What is life and where can it exist? What searches are being made to identify conditions for life on other worlds? If extraterrestrial inhabited worlds are found, how can we explore them? In this book, two leading astrophysicists provide an engaging account of where we stand in our quest for habitable environments, in the Solar System and beyond. Starting from basic concepts, the narrative builds scientifically, including more in-depth material as boxed additions to the main text. The authors recount fascinating recent discoveries from space missions and observations using ground-based telescopes, of possible life-related artefacts in Martian meteorites, extrasolar planets, and subsurface oceans on Europa, Titan and Enceladus. They also provide a forward look to future missions. This is an exciting, informative read for anyone interested in the search for habitable and inhabited planets, and an excellent primer for students in astrobiology, habitability, planetary science and astronomy.

Storyline: by the year 2077, the US Mars program has had a functional self-sustained base on Mars for about 15 years. Cargo ships move back and forth with goods, a journey that takes just more than a year. Our hero is adventurous cargo pilot Guy Reisling. About this time, space science on Earth and star observatories conclude that a rather large asteroid will either hit the Earth, or come very, very close to a strike, in about five years. But our story is not about the meteor. The novel spans this five year period, during which time the Eastern Russian-Islamic/Ukrainian-Hindustan space program alliance on Earth, secretly launch their own ships to Mars, to take control of the US base there by force, and provide for themselves if and when the approaching asteroid actually causes significant Earth devastation. The US Mars base operations, with about 230 people who live and work there, are peaceful and scientific or research-oriented only. The base has no weapons or only very few, and functions year round in the hot and cold, very thin, almost non-existent Mars atmosphere, an airtight high-tech fortress at the feet of the towering Tharsis Montes mountains. Guy Reisling and his crew, Mars program director Lynn Rodgers-Smith, Mars-base commander Bojji-Than, and other colorful characters, have a year to prepare for the advancing Russian-Islamic ships, and then must somehow find a way to defend the base itself and residents, as the US Mars ships sent to save them, led by experienced space-pilot and Mars fleet commander Winton 'Kick' Berle, finally arrive months later. At the same time, international intrigue back home on Earth, creates an East-West conflict between the competing space-programs, and their considerable value to the future.

How would the existence of alien life forms from another world affect your faith? Your beliefs? Could you face the truth of life from other worlds? This manual will help you make sense of alien encounters from a theological perspective. This will help you come to terms with your view of other life in the universe and how to process its existence.

Created as an aid for the astronauts training for Skylab missions, this Skylab Saturn IB Flight Manual is a comprehensive reference that contains descriptions of ground support interfaces, prelaunch operations, and emergency procedures. It also summarizes mission variables and constraints, mission control monitoring and data flow during launch and flight. Launch vehicle SL-2 (SA-206; first Skylab manned mission) was used as the baseline for the manual, but the material is also representative of the SL-3 and SL-4 launch vehicles. Also known as the "Uprated Saturn I," Saturn IB was first launched in 1966. The IB replaced the Saturn I's S-IV second stage with the more powerful S-IVB, allowing it to carry a partially fueled Apollo Command / Service Module or fully fueled Lunar Module into low Earth orbit. The Saturn IB allowed critical testing of the Apollo Program's systems to be conducted long before the Saturn V was ready. It also flew one orbital mission without a payload, with the extra fuel used to demonstrate that the S-IVB's J-2 engine could be restarted in zero gravity - a critical operation for translunar injection. The Saturn IB had a height of 141.6 feet and a mass of 1.3 million pounds without payload. It produced thrust equivalent to 1.6 million pounds force, and could carry 46,000 pounds of payload to low Earth orbit. Saturn IB flew nine times, including three Skylab missions and for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Complete with many informative diagrams and photos, this manual is a wonderful reference for the museum docent, researcher, or anyone who ever wondered how these mighty rockets were designed and built.

