Their drives must enable travel in fifteen different directions in the Flatverse. They require radically different mechanisms for seeing and navigating within the Flatverse. The mechanisms will have to accommodate using our 3-dimensional eyes to see and navigate in the 15-dimensional Flatverse space. The book proposes mechanisms for these purposes based on a fifth force of nature: a baryonic force that was suggested over sixty years ago. We show this force is embodied in a 15-dimensional field similar to the electromagnetic field. As the electromagnetic field enables us to see and navigate in three dimensions, so the fifteen dimensional baryonic field gives us eyes in fifteen dimensions. The book considers entry and exit from universes in some detail. Changing directions and dimensions are also significant problems. This book looks to the distant future and make assumptions that are reasonable but not guaranteed. The most significant assumption is the existence of a fifth force - a baryonic force - that makes travel out of our universe possible and plays a major role in travels in the multiverse. This assumption is supported by theoretical evidence - the conservation of baryon number. The second most significant assumption is the existence of the multiverse of universes. The existence of other universes and thus a multiverse is supported by the need for a mass for the Higgs Mechanism, the need for a quantum observer, and the need for a clock for the universe. The likelihood of these assumptions, and the novel, new perspectives they lead to, caused the author to proceed to explore the possibilities of emerging from our universe and traveling to other universes knowing that it would not be feasible for many tens of thousands of years. After Man has explored the stars, has explored the galaxies of our universe, there will still be the quest to explore the many universes of the Cosmos: to see eternity's sunrise, to reach the heights and depths of fundamental Reality, and so to grow to maturity as a species. This book is not a science fiction book but rather a reasonable extrapolation of current science and technology.

Pages 38 A simple, fun, and modern introduction to our solar system. Our solar neighborhood is an exciting place. The Solar System is full of planets, moons, asteroids, comets, minor planets, and many other exciting objects. Learn about Io, the explosive moon that orbits the planet Jupiter, or explore the gigantic canyons and deserts on Mars. The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The Sun contains around 98% of all the material in the Solar System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it has. Because the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects in the Solar System towards it. At the same time, these objects, which are moving very rapidly, try to fly away from the Sun, outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets trying to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull them inward is that they become trapped half-way in between. Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into space, they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.

NASA is undertaking a trio of closely-related programs to continue human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit: the SLS vehicle; the Orion capsule, which will launch atop the SLS and carry astronauts; and the supporting ground systems. As a whole, the efforts represent NASA's largest exploration investment over the next decade, potentially as much as $22 billion, to demonstrate initial capabilities. Beyond 2021, NASA plans to incrementally develop progressively more-capable SLS launch vehicles complemented by Orion capsules and ground systems. This book examines the scope of NASA's preliminary cost estimates for the three programs. It examines the SLS program's progress toward and risks for its first test flight in 2017; and the extent to which the SLS program has plans in place to achieve its long-term goals and promote affordability.