Reviews (18)

Epic tale of space exploration
This is a fascinating book that takes you inside NASA and the JPL and details just how incredibly hard the modern business of space exploration is.To accomplish something as successful as the two mars rovers have been is nothing short of miraculous.An endless chain of complicated technical, budgetary and scientific challenges awaited the brilliant engineers and scientists on this project.
Fascinating and inspiring
I loved this book and couldn't put it down.What a great story!And the best part is it's true.

History in the making - what more do you want?
Mr. Squyres does not aspire to the heights of great literature, but he does manage to maintain absolute clarity across the many varied and technical aspects of the Mars rover missions - a truly remarkable feat that makes the book accessible to everyone.Because of his account, we learn about the intriguing mission selection process, the critical mission stopping engineering problems, and the seemingly arcane science that drives those missions. Most of all, Steve answers my most perplexing question, i.e., what did we accomplish on Mars with the rovers.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Solar System    3. Exploration    4. Extraterrestrial Biology    5. Mars (Planet)    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Space Exploration    9. Space flight to Mars    10. Planets & asteroids    11. Science / Nanostructures   

Reviews (2)

Great meteorite reference
This is a fantastic reference to meteorites. Large, beautifully bound and with great colour images and illustrations. Norton certainly knows his subject and takes us on a cosmic jouney, from black rocks found in the desert to a time before the formation of the solar system. There is plenty of technical and scientific details to feed the mind of the most educated reader. He explains concepts like radio-isotope dating with a clarity lacking at many eductional institutions today. Highly recommended for all those with an interest in space or astronomy and the growing number of meteorite collectors out there. My only minor criticism is that the font used in the book could have been a little bolder and easier to read for my aging eyes. Norton deserves a 10/10 for this fine effort.

STUPENDOUS
THERE IS NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS EXCEPTIONAL BOOK EXCEPT THIS IS AN EXCELLENT IN-DEPTH LOOK AT METEORITES WITH SUPERB COLOR PICTURES.IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN METEORITES, ESPECIALLY COLLECTING THEM, YOUR LIBRARY SHOLD NOT BE WITHOUT THIS BOOK. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Solar System    2. Cosmology    3. Descriptive Astronomy    4. Meteorites    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Earth Sciences    8. Meteors    9. Planets & asteroids    10. Reference works    11. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (1)

20 Yrs Later, Still the Best Mars Reference
20 years after publication, "The Surface of Mars" is still the absolute best starting point for anyone interested in learning the basics about what Mars is like.Chapters describe the channels, craters,volcanoes, history, moons, etc. as best as these topics were understood atthe end of the 1970s Viking missions.Even after Pathfinder and with MarsGlobal Surveyor, this is still the book I suggest people start with tolearn about the Red Planet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Solar System    3. Earth Sciences - General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Unassigned Title    7. Planets & asteroids    8. Science / Earth Sciences   

Editorial Review

Reviews (11)

May I Kindly Say This Book Kicks Some Serious Butt?
This is a really cool book! I didn't know we had the so-called red planet (a better name is the butterscotch planet) mapped out to the extent that we do. I've always loved geography and to take a tour of the features of another world is thrilling. If you like astronomy, geography, or have an optimist's bent on human destiny being among the stars, read this great book!

Very informative
Have you ever wanted to go beyond the headlines concerning discoveries about Mars and get a thorough overview so that you can put things into perspective?This book is more than a collection of pretty pictures from a far away place.It gives a good introductory account of what we think we know about the planet, and why.
A great book and a wonderful resource
This fascinating book is the work of scientist, author and artist, William K. Hartmann. What this item is, really, is a travelogue about the planet Mars! Going interesting location by interesting location, the book takes the reader across the face of Mars, and through Martian history. Along the way, the reader is treated to *many* colorful pictures and maps.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Solar System    3. Mars (Planet)    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Planets & asteroids    7. Popular astronomy    8. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Solar System    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Comets    6. Meteors    7. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (1)

The State of the Art as of March 2006
First some definitions from Wikipedia: A METEORITE is an extraterrestrial body that survives its impact with the Earth's (or other planet's) surface without being destroyed. While in space it is called a METEOROID. When it enters the atmosphere, air resistance causes the body to heat up and emit light, thus forming a fireball, also known as a METEOR or shooting star.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics & Space Science    3. Meteorites    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Solar system   

