Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy with Starry Nights Pro CD-ROM (v.3.1) (Explorations)

Book Description

Arny: Explorations-An Introduction to Astronomy, 4th edition, is built on the foundation of its well known writing style, accuracy, and emphasis on current information. This new edition continues to offer the most complete technology/new media support package available. That technology/new media package includes: 23 Interactives including 17 NEW and 6 originals converted from Java to Flash(located on the text website and Digital Content Manager CD); Online Learning Center (that allows instructors to take their course to the web if they choose); and Starry Night Planetarium Software (packaged free with each new text).

Customer Reviews:

Explorations.......2006-03-28

This book is very detailed and the CD-Rom has excellent pictures. The only downfall is that the mathmatical functions are not detailed enough for me.

up to date introduction.......2005-07-19

A very solid, and up to date discussion of modern astronomy. Well suited for undergraduate astronomy majors taking a first course. You get a coherent formulation of our best understanding of galaxy formation on a cosmological scale. And also how first and second generation stars appear and evolve. Then, within a stellar system, how planets can condense out of gas.

Naturally, our solar system is well described. From both observations made on Earth and by satellites (especially the Hubble), and by US and Russian probes.

The CD will appeal to some of you. Arny has put considerable effort into it. But the main text stands well, even if the CD is missing.

Average customer rating:

Glorious
Great book, if only it stayed in one piece.
Amazing!!!
Great book for a great price
A Great Book to Own

Universe
Robert Dinwiddie , Philip Eales , David Hughes , Ian Nicholson , Ian Ridpath , Giles Sparrow , Pam Spence , Carole Stott , Kevin Tildsley , and Martin Rees
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Earth
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife
Human (Dk Smithsonian Institution)
Ocean
Rainforest

ASIN: 0756613647

Book Description

Continuing in the bestselling tradition of Animal and Earth, DK brings you Universe - a truly definitive guide that takes you on a tour from the Solar System to the farthest limits of space.

Customer Reviews:

Glorious.......2007-09-11

I could retire just to keep rereading this book and stargazing and following the many enticing breadcrumbs of information scattered around the lovely images. The only possible improvement would be a "hyperlinked" version: For me, someone operating rather far from the natural sciences, some of the paragraphs were a great review, but others opened up more questions than answers. But what glorious questions they are, and how spiritual an experience it has been to journey among atoms and galaxies and across time. Thank you for bringing back the awe that I had forgotten to feel for the last few years!

Great book, if only it stayed in one piece. .......2007-09-06

I bought this book for my son for Christmas. He loved it; it's full of beautiful illustrations and facts. But well before summer vacation, the cover had come off entirely, and the book had become useless remnants of a primordial expansion event. He may not have treated it quite a gently as he should have, but I have to think they ought to make them a bit more entropy-resistant than that.

I'd like to give this book both five stars and one, but this river, as opposed to the one in the sky, does not allow for such astral profligracy.

Amazing!!!.......2007-08-17

A monumental effort. Well worth the cost even if one was forced to pay the full retail price for this book. Everything that can be said has been said by others. I'm just here to add my 5 star to a well deserving book

Great book for a great price.......2007-08-15

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Astronomy. Your knowledge level can range from "what is that grey and white ball in the night sky?" to "which super cluster does our galaxy belong to?" Superb and colorful illustrations, breath-taking photos and information on just about everything you could possibly want to know about concerning the universe fill this book. Plus, it is rather easy to comprehend. This is not a college text book by any means but more of a general purpose guide to the heavens. *****

A Great Book to Own.......2007-08-12

I own a lot of books about universe & astronomy & I used to go to library to check out what is new. When I encountered this book, I checked it out & renew twice & finally decided that I have to own this book. The photography is amazing, clean, sharp & colored. After so many nights out using my Dobsonian reflector to watch planets, I realize this book really enhances my experience & increases the joy of a hobbist. The book is very informative. You can actually read every word & enjoy every moment out of it. The section constellations contains interesting ancient story that is very helpful in star watching, since it is hard to forget those stories. The night sky section covers star position up to 2012, it is really handy for star watcher. I consider this book & Dickinson's NightWatch essential to anyone interested in astronomy & star watching.

