Terraforming: The Creating of Habitable Worlds (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2009)

The word ''terraforming'' conjures up many exotic images and p- hapsevenwildemotions,butatitscoreitencapsulatestheideathat worldscanbechangedbydirecthumanaction.Theultimateaimof terraforming is to alter a hostile planetary environment into one that is Earth-like, and eventually upon the surface of the new and vibrant world that you or I could walk freely about and explore. It is not entirely clear that this high goal of terraforming can ever be achieved, however, and consequently throughout much of thisbooktheterraformingideasthatarediscussedwillapplytothe goal of making just some fraction of a world habitable. In other cases,theterraformingdescribedmightbeaimedatmakingaworld habitablenotforhumansbutforsomepotentialfoodsourcethat,of course, could be consumed by humans. The many icy moons that reside within the Solar System, for example, may never be ideal locationsforhumanhabitation,buttheypresentthegreatpotential for conversion into enormous hydroponic food-producing centers. The idea of transforming alien worlds has long been a literary backdrop for science fiction writers, and many a make-believe planet has succumbed to the actions of direct manipulation and the indomitable grinding of colossal machines. Indeed, there is something both liberating and humbling about the notion of tra- forming another world; it is the quintessential eucatastrophy espoused by J. R. R. Tolkien, the catastrophe that ultimately brings about a better world. When oxygen was first copiously produced by cyanobacterial activity on the Earth some three billion years ago, it was an act of extreme chemical pollution and a eucatastrophy. The original life-nurturing atmosphere was (eventually) changed f- ever, but an atmosphere that could support advanced life forms came about.

General

Imprint:	Springer-Verlag New York
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Astronomers' Universe
Release date:	August 2016
Authors:	Martin Beech
Dimensions:	235 x 155 x 21mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	291
Edition:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2009
ISBN-13:	978-1-4939-3914-5
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Popular astronomy Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Space travel & exploration Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > General Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Solar system > General Books > Professional & Technical > Other technologies > Space science > Astronautics
LSN:	1-4939-3914-9
Barcode:	9781493939145

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