This book proposes a long-term space program for solar system exploration and travel to the stars in an aggressive, cost-effective way. It develops a new multi-stage space gun to shoot large payloads cheaply into space up to 150+ kilometers. It proposes new types of nuclear rockets for cost-effective exploration in the solar system, and eventually for use on starships - "short range" nuclear rockets for the Solar System, and "long shelf life" nuclear rockets for starships. Also, it describes long shelf life nuclear reactors of new design that have hitherto not been developed. Most importantly, the book develops detailed, faster-than-light starship designs (qualitatively in the text - no math, and mathematically in appendices). The key to faster-than-light starships is a faster-than light ion thrust generated by quark-gluon plasmas. This book describes how quark-gluon plasmas can be created in high energy ion collisions and how they might be used for starship propulsion. Several possible starship designs are discussed in detail as well as a mechanism for artificial gravity for disc shaped and cigar shaped starships.

Most people just accept that our universe is ruled by gravity; an assumption that is wrong. Evidence instead shows that the force responsible for all of the objects and events we observe throughout the universe is the electric force that enables current flow and therefore magnetic fields to exist. If we consider that the electric force is fundamentally one thousand, billion, billion, billion, billion times more powerful than gravity and that the universe consists of 99.99% plasma; charged matter through which electric currents flow, then you have good reason to open your mind and read what this book has to say.

During the year 2003, hundreds of events will mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The centennial year will witness exhibitions, lectures, television documentaries, films, air shows, flight recreations of Wright aircraft, the issuing of postage stamps and medals, the publication of dozens of new books and articles, and numerous other commemorative activities. One of these events, although not likely to make the evening news, is among the most important of all in terms of a lasting contribution to the observance of this ultimate aviation milestone: the reprinting of Arthur G. Renstrom's Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Orville Wright, August 19, 1871. Since its appearance in 1975, Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology has become indispensable to students and authors concerned with the life and work of the famous brothers. No doubt every book on the subject published in the last quarter century, including three of my own, was written with this treasure close at hand. This volume is far more than a simple compilation of dates and facts. Renstrom was a master reference librarian and bibliographer with a passion for aviation and the Wright brothers. He brought his considerable research skills to bear on the topic, and the result is a richly detailed, ever-informative, often entertaining walk through the lives and achievements of these two extraordinary individuals. Renstrom was not content to offer a date with a one-line tidbit. His entries are brimming with information. This is a highly readable reference work that, believe or not, can be enjoyably read from cover to cover. The project was clearly a labor of love by a talented professional.

Prepared by the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa for use by novice, amateur and professional astronomers, Sky Guide Africa South 2013 is a practical resource, offering information for the whole year on the movement of the planets, upcoming eclipses, the dates of meteor showers, as well as star charts to aid in identifying stars and constellations in the southern African night skies.

The book also presents a wealth of information in a clear and accessible way about the Sun, Moon, planets, comets, meteors and bright stars, with many supporting diagrams, charts, illustrations and images.

An annual publication, Sky Guide Africa South 2013 is an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in the night skies of southern Africa; ‘… an absolute must for first-time star-gazers and professional astronomers alike’.

The Doppler effect (or Doppler shift), named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from an observer. The received frequency is higher (compared to the emitted frequency) during the approach, it is identical at the instant of passing by, and it is lower during the recession. The relative changes in frequency can be explained as follows. When the source of the waves is moving toward the observer, each successive wave crest is emitted from a position closer to the observer than the previous wave. Therefore each wave takes slightly less time to reach the observer than the previous wave. Therefore the time between the arrival of successive wave crests at the observer is reduced, causing an increase in the frequency. While they are travelling, the distance between successive wave fronts is reduced; so the waves "bunch together." Conversely, if the source of waves is moving away from the observer, each wave is emitted from a position farther from the observer than the previous wave, so the arrival time between successive waves is increased, reducing the frequency. The distance between successive wave fronts is increased, so the waves "spread out." For waves that propagate in a medium, such as sound waves, the velocity of the observer and of the source is relative to the medium in which the waves are transmitted. The total Doppler Effect may therefore result from motion of the source, motion of the observer, or motion of the medium. Each of these effects is analyzed separately. For waves which do not require a medium, such as light or gravity in general relativity, only the relative difference in velocity between the observer and the source needs to be considered. The Doppler Effect 1-3] represents the frequency variation of the waves, received by an observer which is drawing (coming), respectively it's removing (going), from a wave spring (source). If a bright spring is drawing to an observer, the frequency of waves received by the observer is bigger than the emitted frequency of source, such that the respective spectral lines are moving to violet. On the contrary, if the light source is removing from the observer, the spectral lines are moving to red. One proposes to study the Doppler Effect for the light waves, generally for the electromagnetic waves.

