It is hard to conceptualize both the scale and the mind-boggling diversity of the Universe, but this book changes that. Come along on a vivid experiential journey to explore some of the Universe's most intriguing places, and along the way understand the amazing history of the Cosmos. A series of rich, full-bleed spreads give stunning snapshots of distant galactic locations as the reader journeys further and further from Earth—from red cold Mars (3 light minutes away) to a massive Supernova (10,000 light years away) and beyond. The eye-popping visuals take center stage here—the writing is concise and unobtrusive, allowing the reader a visceral sense of awe and wonder. A full reference section at the back of the book brings together the scientific information in a timeline for further exploration. This exciting new approach will capture the imagination of today's visual thinkers like never before.

Join award-winning astronomy writer Govert Schilling on a journey through space and time to the most far-reaching corners of the universe in this stunning photographic voyage into deep space. This one-of-a-kind trip begins inside our own solar system with a brief tour of the sun, the planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. We then accelerate into deep space and, with Schilling as our guide, we explore the birth of stars in the Orion and Carina Nebulae; the death of stars, from red giants to catastrophic supernova explosions; and galaxies and galaxy clusters beyond our own including spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and lenticular galaxies. We learn about supermassive black holes, which astronomers now believe exist at the center of every galaxy including our own, and exoplanets, billions of which are believed to be orbiting stars in the Milky Way and beyond. The book concludes at the edge of the cosmological horizon with a look at dark matter, dark energy, and theories of extraterrestrial life and the Multiverse. With hundreds of photographs, including new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and custom illustrations throughout, as well as a star atlas that shows the full celestial sky, Deep Space is the perfect book for astronomy buffs, students, and anyone fascinated with the mystery and beauty of the cosmos.

Deep Space Craft opens the door to interplanetary flight. It looks at this world from the vantage point of real operations on a specific mission, and follows a natural trail from the day-to-day working of this particular spacecraft, through the functioning of all spacecraft to the collaboration of the various disciplines to produce the results for which a spacecraft is designed. These results are of course mostly of a scientific nature, although a small number of interplanetary missions are also flown primarily to test and prove new engineering techniques. The author shows how, in order to make sense of all the scientific data coming back to Earth, the need for experiments and instrumentation arises, and follows the design and construction of the instruments through to their placement and testing on a spacecraft prior to launch. Examples are given of the interaction between an instrument’s science team and the mission’s flight team to plan and specify observations, gather and analyze data in flight, and finally present the results and discoveries to the scientific community. This highly focused, insider’s guide to interplanetary space exploration uses many examples of previous and current endeavors. It will enable the reader to research almost any topic related to spacecraft and to seek the latest scientific findings, the newest emerging technologies, or the current status of a favorite flight. In order to provide easy paths from the general to the specific, the text constantly refers to the Appendices. Within the main text, the intent is general familiarization and categorization of spacecraft and instruments at a high level, to provide a mental framework to place in context and understand any spacecraft and any instrument encountered in the reader’s experience. Appendix A gives illustrated descriptions of many interplanetary spacecraft, some earth-orbiters and ground facilities to reinforce the classification framework. Appendix B contains illustrated detailed descriptions of a dozen scientific instruments, including some ground-breaking engineering appliances that have either already been in operation or are poised for flight. Each instrument’s range of sensitivity in wavelengths of light, etc, and its physical principle(s) of operation is described. Appendix C has a few annotated illustrations to clarify the nomenclature of regions and structures in the solar system and the planets’ ring systems, and places the solar system in context with the local interstellar environment.

What are time and space? When and how did the universe begin - and how will it end? Why has such a rich variety of celestial objects come into being? And was life an inevitable development in the cosmos?The answers to our most profound questions lie in the depths of space. To look here is, in effect, to look back in time, as we see light emitted long ago from distant stars and galaxies. As we stare deep into space, we also gaze deep into the past - back towards the beginning of the universe itself.Now Deep Space allows us to see, with our own eyes, the mysterious objects and phenomena that inhabit the far reaches of the cosmos and the earliest times of existence. Each of this book's ten chapters explains one big idea in humanity's study of the origins and evolution of the universe. These fundamental concepts include the big bang and the expanding universe; the formation of stars and planets; the anatomy and lifecycle of a galaxy; the existence of black holes and supermassive black holes; gravity and Einstein's Theory of Relativity; dark matter and dark energy; the cosmic web; and theories of how the universe will end. These cornerstones in our understanding of the universe are clearly introduced by Dr Stuart Clark's straightforward commentary, and are exemplified by over 250 of the very latest and clearest images of the cosmos, provided by the Hubble Space Telescope and other, even more advanced, viewing technologies.

