Defending Planet Earth

Author : National Research Council,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board,Space Studies Board,Committee to Review Near-Earth-Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2010-07-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309149686

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Defending Planet Earth by National Research Council,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board,Space Studies Board,Committee to Review Near-Earth-Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies Pdf

The United States spends approximately $4 million each year searching for near-Earth objects (NEOs). The objective is to detect those that may collide with Earth. The majority of this funding supports the operation of several observatories that scan the sky searching for NEOs. This, however, is insufficient in detecting the majority of NEOs that may present a tangible threat to humanity. A significantly smaller amount of funding supports ways to protect the Earth from such a potential collision or "mitigation." In 2005, a Congressional mandate called for NASA to detect 90 percent of NEOs with diameters of 140 meters of greater by 2020. Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies identifies the need for detection of objects as small as 30 to 50 meters as these can be highly destructive. The book explores four main types of mitigation including civil defense, "slow push" or "pull" methods, kinetic impactors and nuclear explosions. It also asserts that responding effectively to hazards posed by NEOs requires national and international cooperation. Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies is a useful guide for scientists, astronomers, policy makers and engineers.

Author : Nikola Schmidt
Publisher : Springer
Page : 475 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2018-12-26
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783030010003

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Planetary Defense by Nikola Schmidt Pdf

Planetary defense from near-Earth objects such as asteroids is a far more nuanced and challenging topic than it might seem. Each day, technology is making it easier to detect asteroid impact threats in advance, but at present, there is still no easy way to design and implement any form of global defense. This book examines how various asteroid deflection methods can change global political affairs. The authors believe that the final policy for potential Earth impacts should be based on practical engineering solutions and innovative architectural structures, while at the same time reflecting the most recent political science contributions in ethical security studies and security cosmopolitanism. Their focus is not limited to effective engineering solutions, but rather extends to how such proposals resonate in possible political structures of the future. Planetary defense cannot be achieved with technology alone; the chapters in this volume highlight the issues that arise when space science and technology intersect with political science. This complex interdisciplinary project not only demands global participation and collaboration, but also proposes the way we can achieve it. The authors explore various concepts of governance and their far-reaching implications for planetary defense and vice versa—how scientific progress in Solar System observations and asteroid collision engineering influence political science and put pressure on the international legal framework. The text is intentionally written for a diverse scholarly and diplomatic audience in a style accessible to non-specialists and practitioners and can be read by those across diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

Author : William E. Burrows
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781616149130

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The Asteroid Threat by William E. Burrows Pdf

Presents a realistic, workable plan for defusing a potentially lethal threat from a rogue asteroid or comet. The explosion of a large meteor over Chelyabinsk, Siberia, in February 2013 is just the latest reminder that planet Earth is vulnerable to damaging and potentially catastrophic collisions with space debris of various kinds. In this informative and forward-looking book, veteran aerospace writer William E. Burrows explains what we can do in the future to avoid far more serious impacts from "Near-Earth Objects" (NEOs), as they are called in the planetary defense community. The good news is that humanity is now equipped with the advanced technology necessary to devise a long-term strategy to protect the planet. Burrows outlines the following key features of an effective planetary defense strategy- * A powerful space surveillance system capable of spotting a serious threat from space at least a year in advance * A space craft "nudge" that would throw a collision-course asteroid off target long before it poses the threat of imminent impact * A weapons system to be used as a last-ditch method to blast an NEO should all else fail. The author notes the many benefits for world stability and increasing international cooperation resulting from a united worldwide effort to protect the planet. Combining realism with an optimistic can-do attitude, Burrows shows that humanity is capable of overcoming a potentially calamitous situation.

Author : Anuradha Rao
Publisher : Orca Book Publishers
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2020-04-07
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781459818880

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One Earth by Anuradha Rao Pdf

★ “The activists’ stories are extraordinary...It’s a powerful answer to Rao’s framing questions: ‘Who is an environmental defender? What does she or he look like? Maybe like you. Maybe like me.’”—Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ “Thought-provoking reading for young people figuring out their own contributions. This valuable compilation shows that Earth’s salvation lies in the diversity of its people.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review One Earth profiles Black, Indigenous and People of Color who live and work as environmental defenders. Through their individual stories, the book shows that the intersection of environment and ethnicity is an asset to achieving environmental goals. The twenty short biographies introduce readers to diverse activists from all around the world, who are of many ages and ethnicities. From saving ancient trees on the West Coast of Canada, to protecting the Irrawaddy dolphins of India, to uncovering racial inequalities in the food system in the United States, these environmental heroes are celebrated by author and biologist Anuradha Rao, who outlines how they went from being kids who cared about the environment to community leaders in their field. One Earth is full of environmental role models waiting to be found.