Whether you are simply curious about our mysterious neighbor-the Moon-or a teacher looking for ways to teach concepts about the Moon without misconceptions, Everything Moon is the non-technical, comprehensive guide you are seeking. From theories on the origin of the Moon, to phases, tides, eclipses, geology, past, current, and future missions, to the Apollo Program, Everything Moon guides you through the science and history you need to understand the Moon and includes creative, engaging investigations to develop important concepts. Written with teachers and students in mind, Everything Moon is a book for anyone who has ever asked themselves questions about our view of the Moon: what causes the same face of the Moon to face Earth every day; is there really a dark side of the Moon; what causes eclipses, tides and phases? With clear explanations, images, activities, and examples, Everything Moon will not only answer your questions about the Moon, but will spark a lively interest in all things lunar.

Pictures and Text about missiles and rockets on display at Missile Park Museum, White Sands Missile Range (WSMR)

A concise look at the evidence that UFO's are real from both history and modern cases.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) has begun to rebuild the advanced space technology program in the agency with plans laid out in 14 draft technology roadmaps. It has been years since NASA has had a vigorous, broad-based program in advanced space technology development and its technology base has been largely depleted. However, success in executing future NASA space missions will depend on advanced technology developments that should already be underway. Reaching out to involve the external technical community, the National Research Council (NRC) considered the 14 draft technology roadmaps prepared by OCT and ranked the top technical challenges and highest priority technologies that NASA should emphasize in the next 5 years. This report provides specific guidance and recommendations on how the effectiveness of the technology development program managed by OCT can be enhanced in the face of scarce resources. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Top Technical Challenges and High-Priority Technologies by Roadmap 3 Integrated Ranking of Top Technical Challenges and High-Priority Technologies 4 Observations and General Themes Appendixes Appendix A: Statement of Task Appendix B: Revised Technology Area Breakdown Structure Appendix C: Acronyms Appendix D: TA01 Launch Propulsion Systems Appendix E: TA02 In-Space Propulsion Technologies Appendix F: TA03 Space Power and Energy Storage Appendix G: TA04 Robotics, Tele-Robotics, and Autonomous Systems Appendix H: TA05 Communication and Navigation Appendix I: TA06 Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems Appendix J: TA07 Human Exploration Destination Systems Appendix K: TA08 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems Appendix L: TA09 Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems Appendix M: TA10 Nanotechnology Appendix N: TA11 Modeling, Simulation, and Information Technology and Processing Appendix O: TA12 Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing Appendix P: TA13 Ground and Launch Systems Processing Appendix Q: TA14 Thermal Management Systems Appendix R: Steering Committee, Panel, and Staff Biographical Information

The logic tables showing the possibility of God's existence as a living quantum field are presented along with the math laws of his existence (Base Infinity math and Supersets) along with entity related material.

