Download or read book Shoemaker by Levy written by David H. Levy and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was a lucky twist of fate when in the early1980s David Levy, a writer and amateur astronomer, joined up with the famous scientist Eugene Shoemaker and his wife, Carolyn, to search for comets from an observation post on Palomar Mountain in Southern California. Their collaboration would lead to the 1993 discovery of the most remarkable comet ever recorded, Shoemaker-Levy 9, with its several nuclei, five tails, and two sheets of debris spread out in its orbit plane. A year later, Levy would be by the Shoemakers' side again when their comet ended its four-billion-year-long journey through the solar system and collided with Jupiter in the most stunning astronomical display of the century. Not only did this collision revolutionize our understanding of the history of the solar system, but it also offered a spectacular confirmation of one scientist's life work. As a close friend and colleague of Shoemaker (who died in 1997 at the age of 69), Levy offers a uniquely insightful account of his life and the way it has shaped our thinking about the universe. Early in his training as a geologist, Shoemaker suspected that it wasn't volcanic activity but rather collisions with comets and asteroids that created most of the craters on the moon and most other bodies in the solar system. Convincing the scientific community of the plausibility of "impact theory," and revealing its power for penetrating mysteries such as the extinction of the dinosaurs and the timing of the Earth's eventual demise, became Shoemaker's mission. Through conversations with Shoemaker and his family, Levy reconstructs the journey that began with a young geologist's serious desire to go to the moon in the late1940s. Sent by the government to find a way to harvest plutonium, Shoemaker instead found evidence in desert craters for what became his impact theory. While he never became an astronaut, he did become the first geologist hired by NASA and subsequently set the research agenda for the first manned lunar landing. After a series of victories and setbacks for Shoemaker, the collision of Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter provided the most convincing proof to date of the role of impacts in our solar system. Levy's explanation of the scientific reasoning that guided Shoemaker in his career up to this dramatic point--as well as his personal portrait of a man who found white-water rafting to be an easy way to relax--sets these fascinating events in a human scale. This biography shows what Shoemaker's legacy will be for our understanding of the story of the Earth well into the twenty-first century.

Download or read book The Mystery of the Tunguska Fireball written by Surendra Verma and published by Icon Books. This book was released on 2005-02-03 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 30 June 1908 a mysterious fireball exploded in the Siberian sky and flattened 2,000 square kilometres of the remote Tunguska forest. As no crater and no material from outer space were ever found, a meteorite could not have caused the Tunguska explosion. So what did? This 'grand dame of science mysteries' soon turns 100 but continues to seduce scientists and charlatans alike, all hoping to explain what caused the explosion. The scientists' suspects include a comet, an asteroid, a mini black hole, a rock of antimatter, a mirror matter asteroid, and a methane gas blast from below. X-files-type explanations include an alien spacecraft, a laser beam fired by extraterrestrials in an attempt to communicate with the earthlings, and an early experiment in nuclear physics which got out of hand. Numerous websites, conspiracy theories and sensational TV documentaries on the Fireball abound. In a fast-moving and non-technical narrative The Tunguska Fireball discusses all theories and then analyses the evidence to point an accusing finger at a prime suspect.

Download or read book This New Ocean written by William E. Burrows and published by Modern Library. This book was released on 2010-09-29 with total page 795 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was all part of man's greatest adventure--landing men on the Moon and sending a rover to Mars, finally seeing the edge of the universe and the birth of stars, and launching planetary explorers across the solar system to Neptune and beyond. The ancient dream of breaking gravity's hold and taking to space became a reality only because of the intense cold-war rivalry between the superpowers, with towering geniuses like Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolyov shelving dreams of space travel and instead developing rockets for ballistic missiles and space spectaculars. Now that Russian archives are open and thousands of formerly top-secret U.S. documents are declassified, an often startling new picture of the space age emerges: the frantic effort by the Soviet Union to beat the United States to the Moon was doomed from the beginning by gross inefficiency and by infighting so treacherous that Winston Churchill likened it to "dogs fighting under a carpet"; there was more than science behind the United States' suggestion that satellites be launched during the International Geophysical Year, and in one crucial respect, Sputnik was a godsend to Washington; the hundred-odd German V-2s that provided the vital start to the U.S. missile and space programs legally belonged to the Soviet Union and were spirited to the United States in a derring-do operation worthy of a spy thriller; despite NASA's claim that it was a civilian agency, it had an intimate relationship with the military at the outset and still does--a distinction the Soviet Union never pretended to make; constant efforts to portray astronauts and cosmonauts as "Boy Scouts" were often contradicted by reality; the Apollo missions to the Moon may have been an unexcelled political triumph and feat of exploration, but they also created a headache for the space agency that lingers to this day. This New Ocean is based on 175 interviews with Russian and American scientists and engineers; on archival documents, including formerly top-secret National Intelligence Estimates and spy satellite pictures; and on nearly three decades of reporting. The impressive result is this fascinating story--the first comprehensive account--of the space age. Here are the strategists and war planners; engineers and scientists; politicians and industrialists; astronauts and cosmonauts; science fiction writers and journalists; and plain, ordinary, unabashed dreamers who wanted to transcend gravity's shackles for the ultimate ride. The story is written from the perspective of a witness who was present at the beginning and who has seen the conclusion of the first space age and the start of the second.

Download or read book Impact Jupiter written by David H. Levy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amateur astronomer and Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet co-discoverer David Levy recounts the story of the crash of the comet into the surface of Jupiter on July 16, 1994, and what the celestial impact taught scientists and the world.

