Near-Earth Objects

Near-Earth Objects PDF

Author: Donald K. Yeomans

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016-09-26

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1400883555

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An insider's look at the science of near-Earth comets and asteroids Of all the natural disasters that could befall us, only an Earth impact by a large comet or asteroid has the potential to end civilization in a single blow. Yet these near-Earth objects also offer tantalizing clues to our solar system's origins, and someday could even serve as stepping-stones for space exploration. In this book, Donald Yeomans introduces readers to the science of near-Earth objects—its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us. In its course around the sun, the Earth passes through a veritable shooting gallery of millions of nearby comets and asteroids. One such asteroid is thought to have plunged into our planet sixty-five million years ago, triggering a global catastrophe that killed off the dinosaurs. Yeomans provides an up-to-date and accessible guide for understanding the threats posed by near-Earth objects, and also explains how early collisions with them delivered the ingredients that made life on Earth possible. He shows how later impacts spurred evolution, allowing only the most adaptable species to thrive—in fact, we humans may owe our very existence to objects that struck our planet. Yeomans takes readers behind the scenes of today’s efforts to find, track, and study near-Earth objects. He shows how the same comets and asteroids most likely to collide with us could also be mined for precious natural resources like water and oxygen, and used as watering holes and fueling stations for expeditions to Mars and the outermost reaches of our solar system.

Up Close!

Up Close! PDF

Author: Scholastic, Inc.

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2010-04

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13: 054515605X

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Did you ever wonder what a zebra looks like up close? The head of a mosquito? What about snake venom or slug slime? Get a good look at the tiny hairs on a Venus flytrap and the massive mouth of the blue whale while it's feeding. From a man-of-war's deadly tentacles to fiery volcanic lava, zoom in on the planet's most amazing things with pages of vibrant, full-colour photographs. Leave your binoculars at home and explore the wonders of Earth like never before!

Tipping Point for Planet Earth

Tipping Point for Planet Earth PDF

Author: Anthony D. Barnosky

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2016-04-26

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1466852011

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Four people are born every second of every day. Conservative estimates suggest that there will be 10 billion people on Earth by 2050. That is billions more than the natural resources of our planet can sustain without big changes in how we use and manage them. So what happens when vast population growth endangers the world’s food supplies? Or our water? Our energy needs, climate, or environment? Or the planet’s biodiversity? What happens if some or all of these become critical at once? Just what is our future? In Tipping Point for Planet Earth, world-renowned scientists Anthony Barnosky and Elizabeth Hadly explain the growing threats to humanity as the planet edges toward resource wars for remaining space, food, oil, and water. And as they show, these wars are not the nightmares of a dystopian future, but are already happening today. Finally, they ask: at what point will inaction lead to the break-up of the intricate workings of the global society? The planet is in danger now, but the solutions, as Barnosky and Hadly show, are still available. We still have the chance to avoid the tipping point and to make the future better. But this window of opportunity will shut within ten to twenty years. Tipping Point for Planet Earth is the wake-up call we need.

The Sun, the Earth, and Near-earth Space

The Sun, the Earth, and Near-earth Space PDF

Author: John A. Eddy

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780160838088

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" ... Concise explanations and descriptions - easily read and readily understood - of what we know of the chain of events and processes that connect the Sun to the Earth, with special emphasis on space weather and Sun-Climate."--Dear Reader.

Next Earth

Next Earth PDF

Author: Ken Sharpe

Publisher: Mountain Arbor Press

Published: 2017-06-06

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781631830815

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A global pandemic has brought humanity close to extinction. All has been lost--philosophy, religion, art, science, technology--and the culture that took millennia to build has been forgotten. Coupled with an environmental calamity that has eradicated most species and destabilized Earth's atmosphere, humanity struggles to survive.Tens of thousands of years pass. The earth slowly recovers its balance, and humanity begins to prosper. Evolution reoccupies niches with new creatures, and starting with a clean slate, the People must rediscover their place within the inconceivably vast cosmos they perceive around them. Experience humanity's spiritual reawakening in the Next Earth.

