A Telegraph Best Science Book of the
Year "A witty yet in-depth exploration of the prospects
for human habitation beyond Earth… Spacefarers is
accessible, authoritative, and in the end, inspiring." ...-Richard
Panek, author of The Trouble with Gravity It's been over
fifty years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon. So why is there so
little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? And what
will it take to become a multiplanet species? While many books have
speculated on the possibility of living beyond the Earth, few have
delved into the practical challenges. A wry and compelling take on
the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space,
Spacefarers introduces us to the engineers, scientists,
planners, dreamers, and entrepreneurs who are striving right now to
make life in space a reality. While private companies such as
SpaceX are taking the lead and earning profits from human space
activity, Christopher Wanjek is convinced this is only the
beginning. From bone-whittling microgravity to eye-popping profits,
the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close
at hand. He predicts we will have hotels in low-earth orbit, mining
and tourism on the Moon, and science bases on Mars-possibly
followed (gravity permitting) by full blown settlements. "Nerdily
engaging (and often funny)…Technology and science fiction
enthusiasts will find much here to delight them, as Wanjek goes
into rich detail on rocketry and propulsion methods, including
skyhooks and railguns to fling things into orbit…He is a sensible
skeptic, yet also convinced that, in the long run, our destiny is
among the stars." - The Guardian "If the events of this
year have had you daydreaming about abandoning the planet entirely,
Spacefarers is a geekily pleasurable survey of the
practicalities and challenges." - The Telegraph "The best
book I've read on space exploration since Isaac Asimov." -Michael
Shermer, publisher of Skeptic
The past five decades have witnessed often fierce international rivalry in space, but also surprising military restraint. Now, with an increasing number of countries capable of harming U.S. space ...assets, experts and officials have renewed a long-standing debate over the best route to space security. Some argue that space defenses will be needed to protect critical military and civilian satellites. Others argue that space should be a "sanctuary" from deployed weapons and military conflict, particularly given the worsening threat posed by orbital space debris. Moltz puts this debate into historical context by explaining the main trends in military space developments since Sputnik, their underlying causes, and the factors that are likely to influence their future course. This new edition provides analysis of the Obama administration's space policy and the rise of new actors, including China, India, and Iran.
His conclusion offers a unique perspective on the mutual risks militaries face in space and the need for all countries to commit to interdependent, environmentally focused space security.
As biomaterial advances make headway into lightweight radiation protection, wound healing dressings, and microbe resistant surfaces, a relevance to human space exploration manifests itself. To ...address the needs of the human in space, a knowledge of the space environment becomes necessary. Both an understanding of the environment itself and an understanding of the physiological adaptations to that environment must inform design parameters. The space environment permits the fabrication of novel biomaterials that cannot be produced on Earth, but benefit Earth. Similarly, designing a biomaterial to address a space-based challenge may lead to novel biomaterials that will ultimately benefit Earth. This review describes several persistent challenges to human space exploration, a variety of biomaterials that might mitigate those challenges, and considers a special category of space biomaterial.
This work is a review of the major human and environmental challenges facing human spaceflight, and where biomaterials may mitigate some of those challenges. The work is significant because a broad range of biomaterials are applicable to the human space program, but the overlap is not widely known amongst biomaterials researchers who are unfamiliar with the challenges to human spaceflight. Additionaly, there are adaptations to microgravity that mimic the pathology of certain disease states (“terrestrial analogs”) where treatments that help the overwhelmingly healthy astronauts can be applied to help those with the desease. Advances in space technology have furthered the technology in that field on Earth. By outlining ways that biomaterials can promote human space exploration, space-driven advances in biomaterials will further biomaterials technology.
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The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest man-made structure to orbit Earth and has been conducting research for close to a decade and a half. Yet it is only the latest in a long line of ...space stations and laboratories that have flown in orbit since the early 1970s. The histories of these earlier programs have been all but forgotten as the public focused on other, higher-profile adventures such as the Apollo moon landings.A vast trove of stories filled with excitement, danger, humor, sadness, failure, and success,Outposts on the Frontierreveals how the Soviets and the Americans combined strengths to build space stations over the past fifty years. At the heart of these scientific advances are people of both greatness and modesty. Jay Chladek documents the historical tapestry of the people, the early attempts at space station programs, and how astronauts and engineers have contributed to and shaped the ISS in surprising ways.Outposts on the Frontierdelves into the intriguing stories behind the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory, the Almaz and Salyut programs,Skylab, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Spacelab,Mirstation, Spacehab, and the ISS and gives past-due attention to Vladimir Chelomei, the Russian designer whose influence in space station development is as significant as Sergei Korolev's in rocketry.Outposts on the Frontieris an informative and dynamic history of humankind's first outposts on the frontier of space.
