He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.Or does he?An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

    Less than 20 years after its founding, it boasts the largest constellation of commercial satellites in orbit, has pioneered reusable rockets, and in 2020 became the first private company to launch human beings into orbit. Half a century after the space race it is private companies, led by SpaceX, standing alongside NASA pushing forward into the cosmos, and laying the foundation for our exploration of other worlds.But before it became one of the most powerful players in the aerospace industry, SpaceX was a fledgling startup, scrambling to develop a single workable rocket before the money ran dry. The engineering challenge was immense; numerous other private companies had failed similar attempts. And even if SpaceX succeeded, they would then have to compete for government contracts with titans such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who had tens of thousands of employees and tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. SpaceX had fewer than 200 employees and the relative pittance of $100 million in the bank.In Liftoff, Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica, takes readers inside the wild early days that made SpaceX. Focusing on the company’s first four launches of the Falcon 1 rocket, he charts the bumpy journey from scrappy underdog to aerospace pioneer. We travel from company headquarters in El Segundo, to the isolated Texas ranchland where they performed engine tests, to Kwajalein, the tiny atoll in the Pacific where SpaceX launched the Falcon 1. Berger has reported on SpaceX for more than a decade, enjoying unparalleled journalistic access to the company’s inner workings. Liftoff is the culmination of these efforts, drawing upon exclusive interviews with dozens of former and current engineers, designers, mechanics, and executives, including Elon Musk. The enigmatic Musk, who founded the company with the dream of one day settling Mars, is the fuel that propels the book, with his daring vision for the future of space.Filled with never-before-told stories of SpaceX’s turbulent beginning, Liftoff is a saga of cosmic proportions.

    There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.

    At least two advanced, intelligent species evolved on the planet, but no one is waiting for them in orbit. Dali Patel has to figure out why. Any breakdown in communication could lead to war.FIRST CONTACT is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.

    Little did Van realize, the old man's tales were more than fiction. They were real.Hidden beneath the old barn, Van’s legacy is waiting: a starship, not of this world.With his combat AI, an android bird named Perry, Van takes his first steps into the wider galaxy. He soon finds that space is far busier and more dangerous than he could have ever conceived.Destiny is calling. His grandfather's legacy awaits.

    Now, he only wants to spend some time at his grandfather's mountain cabin so he can unwind, away from the drudgery of daily life and with a cold beer in his hands. Standing in his way is an ancient spaceship with an emotional AI, nanites that have invaded his body, an international crime syndicate, a suicidal FBI agent on a vigilante mission, terrorists... and that’s just the beginning. What can one man do when faced with insurmountable odds? Call it quits? Or… call some of his old army buddies and blow those obstacles to smithereens?Can he become more than he had ever dreamed, reaching further than any man before? Staying under the radar of the powers that be while righting a few wrongs of the modern world. He is sure of three things:1. He really doesn’t want to follow the rules anymore... aside from his own.2. Space is the ultimate frontier, and he had been given a turnkey technology to reach it—if they let him.3. Those that want to hurt him and the people he cares about will rue the day they were born. You do not always get what you wish for… sometimes, you get a hell of a lot more.

    The risk to his friends at the academy is the hidden price. His challenge is how to balance the risks.The final stage of his training is a shakedown cruise on an old minesweeper, barely able to achieve FTL entry and exit.Midway through their cruise, the minesweeper collides with an ancient alien wreck, ripping the sides off the starship. Jack’s team of bots help seal the combined wreck to prevent air loss. Ghost, a nanolife form from the alien wreck, provides assistance.Jack and his girlfriend, Sofia, are the only survivors, and air, food, and supplies are critical.The countdown of days to survive is ticking.No wonder the Royal Family are angry.And there’s still a price on Jack’s head.

    April 12, 1961. A top secret rocket site in the USSR. A young Russian sits inside a tiny capsule on top of the Soviet Union’s most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile—originally designed to carry a nuclear warhead—and blasts into the skies. His name is Yuri Gagarin. And he is about to make history. Travelling at almost 18,000 miles per hour—ten times faster than a rifle bullet—Gagarin circles the globe in just 106 minutes. From his windows he sees the earth as nobody has before, crossing a sunset and a sunrise, crossing oceans and continents, witnessing its beauty and its fragility. While his launch begins in total secrecy, within hours of his landing he has become a world celebrity – the first human to leave the planet. Beyond tells the thrilling story behind that epic flight on its 60th anniversary. It happened at the height of the Cold War as the US and USSR confronted each other across an Iron Curtain. Both superpowers took enormous risks to get a man into space first, the Americans in the full glare of the media, the Soviets under deep cover. Both trained their teams of astronauts to the edges of the endurable. In the end the race between them would come down to the wire.Drawing on extensive original research and the vivid testimony of eyewitnesses, many of whom have never spoken before, Stephen Walker unpacks secrets that were hidden for decades and takes the reader into the drama of one of humanity’s greatest adventures – to the scientists, engineers and political leaders on both sides, and above all to the American astronauts and their Soviet rivals battling for supremacy in the heavens.

