When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned from humanity’s first voyage to the moon in 1969, NASA officials advocated for more ambitious missions. But with the civil rights movement, environmental concerns, the Vietnam War, and other social crises taking up much of the public’s attention, they lacked the support to make those ambitions a reality. Instead, the space agency had to think more modestly and pragmatically, crafting a program that could leverage the excitement of Apollo while promising relevance for average Americans. The resulting initiative, the space shuttle, would become the centerpiece of NASA human space flight activity for forty years, opening opportunities for the public to engage with and participate in space projects in new ways. The People’s Spaceship traces how and why NASA painstakingly connected the vehicle to so many segments of society. Underscoring the successes and challenges endured in the process, Amy Paige Kaminski shares the story of how the space shuttle became an American technological icon.

Blast off to see the stars, the moon and beyond in a journey through space... Find out all about the solar system, what astronauts do in space, where space probes travel and more.

"An illustrated guide to real and imagined spaceships, and how popular culture influenced the development of each"--Provided by publisher.

A New York Times bestseller! The historic race that reawakened the promise of manned spaceflight A Finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Alone in a Spartan black cockpit, test pilot Mike Melvill rocketed toward space. He had eighty seconds to exceed the speed of sound and begin the climb to a target no civilian pilot had ever reached. He might not make it back alive. If he did, he would make history as the world’s first commercial astronaut. The spectacle defied reason, the result of a competition dreamed up by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, whose vision for a new race to space required small teams to do what only the world’s largest governments had done before. Peter Diamandis was the son of hardworking immigrants who wanted their science prodigy to make the family proud and become a doctor. But from the age of eight, when he watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon, his singular goal was to get to space. When he realized NASA was winding down manned space flight, Diamandis set out on one of the great entrepreneurial adventure stories of our time. If the government wouldn’t send him to space, he would create a private space flight industry himself. In the 1990s, this idea was the stuff of science fiction. Undaunted, Diamandis found inspiration in an unlikely place: the golden age of aviation. He discovered that Charles Lindbergh made his transatlantic flight to win a $25,000 prize. The flight made Lindbergh the most famous man on earth and galvanized the airline industry. Why, Diamandis thought, couldn’t the same be done for space flight? The story of the bullet-shaped SpaceShipOne, and the other teams in the hunt, is an extraordinary tale of making the impossible possible. It is driven by outsized characters—Burt Rutan, Richard Branson, John Carmack, Paul Allen—and obsessive pursuits. In the end, as Diamandis dreamed, the result wasn’t just a victory for one team; it was the foundation for a new industry and a new age.

Kim Rendall will not yield to the tyranny of the power-madrulers of Alphin III. Branded an outlaw, he is in danger of psychological torture worse than death from the Disiplinary Circuit, which keeps the masses in check. His one hope lies in the Starshine, an outmoded spaceship. In a world where teleportation is the norm, no one travels by interstellar vessel anymore. Rendall plans to use the Starshine to save his girlfriend and himself -- and possibly his entire planet!

Presents the history of America from the earliest times of the Native Americans to the Clinton administration.

Scientists, especially those interested in natural sciences, have discovered many elements. Today's science and technology has also improved itself with the use of these elements. However, there are definitely very different elements on other planets, star systems and even universes. If these can be achieved, then we will encounter phenomena such as a living creature being able to walk to the moon. The atoms of the elements themselves are "smart" to some extent. If there was no such controllable structure, then science and technology would not be able to go beyond social sciences. However, as mentioned above, very different "smart elements" in very different environments will open the door to many different and currently unknown applications for creatures that can think intelligently. It is inevitable that it should be like this or that it should be like this. Just as nature and everything in nature is aging, the aging of science and technology means that it is moving forward. Science and technology can also control themselves. (This does not mean the task or job of a robot.) With time travel, science and technology will gain a different value and become the most superior living creature created by God. What will achieve this is the work to be done using intelligent and thinking creatures (human beings).

One of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity. How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide “spaceship earth” toward a sustainable future. Description by Lars Muller Publishers, courtesy of The Estate of Buckminster Fuller

The idea of the earth as a vessel in space came of age in an era shaped by space travel and the Cold War. Höhler’s study brings together technology, science and ecology to explore the way this latter-day ark was invoked by politicians, environmentalists, cultural historians, writers of science fiction and many others across three decades.