Space Mission

Legendary "space statesman" Buzz Aldrin speaks out as a vital advocate for the continuing quest to push the boundaries of the universe as we know it. As a pioneering astronaut who set foot on the moon during mankind’s first landing with Apollo 11 - and an aerospace engineer who designed an orbital rendezvous technique critical to future planetary landings - Aldrin has a vision, and in Mission to Mars he plots out the path he proposes, one that will take humans to Mars by 2035.

Chuck Ramsey is a traveling comedian trying to turn a planetside gig on Earth into a cash cow. Of course, the cost of living on Earth is astronomical. He needs to get rich quick - or at least come out ahead - and head for cheaper pastures. Enter Mordecai The Brown. Once the golden boy of the Convocation, Guardian of the Plundered Tomes and the Convocation's number one hunter of dark wizards, "Mort" has found himself on the wrong end of an internal investigation.

Have you ever dreamed of walking on Mars? Or maybe even living there? Ever since Mars was discovered, people have wondered if there could be life on this mysterious red planet. For years, astronomers at NASA and other space agencies have been exploring Mars. They've sent rovers to study the planet and search for water and signs of life. One day, NASA plans to send astronauts there, too. But first, they need to learn many things about Mars and how people might travel that deep into space.

Comedy doesn't pay. Some might claim that's the wrong cliché, but Chuck Ramsey knows the truth of it all too well. That's why he resorts to crime to pay the bills. His latest scheme isn't to pick up odd, questionably legal jobs near his gigs; this time he's found the perfect opportunity, and he's willing to buy a gig to be in the right place at the right time. All he has to do is get a certain wizard to play his part without knowing it.

In the year 2254 gravity was officially declared to be magic; the scientists gave up trying to figure it out and handed it over to the wizards. Without the inherent respect for the laws of physics, the wizards poked and prodded at gravity, poring over all that science knew about the attraction of one object to the next, and dismissed it as poppycock. They discovered ways around the tired, old limits and gave birth to the first true starships.

This is the dramatic and inspirational first-person story of theoretical physicist Dr. Ronald Mallett, who recently discovered the basic equations for a working time machine that he believes can be used as a transport vehicle to the past. Combining elements of Rocket Boys and Elegant Universe, Time Traveler follows Mallett's discovery of Einstein's work on space-time, his study of Godel's work on a solution of Einstein's equation that might allow for time travel.

It was Christmas Eve 1968. And the astronauts of Apollo 8 - Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders - were participants in a mission that took them faster (24,000 mph) and farther from the Earth (240,000 miles) than any human had ever traveled. Apollo 8 was the mission that broke humanity's absolute bond to the Earth: it was the first manned vehicle to leave the Earth's orbit. Confined within a tiny spaceship, the astronauts were aided in their journey by a computer less powerful than one of today's handheld calculators.

At first glance, it looks like just another auditorium in just another government building. But among the talented men (and later women) who worked in mission control, the room located on the third floor of Building 30—at what is now Johnson Space Center—would become known by many as "the Cathedral." These members of the space program were the brightest of their generations, making split-second decisions that determined the success or failure of a mission.

There are so many amazing, daring, and exciting missions to outer space that have succeeded. But for every success, there are mistakes, surprises, and flat-out failures that happen along the way. In this collection, best-selling author and award-winning journalist Jeffrey Kluger recounts 12 such disasters, telling the stories of the astronauts and the cosmonauts, the trials and the errors, the missions and the misses.

Are we alone in the universe? It's a fundamental question for Earth-dwelling humankind. Are there other worlds like ours, out there somewhere? In Hidden in the Heavens, Jason Steffen, a former scientist on NASA's Kepler mission, describes how that mission searched for planets orbiting Sun-like stars—especially Earth-like planets circulating in Earth-like orbits.