    Now available as a complete 5-book boxed set.From book one:Hudson Powell had always been a drifter, but after his father died, he vowed to turn his life around. He quit freelancing as a starship pilot and joined the Relic Guardian Force as a 38-year-old rookie.That was a big mistake.The RGF police the alien wrecks that have been found on every portal world discovered in the last century. They make sure the relic hunters pay taxes on the priceless alien tech they scavenge from the hulks. The snag is that the RGF is corrupt. And Hudson’s training officer Logan Griff is the worst scumbag of the lot.Pushed over the edge, Hudson stumbles upon the exhilarating world of the relic hunters and meets the equally intoxicating and deadly mercenary Tory Bellona.Cast out from the RGF, Hudson Powell chooses a new path. But the discovery of a unique alien crystal will set events in motion that cannot be undone. People stopped asking where the alien hulks had come from. People stopped asking who created the portals, and why.Hudson will discover that some alien relics are best left buried. One decision can change the course of an entire civilization. One discovery can change your life.◆◆◆The series includes:Guardian OutcastOrion RisesGoliath EmergesUnion’s EndThe Last Revocater

    Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared—and Idris and his kind became obsolete.Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It's clearly the work of the Architects—but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

    He couldn’t have been more wrong.A routine inspection of a small merchant vessel leads to devastating loss and the discovery of strange, fascinating objects.As astonishing discoveries unfold, a mysterious and hostile ship proves that Samson has a competitor in unlocking the secrets of an ancient alien civilisation, and that humanity might not be alone in the galaxy after all.

    President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA’s first flights into space. Her contributions to America’s space program were celebrated in a blockbuster and Academy-award nominated movie.In this memoir, Katherine shares her personal journey from child prodigy in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia to NASA human computer. In her life after retirement, she served  as a beacon of light for her family and community alike.  Her story is centered around the basic tenets of her life—no one is better than you, education is paramount, and asking questions can break barriers. The memoir captures the many facets of this unique woman: the curious “daddy’s girl,” pioneering professional, and sage elder. This multidimensional portrait is also the record of a century of racial history that reveals the influential role educators at segregated schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities played in nurturing the dreams of trailblazers like Katherine. The author pays homage to her mentor—the African American professor who inspired her to become a research mathematician despite having his own dream crushed by racism. Infused with the uplifting wisdom of a woman who handled great fame with genuine humility and great tragedy with enduring hope, My Remarkable Journey ultimately brings into focus a determined woman who navigated tough racial terrain with soft-spoken grace—and the unrelenting grit required to make history and inspire future generations.

    Humanity’s fate leaves him no choice—until their ship stumbles onto a legendary lost warship and the remains of a failed plan to save all mankind…

    She has buried more secrets than she’s dug up. Widowed in the recently ended twelve year war between Capitoline and Palantine, she now makes a living as an independent tagger in border space.Captain Liam Kimani could be credited with ending the latest royal war. Instead, he’s blamed for it. Dirty commoners aren’t meant to lay their hands on royalty.He has no regrets.When Liam and his crew of the battlecruiser RC Genghis Khan are exiled to Capitoline’s border they discover that life in unexplored space can be more dangerous than war, and that their best chance of survival lies with a mysterious, elusive tagger.The only problem is that Nora’s secrets might destroy the precarious stability of the entire Human Sector.Astray is a fast-paced, enthralling space opera of lost societies, ancient aliens, rugged warriors and semi-legal pirates.

    A small team of humans fighting for all humanity.Built for a time when the races were just finding their way to the stars, finding that they could dominate others. The galactic conquests created the arms race and the ancients, the Progenitors had to protect their own. They built a ship to drive the others away.It worked. And it didn’t. The Progenitors abandoned the galaxy to the newcomers, leaving relics behind as monuments to their failure.Humanity spread to the stars and ran headlong into the established races. A new war begins, and no one conducts war better than humanity except for the Blaze Collective.The two go head-to-head while humanity frantically searches for something to give them an advantage. Ancient technology. The derelicts scattered across the galaxy. Gutted and useless.Except for one, hidden in plain sight, close to Earth. Major Declan Payne takes his team aboard to find that the ship is no derelict, and it needs him as much as humanity needs it.Battleship: Leviathan. A Doomsday Weapon whose only goal is peace.

    As much as she tries to quell her nerves, she can't shake the feeling she's going to die. She feels as though she's never going to leave the Intrepid alive—and she's right.

    

    Backmatter provides more information about each style and each planet.An Imprint Book

    

    In this thought-provoking follow-up to his acclaimed StarTalk book, uber astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world's most important philosophical questions about the universe with wit, wisdom, and cutting-edge science.For science geeks, space and physics nerds, and all who want to understand their place in the universe, this enlightening new book from Neil deGrasse Tyson offers a unique take on the mysteries and curiosities of the cosmos, building on rich material from his beloved StarTalk podcast.In these illuminating pages, illustrated with dazzling photos and revealing graphics, Tyson and co-author James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia--How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone?--and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.Populated with paradigm-shifting discoveries that help explain the building blocks of astrophysics, this relatable and entertaining book will engage and inspire readers of all ages, bring sophisticated concepts within reach, and offer a window into the complexities of the cosmos.For all who loved National Geographic''s StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and Space Atlas, this new book will take them on more journeys into the wonders of the universe and beyond.

    Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter — all with a new spin informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek.One of the leading physicists of her generation, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is also one of fewer than one hundred Black American women to earn a PhD from a department of physics. Her vision of the cosmos is vibrant, buoyantly non-traditional, and grounded in Black feminist traditions.Prescod-Weinstein urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is rife with racism, sexism, and other dehumanizing systems. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society that begins with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. The Disordered Cosmos dreams into existence a world that allows everyone to tap into humanity’s wealth of knowledge about the wonders of the universe.

    If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing.On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."

    The enemy warships are seemingly invulnerable and able to act with impunity, killing and destroying at will. Billions of lives are at risk, along with the new technology the Kilvar have come to steal.Against this opponent, the years of preparation seem useless. And yet…the alliance military has plenty of veterans who never learned how to give up.Lieutenant James Vance – a soldier of many past conflicts - thinks he’s seen the worst of the universe. The Kilvar will prove him wrong.Captain William Flint – his heavy cruiser Loadout is about to come face-to-face with an enemy he can’t possibly overcome.Fleet Admiral Carl Recker is the most decorated officer in the alliance. All his experience may not be enough to handle what lies ahead.Hardened by years on the frontline and endless past conflicts, humanity and the Daklan must figure out a way to defeat the Kilvar. The solution will, perhaps, be far more deadly than the enemy. With new technology comes new risks, and what the alliance has discovered may well be the most terrible weapon of all.Dark of the Void is a traditional-style science fiction action adventure and the first in the Forged Alliance series. Inside this book, a reader will find space combat, ground combat, ruthless aliens, incredible tech and lots more.Author’s Note: Forged Alliance is set twelve years after the Savage Stars series of books. Dark of the Void is welcoming to new readers, with no requirement to read the first series, but if you want to learn the history of this universe, by all means start with the Savage Stars Book 1: War from a Distant Sun.

    

    You think you know what happened. You do not.On the morning of January 28, 1986, NASA’s space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Christa McAuliffe, America’s “Teacher in Space,” was instantly killed, along with the other six members of the mission. Right? Wrong.Thirty-five years after NASA’s revitalization program literally went up in smoke, Kevin Cook uncovers the untold story of the disastrous order to launch on an ice-cold Florida day. For the first time, he takes readers inside the shuttle for those agonizing two minutes and forty-five seconds after the fire, which, yes, some of the astronauts survived.But this is more than a simple corrective to a now-dimming memory. Centering on McAuliffe, a charmingly ordinary civilian on the cusp of history, The Burning Blue animates the mission’s colorful cast of characters, which featured the second female astronaut (who was also the first Jewish astronaut), the second Black one, and the first Asian-American and Buddhist in space. Drawing intimate portraits of the people wearing the spacesuits and detailing how they earned the right to suit up, Cook makes readers temporarily forget the tragedy toward which the tale is hurtling. Infused with drama, immediacy, and compelling characters, The Burning Blue reveals the human price paid for politics and capital-P Progress on that ill-fated, unforgettable morning.

    But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet.

    

    Every night the girl reassures her friend that she is still there.As the years pass, the girl learns everything she can about planets, space, and the universe, inspired by her dimming friend—until she realizes she needs to do something more.This touching tribute to stars, space, and science celebrates how a small act of compassion can flourish into a life full of meaning and wonder.

    They and their fellow captives rebelled and commandeered their slave ship to begin new lives as free males and females. Many of their friends have mated and now walk the halls of the ship freely demonstrating how deeply in love they are. Why are Maddie and Stryker still enduring an uneasy truce as they share friends-with-benefits status?StrykerMaddie was traumatized the day our owners tossed her into my cell. In the face of my discomfort and her terror, I managed to see her courage and strength. I fell in love with her that day and have remained by her side as much as she’ll allow. I think she knows how I feel. Why won’t she let down her barriers and allow me in?MaddieHe’s the finest male I’ve ever known—kind, caring, and gentle despite his size. That’s why I keep him at arms’ length. Soon my depression is going to return with the force of a tsunami. I don’t want to hurt him any more than I already have. Besides, how can anyone love me when there are days I struggle just to get out of bed?Publisher’s Note: This standalone 20K word novella deals with the powerful theme of depression. Best-selling, Pinnacle award-winning author Alana Khan was a psychotherapist before she began her writing career. She deals with this difficult theme with sensitivity, however dark emotions, as well as explicit sex scenes, are portrayed in this book.You are guaranteed a true love story with a supportive hero and struggling female. You’ll find no cheating and a happy ever after, but, alas, no magical cures.