Skylab's launch in 1973 represented a major milestone in America's space program. Intended to enrich scientific knowledge of the Earth, Sun and space, America's first space station was also intended to prove that humans could live and work in zero gravity for extended periods. The station's design originated from a 1959 proposal by Wehrner von Braun to use an empty rocket stage as an orbiting laboratory -- Skylab's Orbital Workshop design was built around a Saturn S-IVB stage. With a total length of about 117 feet and a mass of 169.950 pounds, the station was about the size of an average house. It included a multi-spectral solar observatory, two docking ports, and Airlock Module with EVA hatches, and a large habitation area. Power on-board came from solar arrays and the fuel cells of the docked Apollo CSM. Skylab was damaged by vibrations during lift-off, destroying an important meteoroid shield and one of the station's two solar panel arrays. The second array could not be deployed until the crew of the SL-2 mission made an EVA to fix it. The crew remained in space for 28 days, a record eclipsed by the next two missions SL-3 (59 days) and SL-4 (84 days). After the SL-4 crew returned to the Earth in 1974 plans were made to refurbish Skylab, but delays with the Space Shuttle program proved fatal, and the station re-entered Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated in 1979. Dating from just prior to the station's deployment in 1973, this informative book was originally published by NASA to explain Skylab's mission to the public. Featuring chapters detailing the station's history, design, components, operation, and research projects, it presents an important overview of the Skylab program.

For the past several years, the priorities of NASA have been governed by the Vision for Space Exploration. The Vision was announced by President Bush in January 2004 and endorsed by Congress in the 2005 and 2008 NASA authorisation acts. It directed NASA to focus its efforts on returning humans to the Moon by 2020 and some day sending them to Mars and "worlds beyond." The resulting efforts are now approaching major milestones, such as the end of the space shuttle program, design review decisions for the new spacecraft intended to replace the shuttle, and decisions about whether to extend the operation of the International Space Station. At the same time, concerns have grown about whether NASA can accomplish the planned program of human exploration of space without significant growth in its budget. This book explores the current U.S. space policy and its ramifications.

Ray stielo walks upright, proud and over confident across the bridge of the Ravanger, the newest ship built for the resistance on Rihese. Ray summons his lieutenant to his side. Lieutenant Rance he says softely,"We have a code blue aboard this ship." Lt.Rance looks square into his commanders eyes and states" I'll assemble the men at once sir."

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Fifty years after the founding of NASA, from 28 to 29 October 2008, the NASA History Division convened a conference whose purpose was a scholarly analysis of NASA's first 50 years. Over two days at NASA Headquarters, historians and policy analysts discussed NASA's role in aeronautics, human spaceflight, exploration, space science, life science, and Earth science, as well as crosscutting themes ranging from space access to international relations in space and NASA's interaction with the public. The speakers were asked to keep in mind the following questions: What are the lessons learned from the first 50 years? What is NASA's role in American culture and in the history of exploration and discovery? What if there had never been a NASA? Based on the past, does NASA have a future? The results of those papers, elaborated and fully referenced, are found in this 50th anniversary volume. The reader will find here, instantiated in the complex institution that is NASA, echoes of perennial themes elaborated in an earlier volume, Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight. The conference culminated a year of celebrations, beginning with an October 2007 conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Space Age and including a lecture series, future forums, publications, a large presence at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and numerous activities at NASA's 10 Centers and venues around the country. It took place as the Apollo 40th anniversaries began, ironically still the most famous of NASA's achievements, even in the era of the Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), and spacecraft like the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) and the Hubble Space Telescope. And it took place as NASA found itself at a major crossroads, for the first time in three decades transitioning, under Administrator Michael Griffin, from the Space Shuttle to a new Ares launch vehicle and Orion crew vehicle capable of returning humans to the Moon and proceeding to Mars in a program known as Constellation. The Space Shuttle, NASA's launch system since 1981, was scheduled to wind down in 2010, freeing up funds for the new Ares launch vehicle. But the latter, even if it moved forward at all deliberate speed, would not be ready until 2015, leaving the unsettling possibility that for at least five years the United States would be forced to use the Russian Soyuz launch vehicle and spacecraft as the sole access to the ISS in which the United States was the major partner. The presidential elections a week after the conference presaged an imminent presidential transition, from the Republican administration of George W. Bush to (as it turned out) the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama, with all the uncertainties that such transitions imply for government programs. The uncertainties for NASA were even greater, as Michael Griffin departed with the outgoing administration and as the world found itself in an unprecedented global economic downturn, with the benefits of national space programs questioned more than ever before. There was no doubt that 50 years of the Space Age had altered humanity in numerous ways ranging from applications satellites to philosophical world views. Throughout its 50 years, NASA has been fortunate to have a strong sense of history and a robust, independent, and objective history program to document its achievements and analyze its activities. Among its flagship publications are Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program, of which seven of eight projected volumes were completed at the time of the 50th anniversary. The reader can do no better than to turn to these volumes for an introduction to NASA history as seen through its primary documents. The list of NASA publications at the end of this volume is also a testimony to the tremendous amount of historical research that the NASA History Division has sponsored over the last 50 years, of which this is the latest volume.