Author : William E. Burrows
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 207 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2014-06-10
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781616149147

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The Asteroid Threat by William E. Burrows Pdf

Presents a realistic, workable plan for defusing a potentially lethal threat from a rogue asteroid or comet. The explosion of a large meteor over Chelyabinsk, Siberia, in February 2013 is just the latest reminder that planet Earth is vulnerable to damaging and potentially catastrophic collisions with space debris of various kinds. In this informative and forward-looking book, veteran aerospace writer William E. Burrows explains what we can do in the future to avoid far more serious impacts from "Near-Earth Objects" (NEOs), as they are called in the planetary defense community. The good news is that humanity is now equipped with the advanced technology necessary to devise a long-term strategy to protect the planet. Burrows outlines the following key features of an effective planetary defense strategy: * A powerful space surveillance system capable of spotting a serious threat from space at least twenty-five years in advance * A space craft "nudge" that would throw a collision-course asteroid off target long before it poses the threat of imminent impact * A weapons system to be used as a last-ditch method to blast an NEO should all else fail. The author notes the many benefits for world stability and increasing international cooperation resulting from a united worldwide effort to protect the planet. Combining realism with an optimistic can-do attitude, Burrows shows that humanity is capable of overcoming a potentially calamitous situation.

Author : Daniel H. Wilson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2018-03-27
Category : Humor
ISBN : 9781635572667

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How to Build a Robot Army by Daniel H. Wilson Pdf

It goes without saying that robots kill. They hunt, swarm, and fire lasers from their eyes. They even beat humans at chess. So who better to stand with us when the real villains arrive? Movies instruct us that, whether we like it or not, we will one day be under siege by pirates, ninjas, zombies, aliens, and Godzilla. Also great white sharks. And-let's face it-we're not prepared. But with the advice contained in this brilliantly illustrated, ingenious book, you can build your own robot army to fend off hordes of bloodthirsty foes. From common-sense injunctions ("never approach an unfamiliar robot in a militarized zone") to tactical pointers ("low-power radar beats cameras for detecting mummies in a fog-shrouded crypt") to engineering advice ("passive-dynamic exoskeleton suits will increase sprint speeds but not leg strength"), this book contains all the wisdom you'll need to fend off the coming apocalypse. Witty, informative, and utterly original, How to Build a Robot Army is the ideal book for readers of any age.

Author : National Research Council,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board,Space Studies Board,Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2010-01-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309143615

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Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies by National Research Council,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board,Space Studies Board,Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies Pdf

The United States is currently the only country with an active, government-sponsored effort to detect and track potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs). Congress has mandated that NASA detect and track 90 percent of NEOs that are 1 kilometer in diameter or larger. These objects represent a great potential hazard to life on Earth and could cause global destruction. NASA is close to accomplishing this goal. Congress has more recently mandated that by 2020 NASA should detect and track 90 percent of NEOs that are 140 meters in diameter or larger, a category of objects that is generally recognized to represent a very significant threat to life on Earth if they strike in or near urban areas. Achieving this goal may require the building of one or more additional observatories, possibly including a space-based observatory. Congress directed NASA to ask the National Research Council to review NASA's near-Earth object programs. This interim report addresses some of the issues associated with the survey and detection of NEOs. The final report will contain findings and recommendations for survey and detection, characterization, and mitigation of near-Earth objects based on an integrated assessment of the problem.

Author : Murray Bookchin,Dave Foreman
Publisher : Black Rose Books Ltd.
Page : 162 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 1991
Category : Environmental policy
ISBN : 0921689888

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Defending the Earth by Murray Bookchin,Dave Foreman Pdf

Author : Barbara Kerley
Publisher : Scholastic Inc.
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2010-09
Category : Juvenile Fiction
ISBN : 9780439802048

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Greetings from Planet Earth by Barbara Kerley Pdf

In 1977, as twelve-year-old Theo struggles with a science class project on space exploration, questions emerge about why his father never returned from Vietnam and why Theo's mother has been keeping secrets for many years.

