‘Heaven’s Touch’ by James B. Kaler
Grounded on the solid Earth, we often seem disconnected from the skies above, which merely act as a revolving backdrop to the dramas of everyday life. In Heaven’s Touch, James B. Kaler aims to redress this notion, explaining how objects in space can influence the environments found on Earth. Kaler begins by comprehensively explaining the effects of various Solar System bodies upon the Earth; the gravitational influences exerted by the Moon, Sun and other planets, and the impact of solar radiation. Although informative, I found these early chapters stodgy and a lot of effort to absorb; at no...
Read More‘Habitability and Cosmic Catastrophes’ by Arnold Hanslmeier
This volume, part of the Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics series from Springer, leads the reader through all the hazards that could threaten life on a habitable world. The book starts by defining habitability and the ways in which the Earth provides a suitable environment for life and explaining the fundamentals of biology. Hanslmeier then describes the formation of stars and planets and the detection of extrasolar planets. The second half of the book deals with the cosmic catastrophes, detailing the hazard presented to life by everything from planetary impacts to supernovae and...
Read More‘Introduction to Astrobiology’ by David Rothery, Iain Gilmour & Mark Sephton (eds)
An Introduction to Astrobiology, the latest addition to the planetary science series from the Open University, delivers exactly what the title promises. Written in a clear and accessible manner, excellently illustrated and utilising a whole host of useful additional features, this textbook provides an engaging overview of the key topics in this diverse field. Whilst pitched as an accompaniment to taught introductory courses it would be excellent as a self-study tool or as a quick reference book for postgraduates specialising in the various strands of Astrobiology. The authors begin with the...
Read More‘Humans in Outer Space — Interdisciplinary Odysseys’ by L. Codignola and K.-U. Schrogl (eds.)
Humans in Outer Space — Interdisciplinary Odysseys offers a collection of essays on the implications of human space exploration, written by a selection of space experts and scholars in the humanities and social sciences. This volume is the product of an interdisciplinary meeting, of the same title, organised by the European Science Foundation in Vienna, October 2007. A great range of different viewpoints are expressed here, and this book will almost certainly open your eyes to new perspectives that you hadn’t previously considered, whether you agree with them or not. The book is...
Read More‘The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2’ by Jane Poynter
On September 26th 1991 six explorers stepped through an airlock and begun an adventure that would last over two years, and along the way subject them to severe psychological torment and starvation of both food and oxygen. The project was the operation of the first man-made biosphere, Biosphere 2, and involved an entire ecosystem being designed, constructed and hermetically sealed-off from the rest of the world; an experiment into the feasibility of using life itself as the life-support system to keep humans alive in space. The Human Experiment tells the incredible tale of what came to be...
Read More‘How To Build A Habitable Planet’ by Charles Langmuir & Wally Broecker
An expanded and revised edition of the original published in 1984, Charles Langmuir works with the same author Wally Broecker to bring this popular text up-to-date with the latest research and scientific ideas. Presented somewhere between the level of a textbook and a popular science book, How To Build A Habitable Planet covers a wide range of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy and astrobiology. Spanning 21 chapters it starts with detailed theory on the formation of the galaxies and stars and how these attributed to the elements found in later generations...
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