What warps when you're traveling at warp speed? What is the difference between a wormhole and a black hole? Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I am born? Anyone who has ever wondered "could this really happen?" will gain useful insights into the Star Trek universe (and, incidentally, the real world of physics) in this charming and accessible guide. Lawrence M. Krauss boldly goes where Star Trek has gone-and beyond. From Newton to Hawking, from Einstein to Feynman, from Kirk to Picard, Krauss leads readers on a voyage to the world of physics as we now know it and as it might one day be.
From a leading planetary scientist and an award-winning science writer, a propulsive account of the developments and initiatives that have transformed the dream of space colonization into something that may well be achievable.
We are at the cusp of a golden age in space science, as increasingly more entrepreneurs--Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos--are seduced by the commercial potential of human access to space. But Beyond Earth does not offer another wide-eyed technology fantasy: instead, it is grounded not only in the human capacity for invention and the appeal of adventure but also in the bureaucratic, political, and scientific realities that present obstacles to space travel--realities that have hampered NASA's efforts ever since the Challenger disaster. In Beyond Earth, Charles Wohlforth and Amanda R.Hendrix offer groundbreaking research and argue persuasively that not Mars, but Titan--a moon of Saturn with a nitrogen atmosphere, a weather cycle, and an inexhaustible supply of cheap energy, where we will even be able to fly like birds in the minimal gravitational field--offers the most realistic and thrill-ing prospect of life without support from Earth. (With 8 pages of color illustrations)
Einstein s theory of general relativity opens the door for the study of other possible universes and weird universes at that. The Book of Universes gives us a stunning tour of these potential universes, introducing us to the brilliant physicists and mathematicians who first revealed these startling possibilities. John D. Barrow then explains the latest insights that physics and astronomy have to offer about our own universe, showing how they lead to the concept of the multiverse the universe of all possible universes."
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When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the nature of reality? Is the apparent "grand design" of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion--or does science offer another explanation? In this startling and lavishly illustrated book, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the most recent scientific thinking about these and other abiding mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by brilliance and simplicity. According to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence or history. The authors explain that we ourselves are the product of quantum fluctuations in the early universe, and show how quantum theory predicts the "multiverse"--the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. They conclude with a riveting assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing our universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a "theory of everything" the unified theory that Einstein was looking for, which, if confirmed, would represent the ultimate triumph of human reason.
Mars is back. Suddenly everyone - from Elon Musk to Ridley Scott to Donald Trump - is talking about going to the Red Planet. When the Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon in 1969, many people imagined Mars would be next. However, NASA's Viking 1, which landed in 1976, was just a robot. The much-anticipated crewed mission failed to materialise, defeated by a combination of technological and political challenges. Four decades after Viking and almost half a century after Apollo, technology has improved beyond recognition - and politics has changed just as much. As private ventures like SpaceX seize centre stage from NASA, Mars has undergone a seismic shift - no longer just about science, it's become the prime destination for future human expansion and colonisation. But what's it really like on Mars, and why should anyone want to go there? How do you get there and what are the risks? Astrophysicist and science writer Andrew May answers all these questions and more, as he traces the history of our fascination with the Red Planet.
A stunning, unprecedented collection of photographs and essays that goes behind the scenes at NASA, in which the humanity of the astronauts, engineers, scientists, technicians, and ground crews that contributed in saving the Hubble Space Telescope are revealed.
Michael Soluri has been photographing the people and places of space exploration for more than fifteen years. With the support of Discover magazine, NASA, and the astronaut crew, he was able to gain unfettered access to the multiple worlds of the historic, one-of-a-kind shuttle mission and tools that saved the Hubble Space Telescope. His friendship with the crew grew out of a chance meeting with Mike Massimino, one of the seven astronauts selected for the last-ever servicing mission to the Hubble. Intrigued by the possibilities, Soluri asked Massimino: "What is the quality of light really like in space?" While astronauts take photos in space all the time, Soluri was asked to coach this crew into making photographs that better communicate their experiences in space the way an artist does: as expressions of human curiosity and ambition, and the infinite worlds to which humankind aspires in exploring the universe. Infinite Worlds is an exclusive and unscripted photographic documentary inside the world of three NASA flight centers in Maryland, Texas, and Florida. With the closing of the shuttle program, this is the first and last book of its kind. Designed with more than 400 gorgeous full-color and black & white photographs, it is woven with essays written by eighteen individuals from the human and robotic spaceflight labor force that participated in STS 125/SM4. Infinite Worlds will appeal not only to the space history buff and photography connoisseur, but also to the armchair astronomer, and families wanting an insightful and beautiful keepsake of the space shuttle and Hubble Space Telescope era.
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
