Today in Science History

On April 4, 1983, the Challenger Space Shuttle embarked on its maiden voyage into space. This launch marked NASA’s second ever space shuttle that propelled into orbit. To celebrate this landmark in history, we are featuring a collection of our top reports in Space and Aeronautics.

Enjoy!

 

Solar and Space Physics

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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society454 pages | Paperback | Price: $60.30From the interior of the Sun, to the upper atmosphere and near-space environment of Earth, and outward to a region far beyond Pluto where the Sun’s influence wanes, advances during the past decade in space physics and solar physics–the disciplines NASA… [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]
Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts

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Severe Space Weather Events–Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report144 pages | Paperback | Price: $31.50The adverse effects of extreme space weather on modern technology–power grid outages, high-frequency communication blackouts, spacecraft anomalies–are well known and well documented, and the physical processes underlying space weather are also generally… [more]
Earth Science and Applications from Space

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Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond456 pages | Paperback | Price: $41.40Natural and human-induced changes in Earth’s interior, land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans affect all aspects of life. Understanding these changes requires a range of observations acquired from land-, sea-, air-, and space-based platforms. To… [more]
Research for a Future in Space

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Research for a Future in Space: The Role of Life and Physical Sciences32 pages | Paperback | Price: $0.90During its more than 50-year history, NASA’s success in human space exploration has depended on the agency’s ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical sciences, and related obstacles. This achievement is made possible by… [more]
An Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars

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An Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars130 pages | Paperback | Price: $29.47Three recent developments have greatly increased interest in the search for life on Mars. The first is new information about the Martian environment including evidence of a watery past and the possibility of atmospheric methane. The second is the possibility of… [more]
The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems

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The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems116 pages | Paperback | Price: $27.22The search for life in the solar system and beyond has to date been governed by a model based on what we know about life on Earth (terran life). Most of NASA’s mission planning is focused on locations where liquid water is possible and emphasizes searches for… [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]
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]
Preparing for the High Frontier

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Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era104 pages | Paperback | Price: $33.30As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) retires the Space Shuttle and shifts involvement in International Space Station (ISS) operations, changes in the role and requirements of NASA’s Astronaut Corps will take place. At the request of… [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]