Download or read book The Asteroid Hunter written by Dante Lauretta and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2024-03-19 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A "captivating, behind-the-scenes account" of NASA’s historic OSIRIS-REx mission to return an asteroid sample and unlock the mystery of formation on life on earth braided with the remarkable life story of the mission’s leader, Dr. Dante Lauretta (Sara Seager). On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery in the vastness of space. Scientists uncovered an asteroid of immense scientific importance—a colossal celestial entity. As massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the iconic Empire State Building, this cosmic titan was later named Bennu. Remarkable for much more than its size, Bennu belonged to a rare breed of asteroids capable of revealing the essence of life itself. But just as Bennu became a beacon of promise, researchers identified a grave danger. Hurtling through space, it threatens to collide with our planet on September 24, 2182. Leading the expedition was Dr. Dante Lauretta, the Principal Investigator of NASA's audacious OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. Tasked with unraveling Bennu's mysteries, his team embarked on a daring quest to retrieve a precious sample from the asteroid's surface — one that held the potential to not only unlock the secrets of life's origins but also to avert an unprecedented catastrophe. A tale of destiny and danger, The Asteroid Hunter chronicles the high-stakes mission firsthand, narrated by Dr. Lauretta. It offers readers an intimate glimpse into the riveting exploits of the mission and Dr. Lauretta's wild, winding personal journey to Bennu and back. Peeling back the curtain on the wonders of the cosmos, this enthralling account promises a rare glimpse into the tightly woven fabric of scientific exploration, where technical precision converges with humanity’s profound curiosity and indominable spirit.

Download or read book The End of the World and the Ends of God written by John Polkinghorne and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2000-02-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this provocative collection of essays, scientists, theologians, ethicists, and biblical scholars look at eschatology through their various lenses.

Download or read book The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos written by David Levy and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2014-07-22 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finally, the entire body of our scientific knowledge of the universe is available in one definitive volume. Scientific American, the oldest and most popular science magazine in the world, has prepared the most comprehensive and comprehensible book on the subject ever. Under the direction of renowned astronomer David H. Levy, this spectacular book assembles the best minds in science to give clear and accessible explanations of the nature of the cosmos. Newly commissioned essays by working scientists at the top of their fields and classic writings by such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Francis Crick, and Carl Sagan take us to the frontiers of space and time-from sub-atomic particles to the edge of the universe. Both thoughtful and provocative, this book asks-and answers-the big questions, such as: o How did our solar system evolve? o What forces lie at the center of the atom? o What is the size of the universe? o What is dark matter? o What is the possibility of extraterrestrial life? o What is the importance of superstrings? o How do galaxies form? Dazzling full-color and black-and-white photographs aid in articulating the latest theories about the size, age, nature, and expansion of the universe, and make this book a delight to behold. Essays are grouped by topic, from the largest phenomena, such as the formation of the universe, down to the smallest detail, such as the makeup of an atom. In addition, each section contains an illuminating introduction by David Levy that binds the essays together and creates a whole picture. The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos is a valuable addition to the bookshelf of both professional astronomers and science enthusiasts alike.

Download or read book Black Holes written by Lawrence A. Jameson and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2002 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book History of Shock Waves Explosions and Impact written by Peter O. K. Krehl and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-09-24 with total page 1298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique and encyclopedic reference work describes the evolution of the physics of modern shock wave and detonation from the earlier and classical percussion. The history of this complex process is first reviewed in a general survey. Subsequently, the subject is treated in more detail and the book is richly illustrated in the form of a picture gallery. This book is ideal for everyone professionally interested in shock wave phenomena.

Download or read book Introduction to Planetary Science written by Gunter Faure and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-04 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook details basic principles of planetary science that help to unify the study of the solar system. It is organized in a hierarchical manner so that every chapter builds upon preceding ones. Starting with historical perspectives on space exploration and the development of the scientific method, the book leads the reader through the solar system. Coverage explains that the origin and subsequent evolution of planets and their satellites can be explained by applications of certain basic principles of physics, chemistry, and celestial mechanics and that surface features of the solid bodies can be interpreted by principles of geology.

Download or read book Perilous Planet Earth written by Trevor Palmer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-06-12 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A readable account of the history of natural disasters throughout history.

Download or read book Comparative Planetology Geological Education History of Geology written by Wang Hongzhen and published by VSP. This book was released on 1997-06 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Download or read book Comets written by David Levy and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Levy brings these "ghostly apparitions" to life. With fascinating scenarios both real and imagined, he shows how comets have wreaked their special havoc on Earth and other planets. Beginning with ground zero as comets take form, we track the paths their icy, rocky masses take around our universe and investigate the enormous potential that future comets have to directly affect the way we live on this planet and what we might find as we travel to other planets. In this extraordinary volume, David Levy shines his expert light on a subject that has long captivated our imaginations and fears, and demonstrates the need for our continued and rapt attention.

Download or read book Jupiter written by Fran Bagenal and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-11-08 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive volume that summarizes our understanding of the jovian system.

Download or read book The Great Comet Crash written by John R. Spencer and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1995-09-29 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cosmic collision of the century, in words and photographs.

Download or read book The Tunguska Fireball written by Surendra Verma and published by Icon Books Company. This book was released on 2005 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At 7.14 a.m on 30 June 1908 a huge fireball exploded in the Siberian sky. A thousand times the force of the hiroshima bomb, it flattened an area of remote Tunguska forest bigger that Greater London, forming a mushroom cloud that almost reached into space. What was it? A century on, and no one knows for sure. Suspects range from comets or mini black holes into the realms of science fiction and conspiracy, a laser beam fired by extra-terrestrials or an early nuclear experiment. This is an exhilarating ride around one of science's gretest mysteries....

Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: