Near-Earth Objects (eBook)

Finding Them Before They Find Us

Donald K. Yeomans (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2016
192 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-8355-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Donald K. Yeomans is a Fellow and Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a recipient of NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal.

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An insider's look at the science of near-Earth comets and asteroidsOf all the natural disasters that could befall us, only an Earth impact by a large comet or asteroid has the potential to end civilization in a single blow. Yet these near-Earth objects also offer tantalizing clues to our solar system's origins, and someday could even serve as stepping-stones for space exploration. In this book, Donald Yeomans introduces readers to the science of near-Earth objects-its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us.In its course around the sun, the Earth passes through a veritable shooting gallery of millions of nearby comets and asteroids. One such asteroid is thought to have plunged into our planet sixty-five million years ago, triggering a global catastrophe that killed off the dinosaurs. Yeomans provides an up-to-date and accessible guide for understanding the threats posed by near-Earth objects, and also explains how early collisions with them delivered the ingredients that made life on Earth possible. He shows how later impacts spurred evolution, allowing only the most adaptable species to thrive-in fact, we humans may owe our very existence to objects that struck our planet.Yeomans takes readers behind the scenes of today's efforts to find, track, and study near-Earth objects. He shows how the same comets and asteroids most likely to collide with us could also be mined for precious natural resources like water and oxygen, and used as watering holes and fueling stations for expeditions to Mars and the outermost reaches of our solar system.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.9.2016
• Vorwort: Donald K. Yeomans
• Zusatzinfo: 20 halftones. 19 line illus. 6 tables.
• Verlagsort: Princeton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Weltraum / Astronomie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: 433 Eros • Ames research center • Applied Physics Laboratory • Apsis • Asteroid • Asteroid belt • Asteroid impact avoidance • Astronomer • Astronomy • Atmosphere of Earth • Chelyabinsk meteor • Circular Orbit • Comet • Cosmic Ray • Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event • Crust (geology) • Deep Impact (spacecraft) • early earth • earth • Earth mass • Earth's orbit • Earth's rotation • Elliptic orbit • escape velocity • exoplanet • extinction event • Formation and evolution of the Solar System • Geocentric orbit • Geology of the Moon • Giant planet • Gravity • Gravity Assist • Halley's comet • Heliocentric orbit • Impact Crater • Impact event • International Astronomical Union • Iron meteorite • Jet Propulsion Laboratory • Jupiter • Jupiter trojan • Kuiper Belt • Late Heavy Bombardment • launch vehicle • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory • Lowell Observatory • Mark Boslough • Meteor Crater • Meteorite • meteor shower • milky way • Minor Planet • Minor Planet Center • NASA Headquarters • Near-Earth object • NEAR Shoemaker • Nebular hypothesis • Nuclear explosion • nuclear fusion • Observatory • Oort Cloud • Orbit • Orbital eccentricity • Orbital elements • Orbital inclination • Orbital period • Orbit Determination • Orbit of Mars • Perihelion and aphelion • Planet • Planetary body • Planetary System • Planetesimal • Radioactive decay • relative velocity • Rosetta (spacecraft) • Rotation period • Rubble pile • Rusty Schweickart • Scattered disc • Scientist • Semi-major and semi-minor axes • SETI Institute • silicate • Small Solar System body • Solar System • spacecraft • space exploration • Spaceflight • Spacewatch • Steve • Technology • Trojan asteroid • Tsunami • Tunguska event • Uncertainty • Uranus • Voyager 1 • Yarkovsky effect • year
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-8355-5 / 1400883555
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-8355-4 / 9781400883554