Today the Space Race is widely viewed poignantly and fondly as a race to the Moon that culminated with Apollo 11 “winning” the Race for the United States. In fact, it encompassed a much broader range of competition between the Soviet Union and the United States that affected everything from military technology to successfully launching satellites that could land on Mars or orbit other planets in the Solar System. The notion that America “won” the Space Race at the end of the 1960s overlooks just how competitive the Space Race actually was in launching people into orbit.

Jessie and Eric Ramsey finally catch a break. The League of Independent Planets has granted them asylum and allowed them to live on the techno-paradise world of Phabian. Jessie gets a clerical job. Eric ends up working at a factory making magical construction materials. He might even have a girlfriend. Of course, trouble always finds a Ramsey. Eric’s inquisitor parole officers locate him despite having no official jurisdiction. Jessie gets recruited into Phabian’s ultra-secret counterintelligence agency, Section 74. Yet somehow, everything revolves around a newcomer to this part of the galaxy.

A tech soldier of the Intergalactic Empire is called upon to fight an army of orcs, trolls, ogres, and magic users in order to help a young boy regain his throne on Earth’s sister planet in the magic dimension. Wizard Scout Richard Shepard and his battle computer Nickelo find themselves teleported by a mysterious being known only as "the One" to the magical world of Portalis.

A simple pickup and delivery. No questions asked; no looking inside the cargo. All it requires is a fast, stealthy ship and a crew who can keep their imaginations and consciences in check until the drop-off. The Mobius is up to the task, but when the crew can't control their curiosity, they're faced with a moral dilemma. Do they cut their losses? Contact the authorities? Take the money and run?

Wizard Scouts are the elite recon forces of the Intergalactic Empire. Equipped with advanced technology gear combined with psionic-like abilities, they are the greatest fighting force the galaxy has ever seen. For reasons beyond his ken, Wizard Scout Richard Shepard is unwillingly sent to the magic dimension 150,000 years in the past by a mysterious entity known only as "the One". This is a time before the elves on the planet Portalis knew magic. It is a time when Portalis is being invaded by aliens equipped with starships, fighter aircraft, drones, and heavy armor.

Adam and his crew are faced with the ultimate challenge: to save the Milky Way Galaxy from the Nuorean invaders. This time their backup will be two-and-a-half MILLION light-years away. They knew this could be a one-way trip, but the stakes were too high not to try. Someone had to step up and be the hero, and Adam's eclectic mix of humans and aliens have been there before. Yet even in victory, they could lose, trapped in a far, distant galaxy with no way to get home. But first things first, Adam Cain and the gang have to cut off the Nuoreans' link to the Milky Way before it's too late.

Pia is a stunning woman, whose genius is sought after by the handful of multinational corporations left fighting for control over the ravaged Earth of 2056. As rampant starvation and climate destruction sweep across the planet, a final war seems inevitable both on Earth and in the Lunar Colonies. Rebel groups use cyberwarfare and brain network attacks in a seemingly futile attempt to stop the Multinats. Now Natocorps has a daring plan for how to become the sole surviving global power, but should they be helped or stopped?

Adam Cain is a super Human, everyone's hero, the go-to guy when the galaxy needs saving. So why is he broke and looking to hire out his special talents just to keep his head above water? Don't misunderstand him; busting alien heads is what he does best. It's just that he thought those days were over after the evil Klin were wiped out. Not hardly. It seems his adventures are just beginning.

Only 24 human beings have traveled to the moon. Theirs were the most daring voyages in mankind's history, and their view of Earth from the moon changed them and the way we see our home planet. Now in their emeritus years, the 12 remaining lunar explorers for the first time reveal the true source of courage, leadership, and the quiet patriotism that it took to accomplish their missions. Their voyages to the moon led them to the most incredible discovery of all: our home planet and its precious place in the universe.

Mordecai The Brown has killed more than his fair share of his fellow humans. Once a mighty hunter of wizards, life has reduced him to chasing down mundane miscreants in a complex scheme orchestrated by a friend. One day, he simply realizes that he's being used, and he puts his foot down. This next murder, he will not do. Thinking he's washed his hands of the matter, Mort informs Chuck of his retirement.