Sand-grain-sized computers, self-healing materials and constellations of craft would reboot our reach, explain Igor Levchenko, Michael Keidar and colleagues.
The other right stuff Witze, Alexandra
Nature (London),
02/2023, Letnik:
614, Številka:
7948
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In 1990, for instance, Sullivan helped to launch the Hubble Space Telescope, an observatory too large to get into orbit on any other vehicle. In January 1986, four members of the group - McNair, ...Onizuka, Resnik and Richard Scobee - were on board with three other astronauts when the space shuttle Challenger's O-rings failed just after lift-off, causing an explosion that killed them all. NASA retired the shuttle fleet in 2011, after astronauts finished construction on the International Space Station - an abrupt ending to the programme and to the story of the 1978 astronaut class.
Particle acceleration and loss in the million electron Volt (MeV) energy range (and above) is the least understood aspect of radiation belt science. In order to measure cleanly and separately both ...the energetic electron and energetic proton components, there is a need for a carefully designed detector system. The Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope (REPT) on board the Radiation Belt Storm Probe (RBSP) pair of spacecraft consists of a stack of high-performance silicon solid-state detectors in a telescope configuration, a collimation aperture, and a thick case surrounding the detector stack to shield the sensors from penetrating radiation and bremsstrahlung. The instrument points perpendicular to the spin axis of the spacecraft and measures high-energy electrons (up to ∼20 MeV) with excellent sensitivity and also measures magnetospheric and solar protons to energies well above
E
=100 MeV. The instrument has a large geometric factor (
g
=0.2 cm
2
sr) to get reasonable count rates (above background) at the higher energies and yet will not saturate at the lower energy ranges. There must be fast enough electronics to avert undue dead-time limitations and chance coincidence effects. The key goal for the REPT design is to measure the directional electron intensities (in the range 10
−2
–10
6
particles/cm
2
s sr MeV) and energy spectra (Δ
E
/
E
∼25 %) throughout the slot and outer radiation belt region. Present simulations and detailed laboratory calibrations show that an excellent design has been attained for the RBSP needs. We describe the engineering design, operational approaches, science objectives, and planned data products for REPT.
This open access book serves as a concise primer introducing the non-specialist reader to the physics of solar energetic particles (SEP). It systematically reviews the evidence for the two main ...mechanisms which lead to the so-called impulsive and gradual SEP events. This second edition contains two completely new chapters discussing element abundances and shock waves, reflecting new theoretical, modeling, and observational results. Existing chapters have been substantially expanded or updated with additions placed in a broader context.More specifically, the author discusses the timing of the onsets of SEPs, their longitude distributions, their high-energy spectral shapes, their correlations with other solar phenomena, as well as the all-important elemental and isotopic abundances. The book relates impulsive SEP events to magnetic reconnection in solar flares and jets. The concept of shock acceleration by scattering on self-amplified Alfvén waves is introduced, as is the evidence of reacceleration of impulsive-SEP material in the seed population accessed by the shocks in gradual events. The text then develops processes of transport of ions out to an observer. Finally, a technique to determine the source plasma temperature in both impulsive and gradual events is demonstrated.The author also mentions the role of SEP events as a radiation hazard in space and briefly discusses the nature of the main particle telescope designs that have contributed to most of the SEP measurements.
The expansion of our civilization to the Moon and beyond is now within our reach. This book explores the importance of being a spacefaring nation. It proposes maximizing use of the Moon and shows ...that science and engineering fact are ahead of science fiction.
If you have ever wondered about space travel, now you have the opportunity to understand it more fully than ever before. Traveling into space and even emigrating to nearby worlds may soon become part ...of the human experience. Scientists, engineers, and investors are working hard to make space tourism and colonization a reality. As astronauts can attest, extraterrestrial travel is incomparably thrilling. To make the most of the experience requires serious physical and mental adaptations in virtually every aspect of life, from eating to intimacy. Everyone who goes into space sees Earth and life on it from a profoundly different perspective than they had before liftoff. Astronomer and former NASA/ASEE scientist Neil F. Comins has written the go-to book for anyone interested in space exploration. He describes the wonders that travelers will encounter—weightlessness, unparalleled views of Earth and the cosmos, and the opportunity to walk on another world—as well as the dangers: radiation, projectiles, unbreathable atmospheres, and potential equipment failures. He also provides insights into specific trips to destinations including suborbital flights, space stations, the Moon, asteroids, comets, and Mars—the top candidate for colonization. Although many challenges are technical, Comins outlines them in clear language for all readers. He synthesizes key issues and cutting-edge research in astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and sociology to create a complete manual for the ultimate voyage.
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