Download or read book Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn written by Paul M. Schenk and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With active geysers coating its surface with dazzlingly bright ice crystals, Saturn’s large moon Enceladus is one of the most enigmatic worlds in our solar system. Underlying this activity are numerous further discoveries by the Cassini spacecraft, tantalizing us with evidence that Enceladus harbors a subsurface ocean of liquid water. Enceladus is thus newly realized as a forefront candidate among potentially habitable ocean worlds in our own solar system, although it is only one of a family of icy moons orbiting the giant ringed planet, each with its own story. As a new volume in the Space Science Series, Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn brings together nearly eighty of the world’s top experts writing more than twenty chapters to set the foundation for what we currently understand, while building the framework for the highest-priority questions to be addressed through ongoing spacecraft exploration. Topics include the physics and processes driving the geologic and geophysical phenomena of icy worlds, including, but not limited to, ring-moon interactions, interior melting due to tidal heating, ejection and reaccretion of vapor and particulates, ice tectonics, and cryovolcanism. By contextualizing each topic within the profusion of puzzles beckoning from among Saturn’s many dozen moons, Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn synthesizes planetary processes on a broad scale to inform and propel both seasoned researchers and students toward achieving new advances in the coming decade and beyond.

Download or read book Saturn from Cassini Huygens written by Michele Dougherty and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-09-30 with total page 799 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is one of two volumes meant to capture, to the extent practical, the scienti?c legacy of the Cassini-Huygens prime mission, a landmark in the history of planetary exploration. As the most ambitious and interdisciplinary planetary exploration mission ?own to date, it has extended our knowledge of the Saturn system to levels of detail at least an order of magnitude beyond that gained from all previous missions to Saturn. Nestled in the brilliant light of the new and deep understanding of the Saturn planetary system is the shiny nugget that is the spectacularly successful collaboration of individuals, - ganizations and governments in the achievement of Cassini-Huygens. In some ways the pa- nershipsformedandlessonslearnedmaybethemost enduringlegacyofCassini-Huygens.The broad, international coalition that is Cassini-Huygens is now conducting the Cassini Equinox Mission and planning the Cassini Solstice Mission, and in a major expansion of those fruitful efforts, has extended the collaboration to the study of new ?agship missions to both Jupiter and Saturn. Such ventures have and will continue to enrich us all, and evoke a very optimistic vision of the future of international collaboration in planetary exploration. The two volumes in the series Saturn from Cassini-Huygens and Titan from Cassini- Huygens are the direct products of the efforts of over 200 authors and co-authors. Though each book has a different set of three editors, the group of six editors for the two volumes has worked together through every step of the process to ensure that these two volumes are a set.

Download or read book Alien Oceans written by Kevin Hand and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have existed for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than fifty times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out. Kevin Peter Hand is one of today's leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. In this captivating account of scientific discovery, he brings together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He shows how the exploration of Earth's oceans is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds. Alien Oceans describes what lies ahead in our search for life in our solar system and beyond, setting the stage for the transformative discoveries that may await us.

Download or read book Imaging Our Solar System The Evolution of Space Mission Cameras and Instruments written by Bernard Henin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-28 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As we speak, stunning new snapshots of our Solar System are being transmitted to Earth by a fleet of space probes, landers, and rovers. Yet nowadays, it is all too easy to take such images for granted amidst the deluge of competing visuals we scroll through every day. To truly understand the value of these incredible space photos, we first need to understand the tools that made them possible. This is the story of imaging instruments in space, detailing all the technological missteps and marvels that have allowed us to view planetary bodies like never before. From the rudimentary cameras launched in the 1950’s to the cutting-edge imaging instruments onboard the Mars Perseverance rover, this book covers more than 100 imaging systems sent aboard various spacecraft to explore near and distant planetary bodies. Featured within are some of the most striking images ever received by these pioneering instruments, including Voyager’s Pale Blue Dot, Apollo’s Blue Marble, Venera’s images from the surface of Venus, Huygens’ images of Titan, New Horizon’s images of Pluto and Arrokoth, and much more. Along the way, you will learn about advancements in data transmission, digitization, citizen science, and other fields that revolutionized space imaging, helping us peer farther and more clearly across the Solar System.

Download or read book Saturn written by Nicole Mortillaro and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring photos from NASA resources, Saturn examines the planet and its place in our universe with a special emphasis on the most recent discoveries of the Cassini probe.--

Download or read book The Cosmic Zoo written by Dirk Schulze-Makuch and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-18 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are humans a galactic oddity, or will complex life with human abilities develop on planets with environments that remain habitable for long enough? In a clear, jargon-free style, two leading researchers in the burgeoning field of astrobiology critically examine the major evolutionary steps that led us from the distant origins of life to the technologically advanced species we are today. Are the key events that took life from simple cells to astronauts unique occurrences that would be unlikely to occur on other planets? By focusing on what life does - it's functional abilities - rather than specific biochemistry or anatomy, the authors provide plausible answers to this question. Systematically exploring the various pathways that led to the complex biosphere we experience on planet Earth, they show that most of the steps along that path are likely to occur on any world hosting life, with only two exceptions: One is the origin of life itself – if this is a highly improbable event, then we live in a rather “empty universe”. However, if this isn’t the case, we inevitably live in a universe containing a myriad of planets hosting complex as well as microbial life - a “cosmic zoo”. The other unknown is the rise of technologically advanced beings, as exemplified on Earth by humans. Only one technological species has emerged in the roughly 4 billion years life has existed on Earth, and we don’t know of any other technological species elsewhere. If technological intelligence is a rare, almost unique feature of Earth's history, then there can be no visitors to the cosmic zoo other than ourselves. Schulze-Makuch and Bains take the reader through the history of life on Earth, laying out a consistent and straightforward framework for understanding why we should think that advanced, complex life exists on planets other than Earth. They provide a unique perspective on the question that puzzled the human species for centuries: are we alone?

Download or read book Astrobiology written by Akihiko Yamagishi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-27 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides concise and cutting-edge reviews in astrobiology, a young and still emerging multidisciplinary field of science that addresses the fundamental questions of how life originated and diversified on Earth, whether life exists beyond Earth, and what is the future for life on Earth. Readers will find coverage of the latest understanding of a wide range of fascinating topics, including, for example, solar system formation, the origins of life, the history of Earth as revealed by geology, the evolution of intelligence on Earth, the implications of genome data, insights from extremophile research, and the possible existence of life on other planets within and beyond the solar system. Each chapter contains a brief summary of the current status of the topic under discussion, sufficient references to enable more detailed study, and descriptions of recent findings and forthcoming missions or anticipated research. Written by leading experts in astronomy, planetary science, geoscience, chemistry, biology, and physics, this insightful and thought-provoking book will appeal to all students and scientists who are interested in life and space.

Download or read book The Daedalus Incident written by Michael J. Martinez and published by Night Shade. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bizarre earthquakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering structure amid the ruddy terrain, Lt. Jain and her JSC team realize that their routine geological survey of a Martian cave system is anything but. The only clues they have stem from the emissions of a mysterious blue radiation, and a 300-year-old journal that is writing itself. Lt. Thomas Weatherby of His Majesty’s Royal Navy is an honest 18th-century man of modest beginnings, doing his part for King and Country aboard the HMS Daedalus, a frigate sailing the high seas between continents . . . and the immense Void between the Known Worlds. Across the Solar System and among its colonies—rife with plunder and alien slave trade—through dire battles fraught with strange alchemy, nothing much can shake his resolve. But events are transpiring to change all that. With the aid of his fierce captain, a drug-addled alchemist, and a servant girl with a remarkable past, Weatherby must track a great and powerful mystic, who has embarked upon a sinister quest to upset the balance of the planets—the consequences of which may reach far beyond the Solar System, threatening the very fabric of space itself. Set sail among the stars with this uncanny tale, where adventure awaits, and dimensions collide! Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Download or read book The Saturn System Through The Eyes Of Cassini written by Nasa and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Saturn System Through The Eyes Of Cassini is printed in full-color on 70-pound paper. The Cassini-Huygens mission has revolutionized our knowledge of the Saturn system and revealed surprising places in the solar system where life could potentially gain a foothold--bodies we call ocean worlds. Since its arrival in 2004, Cassini-Huygens has been nothing short of a discovery machine, captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. Cassini taught us that Saturn is a far cry from a tranquil lone planet with delicate rings. Now, we know more about Saturn's chaotic, active, and powerful rings, and the storms that rage beneath. Images and data from Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus hint at the possibility of life never before suspected. The rings of Saturn, its moons, and the planet itself offer irresistible and inexhaustible subjects for intense study. As the Cassini mission comes to a dramatic end with a fateful plunge into Saturn on Sept. 15, 2017, scientists are already dreaming of going back for further study.

Download or read book The Daedalus Incident written by Michael J Martinez and published by Night Shade. This book was released on 2013-08-13 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mars is supposed to be dead… Bizarre quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering structure amid the ruddy terrain, Lt. Jain and her JSC team realize that their routine geological survey of a Martian cave system is anything but. The only clues they have stem from the emissions of a mysterious blue radiation, and a 300-year-old journal that is writing itself. Lt. Thomas Weatherby of His Majesty’s Royal Navy is an honest 18th-century man, doing his part for King and Country aboard the HMS Daedalus, a frigate sailing the high seas between continents…and the immense Void between the Known Worlds. With the aid of his fierce captain, a drug-addled alchemist, and a servant girl with a remarkable past, Weatherby must track a great and powerful mystic, who has embarked upon a sinister quest to upset the balance of the planets—the consequences of which may reach far beyond the Solar System, threatening the very fabric of space itself. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Download or read book Outer Solar System written by Viorel Badescu and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Earth has limited resources while the resources in space are virtually unlimited. Further development of humanity will require going beyond our planet and exploring of extraterrestrial bodies and their resources. This book investigates Outer Solar Systems and their prospective energy and material resources. It presents past missions and future technologies and solutions to old problems that could become reality in our life time. The book therefore is a great resource of condensed information for specialists interested in current and impending Outer Solar Systems related activities and a good starting point for space researchers, inventors, technologists and potential investors.

Download or read book Robotic Exploration of the Solar System written by Paolo Ulivi and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paolo Ulivi and David Harland provide in Robotic Exploration of the Solar System a detailed history of unmanned missions of exploration of our Solar System. The subject is treated from an engineering and scientific standpoint. Technical descriptions of the spacecraft, of their mission designs and of instrumentations are provided. Scientific results are discussed in considerable depth, together with details of mission management. The project will deliver four volumes totaling over 2,000 pages that will provide comprehensive coverage of the topic with thousands of references to the professional literature that should make it the 'first port of call' for people seeking information on the topic. The books will cover missions from the 1950s until the present day, and some of the latest missions and their results will appear in a popular science book for the first time.