    One vicious attack destroys it all.Reservist Lieutenant Justin Spencer loves every minute of flying fighters through space during his annual two-week tour with the Coalition Defense Force. The job back home isn’t nearly as thrilling as blowing up asteroids with the squadron under his command, but it keeps him close to his wife and daughter. After all, joining the CDF was only for the free education. Justin never expected a battle, much less a war.With one shot across his cockpit, peacetime fades into memory.An unexpected enemy emerges with overwhelming force designed to obliterate the Terran Coalition. The League of Sol has a different name, but it’s the same communist regime that chased away much of Earth’s population hundreds of years ago.Illusions of returning home are shattered in a single instant. Simulated battles become all too real, and it’s full-on engagement or permanent elimination. Death and destruction erupt across the Terran Coalition and leave Justin in a protracted war with only one truth remaining.The battlefield will leave no one unscathed.

    Can they keep their hands off each other long enough to survive lecherous villains, dangerous explosions, and a dwindling air supply?MelodieThran can’t take his eyes off me. Because of what I’ve been through, I spend most of my time avoiding him....until we’re ordered on an undercover assignment to earn enough credits to feed our little band of liberated slaves for the next three months.Neither of us anticipated being stranded in space or for the heat between us to crackle hotter than a thousand suns. His kisses take my breath away and his touch lights my skin on fire. What was it I hated about him anyway?ThranIt was supposed to be a quick in and out to Aeon II to steal some info and sell it to the highest bidder. When everything goes wrong, I know there’s one way to fix it. Even though Melodie hates me, I’d give my life to save hers.Welcome to Pinnacle Award winning author Alana Khan’s new Sanctuary series. A cadre of hunky alien gladiators and a cast of abducted human females collide in all the best ways. Khan brings her trademark brand of romance with pulse-pounding action + three-dimensional characters + sizzling sensuality to a new planet. One-click to join Thran and Melodie to start your journey today.This standalone romance contains no cheating and guarantees a happily ever after. For readers 18+.

    A mindless alien race has swept across the colonies, consuming structures and people along the way. As humanity stands on the brink of destruction, we have one hope to preserve what’s left of our culture and very lives. The Passage.One of the greatest scientific achievements of humanity, a gateway that will hyper-accelerate our faster than light drives so we can cover an unimaginable distance. A new home waits beyond, one far from our aggressors. But can we escape the desolation of our old empire before it’s too late?

    An interplanetary detective, Oppy spent 15 years on the red planet taking thousands of pictures and making groundbreaking discoveries that she transmitted to scientists and engineers back on Earth. From joyriding on Olympus Mons, to racing away from a treacherous dust storm, Oppy's adventure in space--combined with her grit and perseverance--will inspire and educate young readers of all ages.

    After breaking his bonds and stealing an escape pod, he crash lands in remote Idaho. When Lumina rescues him, their bodies communicate beautifully, but with translator troubles, could he ever grow to trust her? Lumina It’s been ninety years since the last man was born on Earth. When the government allows three alien species to help us repopulate, I set my sights on a Draalian male. It felt like winning the lottery when one literally fell from the sky. What should have been a dream turns into a nightmare when I’m stranded in a remote cave with the galaxy’s most pissed off male. Because of our language barrier, I don’t understand why this intriguing male is so angry, but under the covers our bodies speak eloquently. Zoriss Not only was I abducted and brought to another planet, my stasis capsule malfunctioned. Instead of drifting into unconsciousness, I stayed awake for three interminable months unable to move or even scratch an itch. There was a lot of time to think during my journey, but only one thought pulsed through my mind. Revenge!Although I want to blame her, Lumina’s gentle touch and affection soften my heart, and her passion sets me on fire. Learning my brother is in peril, I have to rescue him. Must I choose between my brother and the woman I’ve grown to love?Love on Impact, written by Pinnacle Award winning, bestselling author, Alana Khan, is part of a collaboration of authors collectively known as Cosmic Kissed. This book has no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.Also by Alana Khan, Love Uncaged depicts Zoriss’s brother’s adventures as he flees imprisonment and embarks on an adventurous road trip with his lady love and a cadre of armed sexbots to search for his brother. Both books can be read in any order.Publisher’s Note: There are sensual, graphic sex scenes throughout the book. Intended for readers 18+.

    Expanded with never before seen works of art, this new edition delves deeper than ever into the sci-fi saga that changed video games forever.Contains extensive new material from the DLCs for all three games--including the award-winning "Lair of the Shadow Broker" from Mass Effect 2 and the fan-favorite "Citadel" from Mass Effect 3.Experience the evolution of the aliens, planets, ships, and technology that define this iconic science fiction universe, as the developers who brought BioWare's masterpiece to life take you from the earliest design sketches through to the meticulous final renders.Brimming with concept art and commentary, this expanded edition is the ultimate companion to one of the greatest series in the history of gaming!

    Committed to her extraordinary mission, life on that little blue planet feels a bit irrelevant. That is until she meets Dr. Carter.Dr. Daphne Carter’s exemplary two-decade tenure studying astronauts has come to an exciting climax, as she prepares to venture to space for the very first time. A woman of science, Daphne is all work and no play, but while collaborating alongside the beautiful and charming Ruby, she finds herself beginning to unravel.The two can’t deny it. There’s chemistry between them, as hot as the ignited rocket engines on a space shuttle. As perfect as they may seem for one another, their secret romance brings back pieces of a past Daphne fought desperately to forget, and threatens the careers that she and Ruby have worked their entire lives for…

    She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership.Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.