The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition

Average customer rating:

This book is a fake!
Author - a true genius
Fascinating
TERRIBLE digital transfer by "Phoenix Audio"
A well written classic

The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition
Stephen William Hawking
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Universe in a Nutshell
A Briefer History of Time
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
Ideas & Opinions

ASIN: 0553103741
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Amazon.com

Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to reveal these questions (and where we're looking for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time, and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking, for, as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God." --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In the years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time has established itself as a landmark volume in scientific writing. It has become an international publishing phenomenon, translated into forty languages and selling over nine million copies. The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe, but since that time there have been extraordinary advances in the technology of macrocosmic worlds. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawkin's theoretical predictions in the first edition of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed back in time to within 300,000 years of the fabric of space-time that he had projected.

Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his recent research, for this expanded edition Professor Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, written an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel, and updated the original chapters.

In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite the clarity and wit of Professor Hawking's writing, this edition is enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made made possible by spectacular technological advance such as the Hubble Space Telescope, and computer generated images of three and four-dimensional realities. Detailed captions clarify these illustrations, enable readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature of black holes, and the microcosmic world of particle physics in which matters and antimatter collide.

A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, A Brief History Of Time is the story of the ongoing search for t he tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a fake!.......2007-10-01

As a physicist I am flabbergasted and slightly depressed by the success of this book. First of all this book presents as if they were equally certain some pieces of orthodox science together with some of the author's dubious speculations. The lay reader is not told which are which. Secondly, the author obviously has no knowledge of the actual history of physics and yet he shamelessly "describes" it to the reader.

Hawking seems to have gathered together all the bad cliches about various physical issues and has taken out all the valuable ideas. He explains nothing, he just asserts that "we physicists know that..., we physicists have demonstrated that...". I cannot see how anyone can actually learn anything about physics from this book, about why we know what we know. And yet, judging from the amount of praise this book receives, it seems that quite a lot of people have fallen under the spell that they have been allowed access to some secret. They haven't and I find this trickery immoral.

Quantum physics and astrophysics are really interesting. They don't deserve to be thrashed in this unashamed manner. If you want to learn something about physics, there are other books which do a much better job, for example Asimov's Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos.

Author - a true genius.......2007-09-22

Stephen Hawking is a true genius. Although I don't understand everything he writes, all-in-all this book gives one the understanding of how wonderfully made the universe is.

Fascinating.......2007-08-24

I found this book to be ingenious yet accessible to the average reader, which is what I believe Hawking set out to accomplish. Great food for thought in my opinion.

TERRIBLE digital transfer by "Phoenix Audio".......2007-08-10

It's a great book by Hawking, but this product is just a reproduction of something by Hawking/Jackson that we already know is great. So what sort of job does this product do of delivering one of my favorite audio books? Not a very good one.

The original recording sounds fine, but this production from 2005 sounds like it was converted to a low bit rate at some point during editing, and probably had a poor noise removal job done as well. For the benefit of removing possibly a little weak static in the background, we get to listen to a robotic Jackson for 5 hours. It sounds similar to an early digital cell phone with a choppy feel and many T's and S's muffled.

There really isn't any reason I can see for this to not be a perfect reproduction of earlier digital versions. Old bootlegs floating about the internet sound better. Maybe "Phoenix Audio" should have just grabbed those to print, and left all of that tricky audio work to the more competent civilian sector.

A well written classic.......2007-08-01

I have a stack of these :The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe,Cosmic Code and In Search/big Bang: /, so I can compare and contrast.
There is material on black holes here that isn't covered as well in the others. I still would wish that all these authors would put in more of the real equations and less of the dumbing down. One point is that people not able to understand this kind of book, probably won't understand no matter how simple you make the text. Maybe one should make effective use of your time in writing and concentrate on those who will understand and use the results.

Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006 (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)

Average customer rating:

Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006
Who did what - and When?
A very great book
A must have!

Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006 (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Tim Furniss , David J. Shayler , and Michael D. Shayler
Manufacturer: Praxis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reference Guide to the International Space Station (Apogee Books Space Series)
On the Moon: The Apollo Journals (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Russian Spacecraft Pocket Space Guide (Pocket Space Guides)
The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)

Accessories:

Distant Worlds: Milestones in Planetary Exploration
Celestial Mechanics: The Waltz of the Planets (Springer Praxis Books / Popular Astronomy)

ASIN: 0387341757

Book Description

Praxis Log of Manned Spaceflight 1961-2006 will open with a section entitled: Quest for Space, which will provide an explanation of the methods employed to get in and out of orbit and brief overviews of the different international space programmes. It will be a complete chronological log of all attempted orbital manned spaceflights, including the X-15 "astroflights" of the 1960s that only achieved an altitude of c. 50 miles and the two 1961 Mercury and Redstone missions which were non-orbital. There will be an image depicting each manned spaceflight, and data boxes containing brief biographies of all the space travellers and basic flight data. The main text will be a narrative of each mission, its highlights and accomplishments, including those strange facts and humorous stories that are connected to every mission.

By targeting publication in September 2006, the return to flight of the Shuttle, two more Soyuz TMA launches and, quite possibly, a second Chinese manned mission. The resulting book will be a handy reference to all manned spaceflights, the names astronauts and cosmonauts who flew on each mission, and their roles and accomplishments. Recent announcements of a return to the Moon and eventual manned flights to Mars, as new hardware and procedures are developed to support these long-range programs, emphasizes the case for future updates of this book.

Customer Reviews:

Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006 .......2007-06-27

A very comprehensive account of manned space flight. The book contains a time period overview of space travel plus a detailed account of each flight. Enjoyable reading. A must-have for all space buffs!

Who did what - and When?.......2007-04-20

This one is big as a medium size telephone directory - around 820 pages - but it has to be. Chronicling some 250 space flight since April 12, 1961 up to September 29, 2006, and the participants from Yuri Gagarin to Anousheh Ansari, in lucid prose and memory-stirring photographs, this is a worthy follow-up of the Tim Furniss earlier chronicling of the first 103 space flights. That milestone was passed in April 1983. We tend to equal "space flight" with "flights to Earth Orbit" or "Flight to the Moon", but suborbital flight to more than 80 kilometres - 13 in the X-15 rocket plane and 3 in the comercial "Spaceship One" are included as official flights that reached space. Aborts during launches are also included, as are the incredibly sad listings of the crew of STS 51-L, where Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe attained only 1 minute of spaceflight experience, before that ascent was so cruelly - and unnecessarily - terminated.
The Authors have visely chosen to present all the numerical data in both metric and imperial measurement. If I have to search for something missing, I would wish for an alphabetic index of persons, who participated in which flight style, but then the size of this volume, already in that class which seriously hampers the compulsory bed-reader, clearly would have grown quite out of hand. Let us be thankful for the mass of facts we already have got here.
For the veteran armchair astronaut this volume brings back a lot of memories, and still succeeds in serving up a plethora of data that has slipped the memory over those 45 years. For the young reader, this presents the scope of Mankinds first forays off our planetary shores and trips to the offshore island of the Moon. It's an incredible history after all, and it's all here.

A very great book.......2007-03-30

I was really impressed by the Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006.
Simply the best !!! A book with many details of each manned space mission since the Gagarin's flight. Highly recommended. More than 820 pages rich with any type of information.

A must have!.......2007-02-11

An amazing publication: covers Vostok-1 (Gagarin) to Soyuz TMA-9. Tons of info for each flight: International designation; launched; Launch site; Landed; Landing site; Launch vehicle (for the shuttle you have the tank number, the SRB set and the SSME engines); Duration; Callsign; Objective; Flight Crew; Flight Log and finally Milestones. Also three chapters cover respectively: Reaching the heavens (access/method; Space flight methods/launch systems); The Quest for Space; The orbital programmes (Vostok, Mercury, Apollo, Shuttle, Salyut, Shenzhou etc..).
An outstand reference works for anybody who is interested in the history of spaceflight!
A must have on one's bookshelf.

Average customer rating:

More astro than biology

An Introduction to Astrobiology

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Astrobiology: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Astrobiology: A Brief Introduction
Planetary Sciences
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology
An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology

ASIN: 0521546214

Book Description

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astrobiology. It begins with an examination of how life may have arisen on Earth and then reviews the evidence for possible life on Mars, Europa and Titan. The potential for life in exoplanetary systems and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence are also discussed. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur enthusiasts as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. The book is also supported by a webstite hosting further teaching materials.

Customer Reviews:

More astro than biology.......2004-10-22

This is an excellent textbook, with straightforward problems ... and answers! There's plenty of solid material here and very little fluff. The information is well presented, up-to-date, and easy to read.

Three of the nine chapters are about the potential for life elsewhere in our planetary system, in particular on Mars, Europa, and Titan. Another three chapters are on extrasolar planets: how to find them, what we've discovered so far about them, and what signatures of life we might try to look for on them in the future. There's also a chapter on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). That leaves two chapters for the definition and origin of life, the Earth's acquisition of the necessary water and carbon, and so on. I'd prefer to see quite a bit more on biology here. I'd like to see much more discussion of the development of multicellular life, the changes in the Earth's environment caused by the production of oxygen, and the evolution of humans.

That said, I really liked the chapter on the origin of life. It was illuminating to read about the origin of chirality, written by a specialist in organic matter in meteorites. And I also especially liked the chapters on exoplanets.

Introduction to Space Physics (Cambridge Atmospheric & Space Science)

Average customer rating:

Space Physics? OH YEAH!
Introduction to Space Physics

Introduction to Space Physics (Cambridge Atmospheric & Space Science)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Introduction to Plasma Physics: With Space and Laboratory Applications
Basic Space Plasma Physics
Physics of Space Plasmas: An Introduction, Second Edition
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The Solar-Terrestrial Environment: An Introduction to Geospace - the Science of the Terrestrial Upper Atmosphere, Ionosphere, and Magnetosphere (Cambridge Atmospheric and Space Science Series)

ASIN: 0521457149

Book Description

Designed as a text for upper-level undergraduate and first-year graduate students, this volume attempts to establish the curriculum for the modern student entering the fledgling field of space physics. The book provides a broad, yet selective, treatment of the subject, covering virtually all aspects of space plasmas in the solar system. There are sections on the sun and solar wind, the magnetized and unmagnetized planets, and the fundamental process of space plasmas including shocks, plasma waves, ULF waves, wave-particle interactions, and auroral processes. In addition to emphasizing analysis, the authors also place importance on underlying phenomenology with extensive attention to observations.

Customer Reviews:

Space Physics? OH YEAH!.......2007-02-24

When I'm in the mood for a little exploration of stellar structure or maybe some light magnetohydrodynamics, this is the first thing I grab off the shelf. It's kept me interested and not at all wanting to gouge my eyeballs out for weeks!

Introduction to Space Physics.......2000-05-02

This is a very comprehensive book. It is excellent if you are beginer who knows basic electricity and magnetism, but have not dealt with space plasmas.

Average customer rating:

Plasma Astrophysics and Space Physics

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792360028

Book Description

In May 1998 a hundred renowned scientists from 20 different countries met at the Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie to communicate their latest results and ideas in astrophysical and space plasma, as a follow-up to previous similar meetings which were held in Varenna, Abastumai, Potsdam, Toki and Guaruja. The main papers emerging from this meeting are collected in this volume.
They deal with fundamental plasma phenomena, particle and radiation processes in astrophysics and space physics as the origin of magnetic activity, the basic mechanisms of particle acceleration and plasma heating common to plasma in galaxies and at the sun as well as in planetary magnetospheres. New observational results from YOHKOH, SOHO and other missions are presented. Using these, the basic physical processes leading to coronal heating and solar/stellar wind acceleration are discussed. Other topics are the microphysics of shock waves and transport phenomena in collisionless plasmas and the physics of thin plasma boundaries.
The volume also treats the ionic composition of plasma and dust in the Universe and their observability in the solar system. A CD-ROM is attached which adds a valuable multimedia component, illuminating results of observations, theory and simulations.
Everyone interested in astrophysical plasmas, its radiation and charged particle aspects, and advanced or even beginning students will find references to nearly all modern aspects of plasma astrophysics and space physics as well as an overview of current research results.