Download or read book Probe written by Al E. Gateson and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2004-12-29 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a story of the late 21st century; a time when humans have developed advanced means of travelling throughout the Solar System with newly developed fusion drives for their space vessels. These vessels travel under various national flags to Earths moon where a substantial scientific research station is located, to Mars, where a million colonists live in three specially constructed cities and to Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, where another research station exists. The SETI program, (Search for extra terrestrial intelligence) continues to exist, searching the heavens for that first faint signal coming from some galactic civilization. One day, on the remote location of Ganymede, a physicist picks up a signal that does not originate from any space mission originating from Earth. He traces it to a small moon of Saturn and determines it is of alien origin. An effort is made to gather a group of ten specialists to make the voyage to this moon, a part of the solar system where man has not yet ventured and investigate the source of the signal and if possible, return it to Earth for examination. The specialists are gathered from several nations on Earth and Mars. They finally launch toward the vicinity of Saturn planning a stopover at Ganymede to refuel and re-supply from a cargo ship that has left before them. While enroute to Saturn, the research station on Ganymede is attacked by a force of aliens who resemble an insect and all at the station are killed with the exception of one man (The one who first heard the signals) and one woman. They are taken prisoner and eventually transferred to the alien home world. Video of the attack in progress on Ganymede is picked up by receivers on Earth and by the two vessels heading in that direction. It is decided on Earth that the two vessels on the way to Ganymede should change course immediately and head for Enceladus, the moon of Saturn from where the signals are still emanating. The two vessels reach Enceladus within a few days of each other and immediately place themselves in orbit around the moon. By this time, signals are coming from the surface of the moon as well as from orbit. At this point there is no sign of alien vessels and a small, armed expedition is sent to the surface in a surface lander to check out the source of signals there. The supply ship, in orbit, attempts to capture the alien probe that is orbiting the moon. The landing party soon encounters an alien structure on the surface of Enceladus and a battle ensues with a group of aliens who kill one of the ships officers. The aliens are subsequently shot and killed by the rest of the landing party. An examination of the structure sitting on the surface results in the capture of one of the alien creatures who is transported back to the exploration ship orbiting the moon. He is questioned by one of the main characters in the story who has been able to convert the signals into characters via an advanced computer and has received some assistance from an elderly woman on Mars who is an archaeologist and had been studying the hieroglyphics found on Mars for many years and recognizes them. She supplies him with the alien alphabet. Once the alien is questioned, it is determined that they are intent on occupying the Solar system and destroying all intelligent life forms in all the inhabited areas replacing them with their own colonists. The two vessels from Earth break orbit around Enceladus and streak towards Earth, a six to 7 month journey, pursued by two alien vessels. At this time, a romantic involvement occurs between two of the specialist and a ships officer and another of the specialists. As the voyage continues, the alien vessels close with the two ships, the only Earth vessel that is armed is the supply ship and it manages to destroy one of the enemy pursuers. Another one destroys the cargo ship and a small number of its crew escape in a small lander with no real ho

Download or read book Planetary Astrobiology written by Victoria Meadows and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2020-06-16 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are we alone in the universe? How did life arise on our planet? How do we search for life beyond Earth? These profound questions excite and intrigue broad cross sections of science and society. Answering these questions is the province of the emerging, strongly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. Life is inextricably tied to the formation, chemistry, and evolution of its host world, and multidisciplinary studies of solar system worlds can provide key insights into processes that govern planetary habitability, informing the search for life in our solar system and beyond. Planetary Astrobiology brings together current knowledge across astronomy, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and related fields, and considers the synergies between studies of solar systems and exoplanets to identify the path needed to advance the exploration of these profound questions. Planetary Astrobiology represents the combined efforts of more than seventy-five international experts consolidated into twenty chapters and provides an accessible, interdisciplinary gateway for new students and seasoned researchers who wish to learn more about this expanding field. Readers are brought to the frontiers of knowledge in astrobiology via results from the exploration of our own solar system and exoplanetary systems. The overarching goal of Planetary Astrobiology is to enhance and broaden the development of an interdisciplinary approach across the astrobiology, planetary science, and exoplanet communities, enabling a new era of comparative planetology that encompasses conditions and processes for the emergence, evolution, and detection of life.

Download or read book Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013 2022 written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-01-30 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, planetary science has seen a tremendous growth in new knowledge. Deposits of water ice exist at the Moon's poles. Discoveries on the surface of Mars point to an early warm wet climate, and perhaps conditions under which life could have emerged. Liquid methane rain falls on Saturn's moon Titan, creating rivers, lakes, and geologic landscapes with uncanny resemblances to Earth's. Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 surveys the current state of knowledge of the solar system and recommends a suite of planetary science flagship missions for the decade 2013-2022 that could provide a steady stream of important new discoveries about the solar system. Research priorities defined in the report were selected through a rigorous review that included input from five expert panels. NASA's highest priority large mission should be the Mars Astrobiology Explorer Cacher (MAX-C), a mission to Mars that could help determine whether the planet ever supported life and could also help answer questions about its geologic and climatic history. Other projects should include a mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa and its subsurface ocean, and the Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission to investigate that planet's interior structure, atmosphere, and composition. For medium-size missions, Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 recommends that NASA select two new missions to be included in its New Frontiers program, which explores the solar system with frequent, mid-size spacecraft missions. If NASA cannot stay within budget for any of these proposed flagship projects, it should focus on smaller, less expensive missions first. Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 suggests that the National Science Foundation expand its funding for existing laboratories and establish new facilities as needed. It also recommends that the program enlist the participation of international partners. This report is a vital resource for government agencies supporting space science, the planetary science community, and the public.