    They are found on the Moon, where fifty-six miles of car tracks lie nearly perfectly preserved, etched into the lunar landscape almost exactly as they were left nearly a half-century ago. The ends of these trails mark the farthest extremes to which mankind has ventured, the limits of a species that was born to wander.The tracks were left by crews of the last three manned missions to the Moon—Apollos 15, 16, and 17. Over the decades since, the achievements of these astronauts have dimmed in the shadow cast by the first Moon landing, Apollo 11. But as Earl Swift brilliantly uncovers, in so many ways the earlier missions were but a prelude for the final acts; for while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trod a chunk of flat lunar plain smaller than a football field, the final three Apollos each commanded a mountainous area the size of Manhattan—traveling miles across the broken, desolate lunar surface, conducting experiments, and collecting more than a quarter-ton of prized geologic samples. Often treated as little more than historical footnotes, they were the true explorers of the Moon. And they succeeded for one very American reason: they drove.So-called “Moon cars” had been the stuff of science fiction since before the Wright brothers flew. But it was only after World War II that engineers and scientists took up the challenge of how to move astronauts and equipment across extraterrestrial landscapes. The result was the Lunar Roving Vehicle—a true engineering marvel that was developed piecemeal through the late 1950s and 1960s, deployed on the final three Apollo missions, and revolutionized the exploration of the moon.In this fast-moving exploration of the lunar rover and the scientific discoveries it enabled, Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of the rover, designed it, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the lunar surface. Finally shining a deserved spotlight on these overlooked yet crucial missions and the fascinating characters involved in them, Across the Airless Wilds is a celebration of human genius, perseverance, and daring.

    Using the insights of great mathematicians and endlessly observing the sky, he succeeded in confirming two things that altered human life forever: that there are more galaxies than our own, and that the universe is always expanding. Hubble’s message to us is to find peace in the vastness of the mystery surrounding us, and to be curious. “We do now know why we are born into the world,” he said, “but we can try to find out what sort of world it is.”

    Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work. Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross's journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. In addition, the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.

    And jokes.At 19 years old, Denver is the youngest wrecker in the verse. His only companion, other than his one-eyed cat Pirate, is an AI navigator named Gary based on classic 21st century sitcom personalities.That all changes when Denver meets Batista, a mechanic who claims to know what happened to Denver’s missing father and brother.Following her information, Denver is drawn into trouble with the various forces in the galaxy — bandits, feds and rival wreckers. As complications mount and he’s forced into helping different sides chase the hottest technology in the verse, Denver, once a lone wolf, collects the small crew he never knew he needed. But can he keep them alive?

    Soon, he's living as "Hiro" the mercenary, with a tricked-out spaceship and a babe on each arm! There are space pirates to fight, girls to rescue, and trouble to get into (and hopefully out of). Hiro is going to live his new life to the fullest!

    Planet Marvelous. Favorite sibling of Earth (or so he claims). Sometimes they're close (just 34.5 million miles apart). Sometimes they need space (250 million miles apart)! Earth and Mars have a lot in common--clouds, mountains, polar icecaps. And while Earth has Earthlings, Mars makes a persuasive case for why people should make the journey to spend time with him. His day is 7 minutes longer! He is home to the largest volcano in the whole solar system. He's, well, marvelous.

    Greatest Britain: For a Global Universe.Agent Isaac Steele has problems. He spends all his splibs on drink and drugs. He has some deep-seated and very much unresolved issues with his parents. And his robotic partner at Greatest Britain’s Department of Clarification, Dr Timothy Stephens, is ruled more by his heart than his hard drive. But all these issues take a back seat when Isaac stumbles upon a case involving the most sensitive information in the cosmos - a Never File, inaccessible to all except those with the highest clearance. He is expressly forbidden to involve himself. So naturally he does. So begins an investigation that will take him across the Discovered Universe, into the path of the mysterious Forever Man, and eventually to answers about his past. Along the way, he will have to contend with aliens, robots, monsters, bureaucrats and, perhaps most deadly of all, his own numerous flaws. Written and narrated by Daniel Rigby (Flowers, Black Mirror), not since The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy have listeners been offered such a joyful, anarchic and insightful universe. Contains strong language

    Ocean levels rise a dozen meters, and forest fires rage on a global scale. Eleven billion people dying of thirst wage water wars against each other as extinction looms.Humanity needs a new planet. As Earth deteriorates, the nation states desperately work together to build a mechanism for recolonization. And so the Magellan II is born, the first starship capable of interstellar travel.The future of the human race is tasked to ten thousand colonists-now homeless but for the vastness of space and the decks of Magellan II. A distant planet offers hope of survival, but it's a strange, watery world inhabited by giant reptiles.Humanity is starting over, but survival isn't guaranteed.