Average customer rating:

Fresh Perspectives on a Fragile Planet
An excellent choice for anyone of any age
Only Being in Orbit Could Give You a Better View!!!!
A new perspective
best book on earth

The Home Planet
Kevin W. Kelley
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201550954

Customer Reviews:

Fresh Perspectives on a Fragile Planet.......2006-01-28

Let's not forget we're living on a little planet, what some like to call spaceship earth. If earth is a spaceship, this is the owner's manual: THE HOME PLANET. Political boundaries are dissolved by a moon's-eye view of Earth to create bold visions of the planet through 150 color photographs culled from the American and then-Soviet archives. Commentary is provided solely by eloquent quotes from astronauts of 18 nations which are shown both in original language (be it Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Mongolian, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Dutch, or Russian) and English translation. The message is simple--we are all citizens of the same global nation.

An excellent choice for anyone of any age.......2002-03-07

This superb coffee table book by Kevin W. Kelley is especially apt in this day and age, when so much in life feels precarious and precious. A simple and simply eloquent collection of photographs and quotations, it is so much more than the sum of its parts.

The astronauts who have either landed on the moon or have orbited the earth have so much to tell us and it's easy to see from the photographs why they feel words fail them. Luckily for us, words DON'T fail them. This select, small group of men and woman try mightily to tell us what their experiences were, and overwhelmingly they succeed in conveying the mystery and beauty they saw from their unique perches in space. A few of the better bits include:

"[From space] you have an almost dispassionate platform--remote, Olympian--and yet [seeing the earth from up there is] so moving that you can hardly believe how emotionally attached you are to those rough patterns shifting steadily below."
- THOMAS STAFFORD, USA

"O. Henry, the American writer, wrote in one of his stories that if you want to encourage the craft of murder, all you have to do is lock up two men for two months in an eighteen-by-twenty-four-foot room. Entering 'Salyut,' which was to be both our home and our office for six months, we told each other: We are brothers. I am you and you are me."
- VALERIE RYUMIN, USSR

"Before I flew, I was already aware of how small and vulnerable our planet is; but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations."
- SIGMUND JAHN, GERMANY

In no book that I can think of does the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" better fit. The photographs herein are astonishing in showing the exquisite planet we occupy. A view of England's North Sea coast looks like a slab of lapiz lazuli, its surface flecked with sparkle and hue. Canada's Lake Winnipeg from space has the appearance of something primal, almost fetal. The Indian Ocean off Madagascar looks like a sheet of slate over which some divine presence has tossed a handful of diamonds. So few of us can ever hope to share the experience of these men and women that this book is all the more precious, and beautiful.

Only Being in Orbit Could Give You a Better View!!!!.......2001-03-28

This coffee table book presents some of the best photographs taken of the Earth and the Moon by both astronauts and cosmonauts. Due to the large size of the book, these photographs are even more stunning. In addition to the photographs, several quotes by those who have flown in space accompany each photograph.

One of things that I really liked about the book is that other than the small quotes, there is very little accompany text. The only real text is at the end of the book, where NASA's chief photographic planner describes "Why Space Photography?" I found thispart kind of chilling where he states, "it is a far more air-polluted Earth today than it was in the past ... twenty years ago"

A new perspective.......1999-03-09

A wonderfully moving and beautifully compiled collection of images. Mountain ranges and river deltas dissolve into abstract designs of astounding beauty. The accompanying commentaries show a world united in space in a way that is sadly absent on Earth. The book would make anybody want to become an astronaut.

This is the perfect present for any occasion. It has touched the hearts of everyone I know who has ever seen it. Highly recommended.

best book on earth.......1999-02-21

Political boundaries are dissolved by a moon's-eye view of Earth to create bold visions of the planet through 150 color photographs culled from the American and then-Soviet archives. The pictures are allowed to speak for themselves, with only tiny captions describing locales and weather conditions. Commentary is provided solely by eloquent quotes from astronauts of 18 nations which are shown both in original language (be it Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Mongolian, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Dutch, or Russian) and English translation. The message is simple--we are all citizens of the same global nation.