Download or read book Antarctica Earth s Own Ice World written by Michael Carroll and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-16 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2016, scientist Rosaly Lopes and artist Michael Carroll teamed up as fellows of the National Science Foundation to travel to Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano in Antarctica. The logistics of getting there and complex operations of Antarctica's McMurdo Station echo the kinds of strategies that future explorers will undertake as they set up settlements on Mars and beyond. This exciting popular-level book explores the arduous environment of Antarctica and how it is similar to other icy worlds in the Solar System. The bulk of this story delves into Antarctica’s infrastructure, exploration, and remote camps, culminating on the summit of Erebus. There, the authors explored the caves and ice towers on the volcano’s flanks, taking photographs and generating original art depicting scenes in Antarctica and terrestrial analogs on other planets and moons. Readers will see an intimate side of Mount Erebus and Antarctica while surveying the region’s history, exploration, geology, and volcanology, which includes research funded by the National Science Foundation’s United States Antarctic Programs. Richly illustrated with photographs and stunning paintings showcasing the beauty of the harsh continent, the book captures the spirit and splendor of the authors’ journey to Erebus.

Download or read book Return To A Trinity written by J.G. Chalmers and published by J.G. Chalmers. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a near hit with an unseen meteor, Earth fast-tracks the exploration and colonization of its moon, Luna, and its closest sister Mars. The fear of extinction drives humanity's ambitions. But after two and a half centuries of colonization, humanity was struggling. Mars and Luna had citizens that had deformed bodies due to the differences in gravity and radiation levels. Their life expectancy is no more than fifty years old. The leaders of Earth, the most powerful of the three planetary bodies looked at their own people. Growing in numbers with an ever-changing climate the future looked bleak. Longer than Mars or Luna but doomed non the less. So the leaders of Earth did what they always did, they looked for ever more elaborate and fantastical ways to run away from their problems and inflict them on another land. This time the land was Proxima Centauri B. An Earth like planet they could truly thrive on. So they dedicated every resource they could squeeze out of their planet and the two colonies. After ten years they had gouged Earth for minerals, poisoned Martian colonies with experimental tech, and worked the people of Luna to death in many cases. They had finally built humanity's hope for survival. The Quicker Than Light. Built on the theories laid out in the Alcubierre metric, the ship harnessed power equal to the sun in order to run its distortion drive. After Captain Wayne Hadfield, mission specialist Rakesh Dhumal, Lt. Avani-Marie Leavitt, Jr. Lt. Len Russell, Navigator Zahn Shen and civilian engineers Valentina Sarova and Gabriel Douglas take the craft out on its first flight they run into trouble quickly. After suffering a powerful surge in their systems they are thrown into normal space, traveling at 95 percent the speed of light. It took three days to repair the Quicker Than Light and get back into distorted space and home where they could be safe. However, outside the protection of distorted space, the ship experiences time dilation like they had never expected. When they finally get home, the crew finds that three hundred years have passed in what is now simply called The Sol Trinity system. Humanity survived and thrived without them or FTL ships. They solved their problems in reluctant partnerships. But now that the failed experiment that brought humanity together turns out to only have been a delayed experiment and not a failed one, a new sort of problem is brought about. And the now ancient crew struggles to come to terms with the new world they have come to live in, and the one they can never go back to.