    So when the government--the StarLeague--shows up, Trouble figures it's time to flee.Changing from blob of goo form, to adorable puppy form, to human boy form, Trouble stows away on the Hindsight, a ship crewed by the best navigators and engineers in the galaxy, led by the fearsome Captain Astra. When Trouble is discovered, the captain decides to be nice--instead of tossing them out an airlock, she'll drop Trouble off at the next space station.As the ship travels, Trouble uses the time to figure out how to be a good human boy, and starts to feel safe. But when a young StarLeague cadet shows up to capture Trouble, things get complicated, especially when Trouble reveals a shapeshifter form that none of them could have expected. Soon a chase across the galaxy begins. Safety, freedom, and home are at stake, and not just for Trouble.

    It will tear you down to your weakest. Stalking you, hunting you, and when you are near death, it will pounce.Here, on this dismal dark planet, fear is everywhere. It skulks through the shadows, thriving when you let your guard down.We don’t expect to live past the first day here. Those who survived the crash will be casualties of the dangers that lurk in this strange world. We will end up victims to the abyss.But then, in the dark, there is a flash of light.Fire.And then they come for us.He comes for us.And though he lives amongst the fear—born to it—he is not afraid.He steals me from the abyss and claims me as his own.I am human, and this world craves my life.But he is ruthless and will not let it take me.Warning: This story ends in a cliffhanger. It is the beginning of a series with a slow-burn romance, darker themes, language, and possible triggers. It is intended for audiences 18 years and older.

    Our uniqueness is what makes us stand out and makes us who we are. You can not judge someone on something you can see or even on the things you can not see.We are all special. We are all unique. We are all 'different; not less'.A collection of true stories about inspiring people and famous figures from around the world, all who are physically or neurologically diverse. Reflective of our diverse society, this anthology features figures including Simone Biles, Naoki Higashida, Temple Grandin, Warwick Davis, Sudha Chandran, Stephen Hawking and Frida Kahlo.

    Vera Rubin was one of the astronomers who discovered and named dark matter, the thing that keeps the universe hanging together. Throughout her career she was never taken seriously as a scientist because she was one of the only female astronomers at that time, but she didn’t let that stop her. She made groundbreaking and incredibly significant discoveries that scientists have only recently been able to really appreciate—and she changed the way that we look at the universe.

    

    On either side of their cell are two alien prisoners who both seem to have a thing to staring at Luc. Oh and everyone’s naked.Then comes the moment when escape is possible, and Luc makes the decision to free Bolaico and Teranu in the hopes that they know how to do more in outer space than he does. And boy do they! A fight through the ship, stealing a shuttle, and crash landing on a strange planet get the group of five away from their abductors…but now what?Following through on the idea that Luc could be the aliens’ thank you gift for all their help sees him giving into desires up in a tree and in a hot springs pool inside a cave. As time passes, and despite a language barrier with both aliens, Luc discovers he’s begun to care about his aliens. But do they feel the same?When their captors track them down and force a confrontation that includes the native population on this planet, their futures will be decided by the choices that they make. When Luc’s aliens have the chance to return to their lives, where does he fit in?

    Bruce McCandless II is the man in that spacesuit, and Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space is the thoroughly engrossing, extensively researched story of his inspiring life and groundbreaking accomplishments, as told by his son, a gifted writer and storyteller.Bruce McCandless II, a Navy fighter pilot, joined NASA in 1966. He was Houston’s capsule communicator—the person talking to the astronauts—as Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind in 1969. McCandless supported subsequent Apollo flights and developed technology and techniques his fellow astronauts used during the Skylab program, working behind the scenes until he was chosen to ride Challenger into space on the tenth shuttle mission. When he stepped into the cosmos to test the Manned Maneuvering Unit, he became a space flight icon. But the road to that incredible feat was not the sure bet it should have been for such a gifted man.Bruce McCandless II was an astronaut for 24 years, and his story encompasses the development of the space agency itself—the changes in focus, in personnel, in approach, and in the city of Houston that grew up with it.Wonders All Around is more than a catalogue of McCandless’s extraordinary achievements, which included work on the design, deployment, and repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is also a tale of perseverance and devotion.Recounted with insight and humor, this book explores the relationship between a father and a son, men of two very different generations. And finally, it is an exploration of the mindset of one unique individual, and the courage, imagination, and tenacity that propelled him and his country to their place in the forefront of space history. From Wonders All Around: "Bruce McCandless turned his Jeep around and screeched out of the cul-de-sac in front of our house for the ten-minute drive to the space center. The moon, a waxing crescent, was standing thirty degrees above the western horizon, and my father slipped into a sort of reverie as he sped toward it on NASA Road One. The moon floated serene and imperturbable in front of him like a black-and-white photograph of itself, Earth’s gravitational remora, her pale silent sister, movie star and legend, goddess and mirage. Bruce McCandless had just turned thirty-two. He was an engineer, a true son of science, a distant nephew of Sir Isaac Newton. He knew the formulas required for achieving orbital velocity, could tell you the fuel mixtures you needed, the stages and timing of rocket-booster separations. He brushed sentiments away like so many spider webs. But even he was having trouble believing that human beings—his colleagues and friends—were up there in the sky, getting ready to do something no one had ever done before. He was going to be part of it. He would be talking to two men as they walked on the moon. The young astronaut hadn’t quite reached his lifelong goal of touching the lunar surface, but he was close. He was almost there.He could feel it."