Author : Philippe Tortell
Publisher : Open Book Publishers
Page : 466 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2020-04-22
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781783748488

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Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet by Philippe Tortell Pdf

Fifty years have passed since the first Earth Day, on 22 April 1970. This accessible, incisive and timely collection of essays brings together a diverse set of expert voices to examine how the Earth’s environment has changed over this past half century, and what lies in store for our planet over the coming fifty years. Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet responds to a public increasingly concerned about the deterioration of Earth’s natural systems, offering readers a wealth of perspectives on our shared ecological past, and on the future trajectory of planet Earth. Written by world-leading thinkers on the front-lines of global change research and policy, this multi-disciplinary collection maintains a dual focus: some essays investigate specific facets of the physical Earth system, while others explore the social, legal and political dimensions shaping the human environmental footprint. In doing so, the essays collectively highlight the urgent need for collaboration across diverse domains of expertise in addressing one of the most significant challenges facing us today. Earth 2020 is essential reading for everyone seeking a deeper understanding of the past, present and future of our planet, and the role of humanity in shaping this trajectory.

Author : Petrus Matheus Marie Jenniskens
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 14 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2006-09-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780521853491

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Meteor Showers and Their Parent Comets by Petrus Matheus Marie Jenniskens Pdf

Publisher description

Author : Travis S. Taylor,Bob Boan,R. Charles Anding,Thomas Conley Powell
Publisher : Brown Walker Press
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2006-02
Category : History
ISBN : 1581124473

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An Introduction to Planetary Defense by Travis S. Taylor,Bob Boan,R. Charles Anding,Thomas Conley Powell Pdf

Offers a look at defending the planet in the event of an extra-terrestrial invasion.

Author : Joseph N. Pelton
Publisher : Springer
Page : 237 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2016-11-04
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783319392738

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The New Gold Rush by Joseph N. Pelton Pdf

This book captures the most exciting advances in the harnessing of space as a global resource. The authors track the growing number of space businesses and opportunities for investors, and the many possible benefits of spaceplanes, space stations and even space colonies. The authors also discuss the need for more regulatory reform. Companies like Planetary Resources are now forming to find mineral-rich asteroids and bring back new riches to Earth. Solar power satellites in the next few years will start to beam clean energy back to Earth, to meet the growing demands of a still-developing world. Innovative space industries are vital to the survival of modern human life, and the authors demonstrate what can be done to encourage the growing of the "New Space" frontier. From lassoing and then mining asteroids to developing new methods of defending the planet from space hazards and setting up new hotels and adventures for tourists in space, this new industry will have profound effects on Earth, especially on its economy. This book is based on a study of international experts commissioned ahead of the UNISPACE+50 meeting, having distilled the results of this comprehensive fact-finding process into a compact and very readable form. It can serve as an excellent starting point for understanding all the activities underway or planned to make space truly our next frontier.

Author : Jace Weaver
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Nature
ISBN : UOM:39015035745952

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Defending Mother Earth by Jace Weaver Pdf

"Defending Mother Earth brings together important Native voices to address urgent issues of environmental devastation as they affect the indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. The essays document a range of ecological disasters, including the devastating effects of mining, water pollution, nuclear power facilities, and toxic waste dumps. In an expression of "environmental racism," such hazards are commonly located on or near Indian lands." "Many of the authors included in Defending Mother Earth are engaged in struggles to resist these dangers. As their essays consistently demonstrate, these struggles are intimately tied to the assertion of Indian sovereignty and the affirmation of Native culture: the Earth is, indeed, Mother to these nations. In his concluding theological reflection, George Tinker argues that the affirmation of Indian spiritual values, especially the attitude toward the Earth, may hold out a key to the survival of the planet and all its peoples."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Author : Edward O. Wilson
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2016-03-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781631490835

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Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life by Edward O. Wilson Pdf

"An audacious and concrete proposal…Half-Earth completes the 86-year-old Wilson’s valedictory trilogy on the human animal and our place on the planet." —Jedediah Purdy, New Republic In his most urgent book to date, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and world-renowned biologist Edward O. Wilson states that in order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet. In this "visionary blueprint for saving the planet" (Stephen Greenblatt), Half-Earth argues that the situation facing us is too large to be solved piecemeal and proposes a solution commensurate with the magnitude of the problem: dedicate fully half the surface of the Earth to nature. Identifying actual regions of the planet that can still be reclaimed—such as the California redwood forest, the Amazon River basin, and grasslands of the Serengeti, among others—Wilson puts aside the prevailing pessimism of our times and "speaks with a humane eloquence which calls to us all" (Oliver Sacks).