Category Archives: Popular Books

America’s Future in Space: 10 Reports from the National Research Council

Last week, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft to orbit, making SpaceX the first commercial company in history to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.

The National Research Council’s America’s Future in Space recommends directions for U.S. civil space activities.  According to this book, the U.S. civil space program is an essential national resource with the potential to address pressing national needs in a substantial way.

Other NRC titles make recommendations and lay out steps to advance discoveries about the solar system, astronomy and astrophysics, and identify research needed for advancements in human spaceflight.  All are free to download.

America's Future in Space

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America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs106 pages | Paperback | Price: $25.87As civil space policies and programs have evolved, the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically. Although the U.S. space program was originally driven in large part by competition with the Soviet Union, the nation now finds itself in a post-Cold War… [more]

Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration

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Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era442 pages | Paperback | Price: $77.17More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human… [more]

Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022

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Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022400 pages | Paperback | Price: $49.50In recent years, planetary science has seen a tremendous growth in new knowledge. Deposits of water ice exist at the Moon’s poles. Discoveries on the surface of Mars point to an early warm wet climate, and perhaps conditions under which life could have… [more]

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics

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New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics324 pages | Paperback | Price: $35.95Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to… [more]

Report of the Panel on Implementing Recommendations from the New Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey

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Report of the Panel on Implementing Recommendations from the New Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey36 pages | Paperback | Price: $13.50The 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey report, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics (NWNH), outlines a scientifically exciting and programmatically integrated plan for both ground- and space-based astronomy and… [more]

Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Spacecraft Missions to Icy Solar System Bodies

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Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Spacecraft Missions to Icy Solar System Bodies100 pages | Paperback | Price: $36.00NASA’s exploration of planets and satellites during the past 50 years has led to the discovery of traces of water ice throughout the solar system and prospects for large liquid water reservoirs beneath the frozen ICE shells of multiple satellites of the giant… [more]

Earth Science and Applications from Space

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Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA’s Implementation of the Decadal Survey122 pages | Paperback | Price: $34.20Understanding the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment and their implications requires a foundation of integrated observations of land, sea, air and space, on which to build credible information products, forecast models, and… [more]

Sharing the Adventure with the Public: The Value and Excitement of 'Grand Questions' of Space Science and Exploration

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Sharing the Adventure with the Public: The Value and Excitement of ‘Grand Questions’ of Space Science and Exploration: Summary of a Workshop92 pages | Paperback | Price: $44.10On November 8-10, 2010, the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board (SSB) held a public workshop on how NASA and its associated science and exploration communities communicate with the public about major NASA activities and programs. The… [more]

Panel Reports--New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics

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Panel Reports–New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics548 pages | Paperback | Price: $49.50Every 10 years the National Research Council releases a survey of astronomy and astrophysics outlining priorities for the coming decade. The most recent survey, titled New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, provides overall… [more]

Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space Exploration

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Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space Exploration: An Interim Report46 pages | Paperback | Price: $13.95In response to requests from Congress, NASA asked the National Research Council to undertake a decadal survey of life and physical sciences in microgravity. Developed in consultation with members of the life and physical sciences communities, the guiding… [more]

Happy National Teacher’s Day!

To celebrate National Education Week, we created a list of recommended books and resources to teach climate change. Check out these top titles from NAP, climate change videos, and information from the Division on Earth and Life Studies. Continue reading

Take 5 for Summer Reading

So many books, so little time! Let us help you narrow down the choices with our top five picks for your summer reading list. Buy one or more of the titles below and use discount code ES2011 to save 25%.

America's Climate Choices
Paperback
$29.95 $22.46
1x1-Spacer America’s Climate Choices

America’s Climate Choices makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts…Read More

Ocean Acidification
Paperback
$32.00 $24.00
1x1-Spacer Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean

The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. This benefits human society by moderating the rate of climate change, but also causes unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry. Ocean Acidification reviews the current knowledge on ocean acidification and considers the impact on ecosystems and society…Read More

Surrounded by Science
Paperback
$24.95 $18.71
1x1-Spacer Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments

Surrounded by Science makes valuable research about informal science learning accessible to those who are interested in ensuring that people of all ages, from different backgrounds and cultures, have a positive learning experience in environments such as museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, libraries, aquariums, zoos, and botanical gardens…Read More

Enhancing Food Safety
Paperback
$71.00 $53.25
1x1-Spacer Enhancing Food Safety: The Role of the Food and Drug Administration

Recent outbreaks of illnesses traced to contaminated food illustrate the holes that exist in the system for monitoring problems and preventing foodborne diseases. Enhancing Food Safety explores the development and implementation of a stronger, more effective food safety system built on a risk-based approach to food safety management…Read More

Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Paperback
$29.00 $21.75
1x1-Spacer Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

The prevalence of childhood obesity is so high in the United States that it may reduce the life expectancy of today’s generation of children. Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity offers healthy eating and physical activity strategies for local, state, and federal governments to consider…Read More

America’s Energy Future Wins 2010 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Titles Award

Americas Energy FutureAmerica’s Energy Future: Technology and Transformation was selected by Choice Magazine as one of 2010’s Outstanding Academic Titles. The book is a joint effort of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Research Council, and represents the culmination of the first phase of the America’s Energy Future Project. The authoring committee, chaired by Harold Shapiro of Princeton University, features the leading experts in energy today, including Steven Chu, current United States Secretary of Energy.

Every year Choice, a magazine published by the American Library Association, announces a list of Outstanding Academic Titles that were reviewed during the previous calendar year. This prestigious list reflects the best in scholarly titles reviewed by Choice and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic library community. In awarding Outstanding Academic Titles, the editors apply several criteria to reviewed titles:

  • overall excellence in presentation and scholarship
  • importance relative to other literature in the field
  • distinction as a first treatment of a given subject in book or electronic form
  • originality or uniqueness of treatment
  • value to undergraduate students
  • importance in building undergraduate library collections

America’s Energy Future joins another National Academies Press book, Taking Science to School, on this prestigious list of award winners.

America’s Energy Future analyzes the potential of a wide range of technologies for generation, distribution, and conservation of energy. The book considers energy efficiency, coal-fired power generation, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative transportation fuels. It offers a detailed assessment of the associated impacts and projected costs of implementing each technology and categorizes them into three time frames for implementation.

Other titles in the America’s Energy Future collection include:

You can find more information about Choice magazine and the Outstanding Academic Titles Awards here.

America’s Energy Future is available for purchase here. The entire series of America’s Energy Future titles can be purchased as a set here.