    An alien born from a race of dominant fighters and fierce hunters. He is as terrifying as he is mysterious. While also commanding, stubborn, unrelenting...and oddly mesmerizing.As her fear slips away, other emotions begin to take hold. And Grace finds she wants to know more.Xora just wants to get off the cold, watery world as quickly as possible. Yet, despite his indifference to humans, he finds his attention captured by Grace. Against his own nature, he allows her near him. Closer than anyone. He's just too...curious.For Grace, working with Xora could be dangerous. But when he desires her help on a secret mission, Grace can't refuse. Even if it could mean putting her job and life (and heart) at risk.For Xora, Grace's help could be his best chance at getting home. Assuming he can keep his growing feelings for the bold woman from making him lose sight of why he's on Oceanus in the first place.Xora is a standalone novel. Vrisha Warriors is a new series based in the Dark World Mates Universe. For better understanding and enjoyment of the universe, it is best to read books 1 - 4 in the Dark World Mates series starting with Heart's Prisoner. This book contains mature themes and is for mature readers only.

    All three astronauts were experienced pilots and had dreams of one day walking on the moon, but little did they know, nor did anyone else, that once they entered the spacecraft that cold winter day they would never leave it alive. The Apollo program would be perilously close to failure before it ever got off the ground. But rather than dooming the space program, this tragedy caused the spacecraft to be completely overhauled, creating a stellar flying machine to achieve the program’s primary goal: putting man on the moon. Apollo 1 is a candid portrayal of the astronauts, the disaster that killed them, and its aftermath. In it, readers will learn: How the Apollo 1 spacecraft was doomed from the start, with miles of uninsulated wiring and tons of flammable materials in a pure oxygen atmosphere, along with a hatch that wouldn’t open How, due to political pressure, the government contract to build the Apollo 1 craft went to a bidder with an inferior plan How public opinion polls were beginning to turn against the space control before the tragedy and got much worse after Apollo 1 is about America fulfilling its destiny of man setting foot on the moon. It’s also about the three American heroes who lost their lives in the tragedy, but whose lives were not lost in vain.

    It got a karaoke DJ.Leo MacGavin is not the brightest specimen of humanity. But when he inadvertently rescues a flirty alien heiress, he’s promoted from second-rate lounge entertainer to captain of the galaxy’s most sophisticated cruise ship.Before he can flee in terror, a human-hating executive gives Leo an ultimatum—complete the vessel’s maiden voyage or mankind’s last colony will be turned into a sewage dump. To make matters worse, a militant cyborg is undermining his authority, a giant spider is terrifying the passengers, and a sentient plant keeps stealing all the beer.If Leo ever wants to see his home again, he’ll have to keep the guests happy through seven days of onboard antics and madcap shore excursions. As strange malfunctions tear the ship apart, can he hold his rag-tag crew together, or will he flush the last bastion of humanity down the crapper?

    A bestseller in the making.All I have to do is mate with an alien warrior, track down a mysterious beast, and befriend the other Brides then betray their trust. To get here, I signed a contract that gives my new mate the right to punish me when I break his rules.Big mistake. Turns out he doesn’t like being deceived.I’ve gone undercover before, writing about child labor in third-world countries, greedy corporations plundering the Amazon rainforest. I poured my heart and soul into my work—and got ignored. People don’t buy books that make them feel guilty and powerless. They want a big dose of sex with their scandals.This time I’m going for the money. A new world touted as a paradise, with a savage beast lurking in the shadows. Human females lured into becoming breeders. Sex slaves punished at the whim of stern alien masters. Age play, menage—rumor has it anything goes on Centauri. That’s why I volunteered for the BridesP rogram. I’m taking notes, interviewing everyone I can.My alien mate seems like a nice guy, even if his skin is a weird color. He believes in honor, decency, mating for life—and telling the truth. When he found out I’d been planning all along to leave at the end of the trial period, he was upset, to put it mildly.Bad news—I’m stuck here for 30 days.Good news—I have lots of new material for my chapter on getting punished by an alien warrior.Centauri Brides is a brand-new series, a spinoff from the #1 bestselling Centauri Captives novels. Each book is a standalone featuring masterful alien warriors and the strong, smart Earth women who fall in love with them. Women who have the knowledge and skills to build a brand-new world. As always, USA Today Bestselling Authors Kallista Dane and Kate Richards promise an HEA in every story.