The technology of the next few decades could possibly allow us to explore with robotic probes the closest stars outside our Solar System, and maybe even observe some of the recently discovered planets circling these stars. This book looks at the reasons for exploring our stellar neighbors and at the technologies we are developing to build space probes that can traverse the enormous distances between the stars. In order to reach the nearest stars, we must first develop a propulsion technology that would take our robotic probes there in a reasonable time. Such propulsion technology has radically different requirements from conventional chemical rockets, because of the enormous distances that must be crossed. Surprisingly, many propulsion schemes for interstellar travel have been suggested and await only practical engineering solutions and the political will to make them a reality. This is a result of the tremendous advances in astrophysics that have been made in recent decades and the perseverance and imagination of tenacious theoretical physicists. This book explores these different propulsion schemes – all based on current physics – and the challenges they present to physicists, engineers, and space exploration entrepreneurs. This book will be helpful to anyone who really wants to understand the principles behind and likely future course of interstellar travel and who wants to recognizes the distinctions between pure fantasy (such as Star Trek’s ‘warp drive’) and methods that are grounded in real physics and offer practical technological solutions for exploring the stars in the decades to come.

The fourth book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence Humanity had appeared to fend off the Sh'daar assault once and for all, though they never learned why the alien empire was driven to halt Earth's advancement toward technological Singularity. But in this war of worlds, victory is always elusive. And now a new battle begins. After 20 years of peace, not one but two fragile truces are unraveling. Alexander Koenig, the former Navy commander whose heroics forced the Sh'daar into submission, has won a second term as President of the United States of North America. But pursuing his mandate - sovereignty from the centuries-old Earth Confederation - becomes a risky proposition due to events taking place on the other side of the galaxy. A Confederation research vessel has been ambushed. Destroyers are descending on a human colony. It seems the Sh'daar have betrayed their treaty, and all nations must stand united - or face certain death.

Andrej Koscuisko, the Ragnaroks Ship's Inquisitor, is going home on leave. His ship of assignment is participating in training exercises, and when an observer station unexpectedly explodes _- killing the Ragnaroks captain -_ Pesadie Training Command has to come up with a cover story in a hurry or risk exposure of its black-market profiteering. There is a conveniently obvious explanation: the Ragnarok did it on purpose. All Pesadie needs are a few confessions -- obtained by judicial torture, which creates its own truth. And a bitter enemy from Andrejs earliest days in Fleet has been waiting for just such an opportunity to set a trap and bait it with the lives of people Andrej loves. Andrej will have to fight Fleet itself to bring the Ragnarok the only thing that can save the ship and crew from destruction _- a single piece of evidence with the potential to change the course of the history of Jurisdiction Space forever. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). A tightly woven space opera full of grand heroic gestures and characters strong enough to sustain all the action. -Booklist Matthews' work here -- of projecting a concentrated vision of the horrors of the last hundred years into a space-operatic future -- is extraordinarily risky and emotionally difficult, but now that she has shown that the Judiciary universe holds hope as well as pathology and pain, I will be able to follow Koscuisko to whatever fate awaits him with an easier mind. -Locus Magazine

International politics, intrigue, and amazing scientific feats create the story behind NASA’s quest to communicate in deep space The astonishing success of the United States' quest to explore space depends upon NASA's visionary Deep Space Network (DSN), a communications grid that provides the backbone of antennas and satellite links that track and control spacecraft launched from Earth. Douglas J. Mudgway participated in development and operation of the DSN from its infancy in the 1960s to its maturity in the 1990s, and he brings his practical experience to this story of the challenges, successes, and frequent failures that beset the dedicated engineers who turned the initial vision into reality. Set against the Cold War race for technical supremacy in space, this well-illustrated book offers an unprecedented inside view of the antennas that have been indispensable in missions to the farthest reaches of our solar system. These gigantic instruments--about one acre in surface area and weighing over 6 million pounds--are among the largest of their kind ever constructed. Located at remote sites in California, Spain, and Australia, they have provided an international community of scientists with a deep space connection to the planets that has enabled unmanned spacecraft to return a wealth of data to Earth. Radio astronomers, too, have engaged these instruments to probe the mysteries of the cosmos. Big Dish describes how these exquisite instruments work, how they came into being, and the problems encountered in their construction and in enhancing their performance over time to meet the demands of ever more ambitious planetary missions. It discusses the complexities of deep space communications in accessible language and introduces readers to the human story of perseverance and ingenuity that has maintained these great antennas for more than forty years. This is also a behind-the-scenes look at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where political challenges, personal intrigue, and feats of brilliant engineering all contributed to the United States' preeminence in deep space exploration.

The most comprehensive look at our relationship with Mars—yesterday, today, and tomorrow—through history, archival images, pop culture ephemera, and interviews with NASA scientists Mars has been a source of fascination and speculation ever since the ancient Egyptians observed its blood-red hue and named it for their god of war and plague. But it wasn't until the 19th century when “canals” were observed on the surface of the Red Planet, suggesting the presence of water, that scientists, novelists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs became obsessed with the question of whether there’s life on Mars. Since then, Mars has fully invaded pop culture, inspiring its own day of the week (Tuesday), an iconic Looney Tunes character, and many novels and movies, from Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles to The Martian. It’s this cultural familiarity with the fourth planet that continues to inspire advancements in Mars exploration, from NASA’s launch of the Mars rover Perseverance to Elon Musk’s quest to launch a manned mission to Mars through SpaceX by 2024. Perhaps, one day, we’ll be able to answer the questions our ancestors asked when they looked up at the night sky millennia ago.

This children's book brilliantly harnesses the wonders of AR to explore space.