This book develops the statistical mechanics of the formation of gravitating cosmogonical bodies in the investigation of our solar system and other exoplanetary systems. The first part of the text acquaints the reader with the developing statistical theory of gravitating cosmogonical body formation. Within the framework of this theory, the models and evolution equations of the statistical mechanics are proposed, while well-known problems of gravitational condensation of infinite distributed cosmic substances are solved on the basis of the proposed statistical model of spheroidal bodies. The second section of the book details theoretical and practical approaches to investigating the solar system and other exoplanetary systems. In particular, it considers a new universal stellar law (USL) for extrasolar planetary systems connecting the temperature, the size and the mass of each star. Within the framework of the developed statistical theory, a new law (generalizing the famous law of O. Schmidt) for the distribution of planetary in the solar system is also provided.

NASA maintains an active interest in the environmental conditions associated with living and working in spacecraft and identifying hazards that might adversely affect the health and well-being of crew members. Despite major engineering advances in controlling the spacecraft environment, some water and air contamination is inevitable. Several hundred chemical species are likely to be found in the closed environment of the spacecraft, and as the frequency, complexity, and duration of human space flight increase, identifying and understanding significant health hazards will become more complicated and more critical for the success of the missions.
To protect space crews from contaminants in potable and hygiene water, NASA requested that the National Research Council NRC provide guidance on how to develop water exposure guidelines and subsequently review NASA's development of the exposure guidelines for specific chemicals. This book presents spacecraft water exposure guidelines (SWEGs) for antimony, benzene, ethylene glycol, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and propylene glycol.

This volume deals with key issues of the space economy, defined as the full range of activities and the use of resources that create value and benefits for human beings in the course of exploring, researching, understanding, managing and utilizing space. These topics are treated from an economic perspective, with particular attention paid to the development of knowledge, as well as the set-up of technologies with high industrial impacts. The book, thus, provides a new and wider interpretation of the space economy, focusing on the (tangible) returns of the investments made in the space industry since the Space Race. It will particularly appeal to scholars, researchers and PhD students, as well as those in the space community.

Numerous countries and regions now have very active space programs, and the number is increasing. These maturing capabilities around the world create a plethora of potential partners for cooperative space endeavors, while at the same time heightening competitiveness in the international space arena. This book summarizes a public workshop held in November 2008 for the purpose of reviewing past and present cooperation, coordination, and competition mechanisms for space and Earth science research and space exploration; identifying significant lessons learned; and discussing how those lessons could best be applied in the future, particularly in the areas of cooperation and collaboration. Presentations and initial discussion focused on past and present experiences in international cooperation and competition to identify "lessons learned." Those lessons learned were then used as the starting point for subsequent discussions on the most effective ways for structuring future cooperation or coordination in space and Earth science research and space exploration. The goal of the workshop was not to develop a specific model for future cooperation or coordination, but rather to explore the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches and stimulate further deliberation on this important topic.

On October 1, 1958, the world's first civilian space agency opened for business as an emergency response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik a year earlier. Within a decade, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, universally known as NASA, had evolved from modest research teams experimenting with small converted rockets into one of the greatest technological and managerial enterprises ever known, capable of sending people to the Moon aboard gigantic rockets and of dispatching robot explorers to Venus, Mars, and worlds far beyond. In spite of occasional, tragic setbacks in NASA's history, the Apollo lunar landing project remains a byword for American ingenuity; the winged space shuttles spearheaded the International Space Station and a dazzling array of astronomical satellites and robotic landers, and Earth observation programs have transformed our understanding of the cosmos and our home world's fragile place within it. Throughout NASA's 60-year history, images have played a central role. Who today is not familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope's mesmerizing views of the universe or the pin-sharp panoramas of Mars from NASA's surface rovers? And who could forget the photographs of the first men walking on the Moon? Researched with the collaboration of NASA, this collection gathers more than 400 historic photographs and rare concept renderings, scanned and remastered using the latest technology and reproduced in extra-large size. Texts by science and technology journalist Piers Bizony, former NASA chief historian Roger Launius, and best-selling Apollo historian Andrew Chaikin-and an extensive mission checklist documenting the key human and robotic missions-round out this comprehensive exploration of NASA, from its earliest days to its current development of new space systems for the future.The NASA Archives is more than just a fascinating pictorial history of the U.S. space program. It is also a profound meditation on why we choose to explore space and how we will carry on this grandest of all adventures in the years to come.

How did science get aboard the Apollo rockets, and what did scientists do with the space allotted to them? This volume describes, from the perspective of NASA headquarters, the struggles that took place to include science payloads and lunar exploration as part of the Apollo program. Author Donald A. Beattie - who served at NASA from 1963 to 1973 in several management positions and finally as programme manager, Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments - supplies a detailed, insider's view of the events leading up to the acceptance of science activities on all the Apollo missions. Beattie tells this story within the context of what we knew about the moon in the 1960s, the ongoing programmes that looked ahead to the first successful landing, and the objections that had to be overcome within NASA's entrenched engineering culture. Beattie concentrates on activities directly related to science, including behind-the-scenes controversies. He also discusses the important contributions of some of the lesser-known participants and contractors, who he says played a much larger role than previous books on the programme have acknowledged. The book provides the early history of on-site lunar experiments, raising important questions about a shift in NASA policy which led to some of the most dramatic planetary-science developments of our time.

Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have been in existence for as long as Earth. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out.