New Space

When Robert Zubrin published his classic book The Case for Mars a quarter century ago, setting foot on the Red Planet seemed a fantasy. Today, manned exploration is certain, and as Zubrin affirms in The New World on Mars, so too is colonization.

Rife with hostile cultures and outright enemies, the Unknown Regions holds many perils for Luke Skywalker and the Jedi, searching for Zonama Sekot, the living planet that may hold the key to dealing once and for all with the Yuuzhan Vong.

Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo work to help refugees flooding in to the planet Duro from the Rim worlds. However the dreaded Yuuzhan Vong have chosen Duro as their next target. Jacen Solo, working at his father's side, finds himself on the horns of a dilemma: how to reconcile using the Force as a tool for good, yet still fight the evil invaders. He must make the right choice, for the future of his family, and possibly of the New Republic itself, hangs in the balance.

Using sophisticated computers, new, and previously overlooked information, and his direct experience as the NASA scientist who designed and built the Apollo communications and data-processing system, Maurice Chatelain amasses starting and convincing evidence that our ancestors came from outer space.

The brutal Yuuzhan Vong are scouring the universe for Jedi to slaughter. With no help from the divided New Republic, the Jedi stand alone against their seemingly invincible foe. Han and Leia Organa Solo risk deadly consequences with their controversial tactics to bolster the Jedi resistance. And after uncovering a new Yuuzhan Vong menace, Anakin and Tahiri find themselves wanted for murder by the Peace Brigade. To avoid capture, they jump into hyperspace - and into far graver trouble.

Scientists have just announced an historic discovery on a par with the splitting of the atom: The Higgs boson, the key to understanding why mass exists has been found. In The Particle at the End of the Universe, Caltech physicist and acclaimed writer Sean Carroll takes readers behind the scenes of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to meet the scientists and explain this landmark event.

Speaking with key leaders of the latest space programs and innovations, Rod Pyle shares the excitement and promise of this new era of exploration and economic development. From NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, to emerging leaders in the private sector, Space 2.0 examines the new partnerships that are revolutionizing spaceflight and changing the way we reach for the stars.

As the leader of the moon's newest "dragon", Adriana has wrested control of the moon's helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal Corporation and fought to earn her family's new status. Now, at the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation, Corta Helio, surrounded by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana's five children must defend their mother's empire from her many enemies - and each other.

Scattering after the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of Coruscant, the panic-stricken members of the New Republic Advisory Council pause just long enough to set up a mock defense on nearby Borleias and attempt to buy time - which fools no one, least of all the Jedi. Bearing down swiftly on Borleias is a Yuuzhan Vong invasion fleet, determined to destroy the galaxy's remaining defenders.

Human exploration of Mars is the most ambitious and exciting scientific goal of the 21st century. Few people know as much about this fascinating planet as Dr. Larry Crumpler. As one of the long-term planning leads for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, he helped control the daily communications between NASA and the rovers.

On March 21, 2013, the European Space Agency released a map of the afterglow of the big bang. Taking in 440 sextillion kilometers of space and 13.8 billion years of time, it is physically impossible to make a better map: We will never see the early universe in more detail. On the one hand, such a view is the apotheosis of modern cosmology; on the other, it threatens to undermine almost everything we hold cosmologically sacrosanct.

For the larger-than-life personalities now staking their fortunes on the development of rocket ships, the new race to explore space could be a dead end, a lucrative opportunity - or the key to humanity's salvation. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos take center stage in this fast-paced narrative as they attempt to disrupt the space economy, feed their own egos, and maybe even save the world.

It is a solemn time for the New Republic, as the merciless Yuuzhan Vong continue their campaign of destruction. The brutal enemy has unleashed a savage creature capable of finding and killing Jedi Knights. And now Leia Organa Solo faces a terrible ultimatum. If the location of the secret Jedi base is not revealed within one week, the Yuuzhan Vong will blast millions of refugee ships into oblivion.

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides takes you on a deeply personal journey to be the person you have always wanted to be. Whether your mission is to be the first person on Mars, or to be an awesome steward of Spaceship Earth, this book will help train you to be effective, present, and connected in your personal and professional life. Filled with stories from across the space industry, exercises, and assignments it will guide you on your own Hero's Journey as you take the next steps on your path to fulfillment, self-expression, and joy.

In his latest work, former senior computer systems designer and bestselling author Gregg Braden merges these ancient and modern world views into a powerful new model of time. Marrying the modern laws of fractal patterns to the ancient concept of cycles, he demonstrates how everything from the war and peace between nations to our most joyous relationships and personal crises are the returning patterns of our past.

No longer content with the destruction the Yuuzhan Vong have already sown, Warmaster Tsavong Lah has demanded the heads of all the Jedi. The Jedi Knights are in terrible danger, and none more so than the young students at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. Impatient, and figuring that forgiveness is easier to come by than permission, Anakin Solo takes off for Yavin 4 in his X-wing.

A year after the Event, horrific memories of the vessels linger in Dean’s mind as he tries to find his way forward in his new life. But now the heroes of Earth face a new threat that endangers the fragile remnant of humanity. Two rebel hybrids have escaped from their segregated encampment. Dean and his team pursue them across the galaxy, racing to catch them before they reach an unseen enemy. This new threat is looming over Earth, their name spoken softly and fearfully by anyone who knows of them.

With the enemy in hot pursuit, Jaina Solo is forced to seek haven in the unfriendly Hapes Cluster, where the Jedi are held responsible for a past tragedy - and where the royal family has grim plans for their famous Jedi guest. Even more sinister are the intentions of the Yuuvhan Vong, desperate to capture Jaina for a hideous sacrifice. Grief-stricken and obsessed with revenge, Jaina is blind to these threats and to the overpowering evil dangerously close to consuming her.

Sharing his more than three decades of research into the afterlife and paranormal phenomena, award-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Drasin shows that the continuity of human consciousness beyond the physical body and after death constitutes a legitimate area of scientific inquiry and that it can be objectively demonstrated. Drasin begins by revealing how our belief in materialism—through its effects on our social norms, taboos, and even language—has deeply constrained our civilization’s understanding of the nature of space, time, life, death, and consciousness.

After a surprise visit to Earth, Dean and his crew travel to Proxima Centauri, home of humanity’s first colony world. Once again, Dean’s efforts to lead a normal life are cut short when his sister is threatened by deadly creatures at Terran Five, Spero’s northernmost outpost. There, Dean stumbles on an ancient secret, buried deep in the snow-covered mountains, that will change his life forever. And when communication with Earth ends, he realizes his worst nightmare has come true. The Bhlat have arrived.