The advantages of space nuclear fission power systems can be summarized as: compact size; low to moderate mass; long operating lifetimes; the ability to operate in extremely hostile environments; operation independent of the distance from the Sun or of the orientation to the Sun; and high system reliability and autonomy. In fact, as power requirements approach the tens of kilowatts and megawatts, fission nuclear energy appears to be the only realistic power option. The building blocks for space nuclear fission electric power systems include the reactor as the heat source, power generation equipment to convert the thermal energy to electrical power, waste heat rejection radiators and shielding to protect the spacecraft payload. The power generation equipment can take the form of either static electrical conversion elements that have no moving parts (e.g., thermoelectric or thermionic) or dynamic conversion components (e.g., the Rankine, Brayton or Stirling cycle). The U.S. has only demonstrated in space, or even in full systems in a simulated ground environment, uranium-zirconium-hydride reactor power plants. These power plants were designed for a limited lifetime of one year and the mass of scaled up power plants would probably be unacceptable to meet future mission needs. Extensive development was performed on the liquid-metal cooled SP-100 power systems and components were well on their way to being tested in a relevant environment. A generic flight system design was completed for a seven year operating lifetime power plant, but not built or tested. The former USSR made extensive use of space reactors as a power source for radar ocean reconnaissance satellites. They launched some 31 missions using reactors with thermoelectric power conversion systems and two with thermionic converters. Current activities are centered on Fission Surface Power for lunar applications. Activities are concentrating on demonstrating component readiness. This book will discuss the components that make up a nuclear fission power system, the principal requirements and safety issues, various development programs, status of developments, and development issues.

For operating in severe environments, long life and reliability, radioisotope power systems have proven to be the most successful of all space power sources. Two Voyager missions launched in 1977 to study Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and their satellites, rings and magnetic fields and continuing to the heliosphere region are still functioning over thirty years later. Radioisotope power systems have been used on the Moon, exploring the planets, and exiting our solar system. There success is a tribute to the outstanding engineering, quality control and attention to details that went into the design and production of radioisotope power generation units. Space nuclear radioisotope systems take the form of using the thermal energy from the decay of radioisotopes and converting this energy to electric power. Reliability and safety are of prime importance. Mission success depends on the ability of being able to safely launch the systems and on having sufficient electrical power over the life of the mission. Graceful power degradation over the life of a mission is acceptable as long as it is within predictable limits. Electrical power conversion systems with inherent redundancy, such as thermoelectric conversion systems, have been favored to date. Also, radioactive decay heat has been used to maintain temperatures in spacecraft at acceptable conditions for other components. This book describes how radioisotope systems work, the requirements and safety design considerations, the various systems that have been developed, and their operational history.

The goal of this publication is to provide an overview of the topic of revolutionary research in aeronautics at Langley, including many examples of research efforts that offer significant potential benefits, but have not yet been applied. The discussion also includes an overview of how innovation and creativity is stimulated within the Center, and a perspective on the future of innovation. The documentation of this topic, especially the scope and experiences of the example research activities covered, is intended to provide background information for future researchers.