Conceived and edited for the Association of Space Explorers, no earthling will be unmoved by the views, both photographic and verbal, regarding our home. From desert to arctic, ocean to breadbasket, this book will delight anyone who's ever looked outside an airplane window to marvel at the forms below.

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics
Average customer rating:

Good book for orbital mechanics only

absolute classic

For all aspiring "steely-eyed missile men/women"!

The basics made simple

Fundamental of Astrodynamics

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics
Roger R. Bate , Donald D. Mueller , and Jerry E. White
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aeronautics & Astronautics | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books
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Introduction to Space Dynamics

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Orbital Mechanics

Quaternions and Rotation Sequences: A Primer with Applications to Orbits, Aerospace and Virtual Reality

ASIN: 0486600610

Book Description

Teaching text developed by U.S. Air Force Academy and designed as a first course emphasizes the universal variable formulation. Develops the basic two-body and n-body equations of motion; orbit determination; classical orbital elements, coordinate transformations; differential correction; more. Includes specialized applications to lunar and interplanetary flight, example problems, exercises. 1971 edition.

Customer Reviews:

Good book for orbital mechanics only.......2007-10-05

The book presents a very detailed introduction to orbital mechanics. However, it does not deal with spacecraft rotations, which are an important part of spacecraft motion. Therefore, the book is advisable if you are planning to study only orbital mechanics. I would recommend that you refer to another text book if you want a more complete introduction to astrodynamics.

absolute classic.......2007-03-29

An excellent introduction that is VERY readable. Chapter 4 has a nice section on using Universal Formulation for time of flight. Intro books costing over $100.00 are not of this quality. This book is a rare case where you get more than you pay for.

For all aspiring "steely-eyed missile men/women"!.......2006-03-14

This is an excellent text for students and professionals working in aerospace engineering, physics and astronomy. Good luck finding an astrodynamics book more clearly written and illustrated.

The math is accessible to any serious undergraduate student in the physical sciences. Admittedly, the mathematical treatment is a bit dated, geared toward a 1970's engineer with a slide rule. However, a good Matlab programmer can just take the formulas and go from there using modern methods on a desktop computer.

This is a practical book that focuses on helping the reader master the basic physics, coordinate transforms and methods for dealing with a body's translational motion in a central-force gravity field. It does not cover more advanced topics such as rotational dynamics, gravity models, or navigation & control systems. The historical anecdotes are great - fascinating and pertinent as well. This may not be the end-all book on astrodynamics, but it's a reference I always keep close at hand.

The basics made simple.......2006-01-31

Affectionately referred to as BMW (from the author names), this book was the required text for my intro spaceflight mechanics course in college. Not only did I do just about every problem in the book (which helped me blow away the final), but over the next 15 years I kept coming back to it for quick reference. Some of my commercial products contain simple Kepler solvers and orbit integrators that began life in BMW. Compared to other books in this field, it's a deceptively easy read. But I know of at least one rocket destroyed by engineers ignorant of the basics in sections 9.5 and 9.6. Sure, it leaves out chaos and I really wish it used SI rather than imperial units (actually, it favors canonical units, a useful and units-agnostic concept). But BMW is the simplest, most intuitive intro to astrodynamics I've ever seen.

Fundamental of Astrodynamics.......2005-09-09

The arguments of the book are very well explained.
Any argument is accompanied by numerical examples very useful for a better understanding of the argument itself.

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Average customer rating:

Rating the physical book, not the content
Pale Blue Dot
Perspective from Pluto
Let's take the first steps
A great sequel to Cosmos

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
Carl Sagan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aeronautics & Astronautics | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Cosmos
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

ASIN: 0345376595
Release Date: 1997-09-08

Book Description

"FASCINATING . . . MEMORABLE . . . REVEALING . . . PERHAPS THE BEST OF CARL SAGAN'S BOOKS."
--The Washington Post Book World (front page review)

In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time.

Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier--space. In Pale Blue Dot Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race.

"TAKES READERS FAR BEYOND Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity's future in the stars."
--Chicago Tribune

Customer Reviews:

Rating the physical book, not the content.......2007-07-23

First, I must say that I am enjoying the book very much. I love reading Professor Sagan's books very much. So this rating applies more to the decision of the publisher than the book itself.

I have never written a review on Amazon before, and I have been coming here for years. I had to say something about this. After I finish this, I plan on emailing the publisher with the same review.

Wow. A book named Pale Blue Dot, inspired by the famous photograph of the Earth of the same name. It is referenced in the first few chapters heavily and Prof. Sagan asks us to visit and revisit the photo several times as he builds his introduction. I think to myself "Great! Can't wait to see it. Now where is it?" This then led to the disappointing finding that there are no pictures at all in this printing. None, not one, not even just the one of the Pale Blue Dot image itself. How can you publish a book inspired by a photo and not include the picture itself, not even a low res poorly printed picture? All you get is a few instructions to look at it, but you won't be able to look at it in here. Apparently, the hardback and first soft-back printing had photos. I guess I can understand (not like, mind you) why the decision was made to eliminate photos, but to get rid of the Pale Blue Dot photo is mind boggling. Surely this decision couldn't have been made on purpose. Surely, this was just an oversight. If this was a conscious decision, then it speaks volumes about how Ballantine views this work and it makes you wonder if they have any idea why it was written in the first place.

Anyway thanks for listening.

Pale Blue Dot.......2007-01-04

This was very interesting reading. Carl has a wonderful way of relating science, technology and his vision in very understandable language.

Perspective from Pluto.......2006-08-19

As I write this review, scientists around the world are in one more tizzy about whether Pluto is a planet, and exactly what a planet is.
They are missing the boat, or spaceship as it were. Pick up a copy of Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot," and it becomes clearer. Just take the much longer view, courtesy of Sagan's vivid and creative mind.

No matter how many times I read it, the look back at our solar system by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1990 stimulates my imagination in a huge way. After passing the orbit of Pluto and visiting Neptune and its spectacular moon Triton,the Voyager 1's camera turned back and took a family portrait of the solar system....caught in a mosaic of 60 pictures, saved on the ship's tape recorder and then slowly, over a period of three months, sent back to big radio telescopes on Earth.
The camera caught not only Earth (the pale blue dot), but also Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Pluo and Mars were too small and Mercury was lost in the glare of the Sun.
Just think, a look back at all of us, from a place I dream of being ---out past the orbit of Neptune/Pluto, but will never get to. It boggles the mind to even estimate how long it will take to get any human to that distant vantage point. But here it is ....a wonderful book which covers this, and so many other space marvels. Buy it and keep it close to your bed for months and months of inspiration.
Earl

Let's take the first steps .......2006-04-13

This book really focuses on something I believe is of uttermost importance for human kind: our long-term survival as a species and the essential role of space exploration. Many ideas and facts presented in Pale Blue Dot have already been expressed elsewhere, not least in science-fiction, but here they are collected and presented to us in a formidable way, with the focus on the potentially new era awaiting us where we would finally quit our Earth cocoon and start expanding through the Universe. As a scientist, I believe that this is a realistic view even if it definitely won't happen in our lifetimes. Sagan gives very convicing arguments why it is necessary to take the first steps in this direction: now, without delay!

A great sequel to Cosmos.......2005-03-09

The title of this book refers to Earth- all that our planet is in the big scheme of things is a Pale Blue Dot, as photographed by the Voyager spacecraft, departing our solar system. It's very humbling. Sagan went before his time, and didn't even get to see the landing of Mars Pathfinder in 1997, but that mission was renamed "The Sagan Memorial Mars Station." Whereas Cosmos talked about the past and future of space travel, this book talks about the future. It's written 20 years after "Cosmos" so builds upon what that book says. It used many charts and interesting pictures and graphs. This is better than "Cosmos" in my opinion, and is my favorite book ever.

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