Resources of Near-Earth Space

Resources of Near-Earth Space PDF

Author: John S. Lewis

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 1000

ISBN-13:

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Out of print since 2006, this book is now available online. Click here! A base on the Moon, an expedition to Mars. . . . Some time in the near future, for scientific or cultural reasons, humanity will likely decide to pursue one of these fantastic ventures in space. How can we increase the scope and reduce the cost of these ambitious activities?The parts of the solar system that are most accessible from Earth--the Moon, the near-Earth asteroids, Mars and its moons--are rich in materials of great potential value to humanity. Resources of Near-Earth Space explores the possibilities both of utilizing these materials to produce propellants, structural metals, refractories, life-support fluids, and other materials on site to reduce the costs of space exploration, and of providing a source of materials and energy for our own planet that would not be environmentally destructive to Earth.This volume summarizes the present state of the art in attempts to realize these possibilities: identifying the resources, mining and processing, transportation, and economics. As a broad survey of a rapidly evolving field, it is intended as a technical introduction to the use of nonterrestrial materials for scientists, engineers, and industrial and governmental project managers who seek to make space more accessible.

Our Moon

Our Moon PDF

Author: Elaine Scott

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2016-02-16

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0544750586

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This illustrated book for young readers explores our fascination with the moon from ancient lunar theories to the Apollo 11 landing and beyond. Since the dawn of human existence, people have gazed up at the night sky and wondered about the moon. In Our Moon, Elaine Scott presents a concise history of what the moon has meant to humanity over the centuries, from ancient lunar legends and theories to the revolutionary discoveries of Galileo. She then shares a wealth of captivating, kid-friendly overview of what we know about the moon today. Scott covers everything from the newest theories on how the moon formed, to the recent, startling discovery of water on its surface and the very real possibility of future moon colonies. Illustrated with stunning, full-color photographs and packed with fun facts, this is the most complete and up-to-date book available on the moon. A glossary, bibliography, and index are included.

The Asteroid Threat

The Asteroid Threat PDF

Author: William E. Burrows

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1616149132

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Presents a realistic, workable plan for defusing a potentially lethal threat from a rogue asteroid or comet. The explosion of a large meteor over Chelyabinsk, Siberia, in February 2013 is just the latest reminder that planet Earth is vulnerable to damaging and potentially catastrophic collisions with space debris of various kinds. In this informative and forward-looking book, veteran aerospace writer William E. Burrows explains what we can do in the future to avoid far more serious impacts from "Near-Earth Objects" (NEOs), as they are called in the planetary defense community. The good news is that humanity is now equipped with the advanced technology necessary to devise a long-term strategy to protect the planet. Burrows outlines the following key features of an effective planetary defense strategy- * A powerful space surveillance system capable of spotting a serious threat from space at least a year in advance * A space craft "nudge" that would throw a collision-course asteroid off target long before it poses the threat of imminent impact * A weapons system to be used as a last-ditch method to blast an NEO should all else fail. The author notes the many benefits for world stability and increasing international cooperation resulting from a united worldwide effort to protect the planet. Combining realism with an optimistic can-do attitude, Burrows shows that humanity is capable of overcoming a potentially calamitous situation.

Night on Earth

Night on Earth PDF

Author: Davide Rodogno

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-12-09

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 1108585299

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Night on Earth is a broad-ranging account of international humanitarian programs in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Near East from 1918 to 1930. Davide Rodogno shows that international 'relief' and 'development' were intertwined long before the birth of the United Nations with humanitarians operating in a region devastated by war and famine and in which state sovereignty was deficient. Influenced by colonial motivations and ideologies these humanitarians attempted to reshape entire communities and nations through reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes. The book draws on the activities of a wide range of secular and religious organisations and philanthropic foundations in the US and Europe including the American Relief Administration, the American Red Cross, the Quakers, Save the Children, the Near East Relief, the American Women's Hospitals, the League of Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

This Close to the Earth

This Close to the Earth PDF

Author: Enid Shomer

Publisher: University of Arkansas Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9781557282569

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The Pope Joan section, 1992 winner of the Eunice Tietjens Memorial Prize from Poetry Magazine