Reviews (1)

An unusual textbook
I admit it.I like comprehensive textbooks that cover a subject convincingly.If I had to teach a class in Planetary Science, I'd probably pick the book by de Pater and Lissauer.That's a really good comprehensive text.But this one is good too.And I certainly would enjoy teaching planetary science from either book.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics & Space Science    3. Cosmology    4. Planetary Theory    5. Planets    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Planets & asteroids    9. Science / Astrophysics & Space Science   

Reviews (9)

The Best there is on the subject
This is the book that got lots of astrologers that had not got into asteroids to take them seriouslyThere are tables in the back to see where yours areIt's clear and interesting and no one has come up with anything better on asteroids yet in the years since it was written

Fine tune your craft!
The asteroids in a chart help to flavor enhance what you're looking at.This is one of the best, fleshed out reference guides to the asteroids.The mythological stories behind the goddesses is crucial to understanding the meaning assigned to the individual asteroids.Further, it sets up archtypal understanding which is great when working through the issues outlined by a chart.If you are a beginning student, put this on your list but skip it until you can put into perspective the influence of asteroids vs. planetary influence.Intermediate and up... don't cheat yourself.Get the book!

A technical and in-depth dissection
Now in a newly published and expanded edition with updated ephemerides of 16 asteroids 1930-2050, Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch is an impressive astrology guide emphasizing the mythology and psychology intertwined with heavenly bodies and the practice of interpreting their prophecy and guidelines. An extremely lengthy and data-filled appendix of ephemerides enhances this technical and in-depth dissection. Asteroid Goddesses is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the Astrology and Metaphysical Studies reference shelf. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asteroids    2. Astrology - General    3. Astrology and mythology    4. Astrology and psychology    5. Goddesses    6. Miscellanea    7. New Age    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Astrology   

Reviews (5)

Descends into the pseudoscientific style
Dr. Louis A. Frank has emphatically championed a very controversial theory. He believes that approximately 40,000 small comets are bombarding the Earth every day. In his theory, those comets are largely made up of water, and they are the origin of the majority of the water currently on the Earth. At the time this book was written, his theory was largely dismissed, but in the last five years, there has been some movement in his direction. Additional evidence has been discovered that indicates that something is going on, the unresolved question is whether it is due to the actions of water comets.
Amazing and recently proved true!
Every so often you read a book that changes the way you look at everything because it shows that something we took for granted is wrong.This is one of those books.Frank is not a terrific writer.There are slow passages and sections that are overly detailed and filled with arcane information. However, he is a scientist that stumbled on the origin of water on Earth . . . small comets that are constantly hitting Earth's atmosphere. This is astounding and went against all of the accepted geologic theories of the origin of water on the planet. The Big Letdown.
The subtitle overstates the significance of this book (A Scientific Discovery That Revolutionizes the Way We View the Origin of Life, the Water We Drink, etc).The Big Splash is very technical and , for those of uswithout a Doctorate in Geophysics it is quite a dry read.The referencesto the Space Program and the human elements that show the competition andback-stabbing that goes on in the scientific community are more interestingand help to move you to the end of the story, but, this is little solicefor the feeling of being let down at the conclusion (or lack thereof) atthe end of the book.Unfortunately, this book is probably the best you canfind on the topic, though.I guess you cannot expect every scientificstory to be a great read.If you need the data and answers to questionsyou can find in this book (like I did), you probably won't find it anywhere else.Grab a cup of strong coffee. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comets    2. Cosmology (Astronomy)    3. Earth    4. Earth Sciences - General    5. Life    6. Origin    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Cosmology & the universe   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Solar System    2. Astrophysics & Space Science    3. Earth Sciences - Geology    4. Engineering - General    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Comets    9. Meteors    10. Planets & asteroids    11. Science / Geology   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics & Space Science    3. Comets    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Solar System    2. Cosmology    3. Earth Sciences - Geography    4. Planets    5. Radar    6. Remote Sensing    7. Remote Sensing Techniques    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Surfaces    11. Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods    12. Earth Sciences    13. Planets & asteroids    14. Planets--Surfaces--Remote sensing    15. Technology / Remote Sensing   

