Space chronicles : facing the ultimate frontier / Neil deGrasse Tyson ; edited by Avis Lang.
Material type: TextPublication details: New York : W.W. Norton, c2012.Edition: 1st edDescription: xv, 364 p. : ill. ; 25 cmISBN:- 9780393082104 (hardcover)
- 0393082105 (hardcover)
- 629.40973 23
Item type | Current library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book | Phillipsburg Free Public Library | Adult Non-Fiction | Adult Non-Fiction | 629.40973 TYS | Available | 36748002042671 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a rare breed of astrophysicist, one who can speak as easily and brilliantly with popular audiences as with professional scientists. Now that NASA has put human space flight effectively on hold--with a five- or possibly ten-year delay until the next launch of astronauts from U.S. soil--Tyson's views on the future of space travel and America's role in that future are especially timely and urgent. This book represents the best of Tyson's commentary, including a candid new introductory essay on NASA and partisan politics, giving us an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America's economy, security, and morale. Thanks to Tyson's fresh voice and trademark humor, his insights are as delightful as they are provocative, on topics that range from the missteps that shaped our recent history of space travel to how aliens, if they existed, might go about finding us.
Includes index.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson presents his views on the future of space travel and America's role in that future, giving his readers an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for America's economy, security, and morale.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Editor's Note (p. xiii)
- Prologue: Space Politics (p. 3)
- Part I Why
- 1 The Allure of Space (p. 21)
- 2 Exoplanet Earth (p. 26)
- 3 Extraterrestrial Life (p. 33)
- 4 Evil Aliens (p. 42)
- 5 Killer Asteroids (p. 45)
- 6 Destined for the Stars (p. 55)
- 7 Why Explore (p. 63)
- 8 The Anatomy of Wonder (p. 64)
- 9 Happy Birthday NASA (p. 66)
- 10 The Next Fifty Years in Space (p. 69)
- 11 Space Options (p. 75)
- 12 Paths to Discovery (p. 84)
- Part II How
- 13 To Fly (p. 107)
- 14 Going Ballistic (p. 113)
- 15 Race to Space (p. 121)
- 16 2001-Fact vs. Fiction (p. 128)
- 17 Launching the Right Stuff (p. 130)
- 18 Things Are Looking Up (p. 138)
- 19 For the Love of Hubble (p. 140)
- 20 Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11 (p. 144)
- 21 How to Reach the Sky (p. 152)
- 22 The Last Days of the Space Shuttle (p. 160)
- 23 Propulsion for Deep Space (p. 163)
- 24 Balancing Acts (p. 172)
- 25 Happy Anniversary, Star Trek (p. 178)
- 26 How to Prove You've Been Abducted by Aliens (p. 182)
- 27 The Future of US Space Travel (p. 186)
- Part III Why Not
- 28 Space Travel Troubles (p. 191)
- 29 Reaching for the Stars (p. 199)
- 30 America and the Emergent Space Powers (p. 203)
- 31 Delusions of Space Enthusiasts (p. 213)
- 32 Perchance to Dream (p. 221)
- 33 By the Numbers (p. 232)
- 34 Ode to Challenger, 1986 (p. 242)
- 35 Spacecraft Behaving Badly (p. 244)
- 36 What NASA Means to America's Future (p. 252)
- Epilogue
- The Cosmic Perspective (p. 254)
- Appendices
- A National Aeronautics and Space Act of 19 5 8, As Amended (p. 263)
- B Selected Statutory Provisions Applicable to NASA (p. 293)
- C A Half Century of NASA Spending 1959-2010 (p. 331)
- D NASA Spending 1959-2010 (p. 333)
- E NASA Spending as a Percentage of US Federal Government Spending and of US GDP 1959-2010 (p. 335)
- F Space Budgets: US Government Agencies 2010 (p. 337)
- G Space Budget: Global 2010 (p. 339)
- H Space Budgets: US and Non-US Governments 2010 (p. 341)
- Acknowledgments (p. 343)
- Index (p. 345)