Subjects:  1. Astrophysics & Space Science    2. Geophysics    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Kuiper belt    6. Science / Astrophysics & Space Science    7. Solar system    8. comets    9. planetary atmospheres    10. planets and moons   

Reviews (2)

Well balanced!
This book is written in a clear and easy to read style. If you are a novice on astronomy you will still be able to understand the text. At the same time this book offers enough in-depth and up-to-date information to satisfy the person who is more knowledgeable on the subject. The text is richly illustrated, with a multitude of photographs, charts, schematics, drawings etc.
One-Stop Solar System Shopping
This is a hugely informative compendium of current knowledge of our solar system. Included is up-to-date science, compiled from the missions of all the modern spacecraft, of all (make that most) of the planets plus all of their known moons; plus comets, asteroids, solar winds, magnetic fields, and everything else present in the solar system. A bonus is found in the beginning chapters of the book, which present the history of astronomical discovery by earthbound explorers, and also a large chapter on Earth itself. Included are informative treatises on the Earth's geology, topology, and atmosphere, setting up equally fascinating examinations of those topics on the other planets. Thus we get up-to-date and in-depth coverage of everything from the bizarre volcanoes of Venus to the encrusted oceans of Europa to the pink smog of Titan. Just watch out for some sneaky politics in the chapter on the Earth, as coverage of atmospheric changes leads to some not wholly appropriate comments on the political side of global warming. And while the book is uniformly fascinating and informative, one humbug for me is a nearly complete lack of coverage for Pluto. This is likely because we haven't yet been able to send a spacecraft there, and also because the creators of this book have followed the currently accepted scientific theory of Pluto as a non-planet that doesn't deserve the attention of the "real" planets. (In fact, Pluto is actually missing from the book's lists of planets of the solar system). Come on, cut the little guy some slack already! [~doomsdayer520~] ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Solar System    2. Cosmology    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Solar System    6. Planets & asteroids    7. Popular astronomy    8. Science / Astronomy    9. The Moon   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Physics    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Astronomy, Space & Time    6. Mathematics and Science    7. Science / Astronomy    8. cometary geology    9. cometary nuclues    10. solar system evolution   

Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. Meteor (Fighter planes)    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - World War II    6. Military Science    7. Air forces & warfare    8. Aircraft: general interest    9. British Isles    10. Military vehicles   

Reviews (2)

An outstanding textbook on planetary science
What's the best book to use as a text in a senior-year course on planetary science?This one gets my vote!It seems to cover everything.
Great book
This is a superb book, if a little complex. You do need some mathematical and physics background to really follow all the topics. Well written, and having taken a class from Imke de Pater at Cal, a great representation of her work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Cosmology    3. Planetology    4. Planets    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Planets & asteroids    8. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (21)

Makes One Think
Mining the Sky is an excellent book for any person who has had any association with earthly mineral extraction and the potential for utilization of space-based resources on the Moon, Mars, and Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). While the book is nearly a decade old, the primary message remains poignant and relevant even more so in the 21st Century. It is my hope that the author will do a second edition in the near future. With recent robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and comets having taken place since the book was first published, I am certain that there is even much more to now be said about the economics of space-based mineral commerce.

The future of humanity in a space-based economy
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Interesting journey to nowhere
Mining the Sky is a very well written, informative book.Unfortunately it does not go clearly in any direction.Because it takes the perspective of looking at the economic viability of space, one could assume it takes a capitalist viewpoint.This would be incorrect.While the author does mention the possibilities of private companies taking part, the dominant perspective is one of a government in control saying what is and what is not "appropriate."For example, the government would determine that mining space for materials instead of energy is not the best use of space resources.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Cosmology    3. General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Comets    7. Management of land & natural resources    8. Planets & asteroids    9. Science: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Solar System    3. Astrophysics & Space Science    4. Climate    5. Mars (Planet)    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Climatology    9. Planets & asteroids    10. Science / Astronomy   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics & Space Science    3. Earth Sciences - Geology    4. Physics    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Astronomy, Space & Time    8. Cosmogony    9. Science / Astronomy    10. comets    11. dynamics    12. nature    13. origin