    Aarti sees the Big Dipper, but Usha sees the Big DIGGER. And cousin Gloria sees the Big Kite! Could they all be right? A playful introduction to geometry and spatial relationships, featuring Indian American characters and a note about cultures and constellations.Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education non-profit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

      In the constellation of Eridanus, there lurks a cosmic mystery: It’s as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe. But what is the culprit? The hole in the universe is just one of many puzzles keeping cosmologists busy. Supermassive black holes, bubbles of nothingness gobbling up space, monster universes swallowing others—these and many other bizarre ideas are being pursued by scientists. Due to breathtaking progress in astronomy, the history of our universe is now better understood than the history of our own planet. But these advances have uncovered some startling riddles. In this electrifying new book, renowned cosmologist and author Paul Davies lucidly explains what we know about the cosmos and its enigmas, exploring the tantalizing—and sometimes terrifying—possibilities that lie before us. As Davies guides us through the audacious research offering mind-bending solutions to these and other mysteries, he leads us up to the greatest outstanding conundrum of all: Why does the universe even exist in the first place? And how did a system of mindless, purposeless particles manage to bring forth conscious, thinking beings? Filled with wit and wonder, What’s Eating the Universe? is a dazzling tour of cosmic questions, sure to entertain, enchant, and inspire us all.

      What if you could have MILLIONS of them?   With this story-building book, you can tell your own space-inspired stories, over and over again. Just read the question and choose from the vibrant pictures on the page to create a new adventure.  The book is packed full of fun, silly and exciting things for the reader to choose from, including:Wearing an alien disguiseVisiting a planet made of cheeseTraveling with a band of singing cricketsBringing your pet rock along for the journeyBlasting off in a rocketMeeting a space pirateOnce you’ve finished, you can turn back to the start and make different choices to tell a completely new tale. There are millions of possible combinations and endless stories to be told! And can you find the cheeky penguin hidden on each page?

    

    The daughter of a recycling centre engineer. She spends her days salvaging in the scrap yards, hoping to save enough credits to fund a move to a more populated planet. After uncovering an old flight simulator among the scrap, Aristeia finds herself with a new goal. To become a pilot and claim the stars for her own. When her estranged mother, an admiral in the United Astrum Federations space fleet, presents her with the opportunity to achieve the one thing she wants most. Aristeia jumps at the chance to take the entrance exams for the fleet's most elite academy. Only if she passes her exams and basic training can she hope to join the pilot training program and one day reach the stars.

    Each story is rewritten to be appropriate for an older audience. Revisit best-loved figures from the series and some new ones, too, including Frida Kahlo, Coco Chanel, Maya Angelou, Amelia Earhart, David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, Elton John, John Lennon, Malala Yousafzai, Mindy Kaling, and Prince.Divided by profession, the treasury includes profiles of the world’s greatest artists, activists, writers, musicians, TV and film stars, scientists and sporting legends. A timeline, glossary, index and further reading provide even more to explore.This keepsake treasury makes the perfect gift for holidays, birthdays, and more.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

    Her best friend wills her his solo-flyer—call it a space motorcycle: temperamental, fast as hell, and expensive to maintain. Any reasonable person would sell it to get off the street, but Ki isn’t reasonable.Margot is a military vet at loose ends. She blows her entire back pay on a solo-flyer, a decision she instantly regrets but can’t bring herself to undo. Margot meets Ki and thinks she’s the sympathetic friend she needs when she feels most alone. Ki thinks Margot is an easy mark for food money. They’re both right, but lunch leads to a joy ride to planet Ratana, where Margot is arrested by border control.Ki enlists Ratanese local Zuleikah, a bored rich girl who can think of no stupider, and therefore better, way to spend her time than busting someone out of jail. Together they rescue Margot, but find themselves trapped on a hostile planet on the cusp of civil war.When Zuleikah convinces them that their best bet for escape is to kidnap—er, rescue—Prince Thane from his dreary role in the crumbling monarchy, it results in a chase across the desert and into the farthest reaches of the universe.If they can learn to trust each other, and if the repo men, cops, and three different galactic governments don’t catch them, the Galactic Hellcats might just use their solo-fliers to carve a place for themselves among the stars.

    After many years in space, one of the robot probes returning with samples from the farthest reaches of the solar system crashes on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, destroying a research station there. After contact with Ganymede is lost, a second sample reaches Earth, and quickly sets off a struggle for control of a substance that defies the understanding of all the world’s scientists.Amid the ensuing chaos, astronaut Rachel Ferreira and a team of leading scientists board a ship bound for Ganymede to discover the reason for the disturbing silence. They leave behind an Earth erupting in conflict, as a team of mercenaries struggles to get its hands on a possibly alien technology, in the process uncovering a conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the future.

    An unexpected romance. A galactic catastrophe in the making."Thrilling high-octane action, danger around every corner, and steamy romance" - K.C. Finn for Reader's Favorite ReviewsIn the furthest reaches of space, a cyber-thief with a heart of gold meets a ex-navy captain who refuses to be beaten. Though they’re from opposite ends of the galaxy, fate slams these two men together in desperate bid to stop a race of elitist cannibals from destroying all these men hold dear. But their foe is not the only danger our two heroes face – an Allure that whispers promises of rapture, and destruction. If our heroes give in, they lose, if they give up, they lose … and the fate of the galaxy rests in the balance.In the spirit of high-space adventure, with a touch of charming romance, Allure of Oartheca is a love song to the science fiction genre, placing two men who love men at the forefront of a battle of their past, their present, and – if they’re brave enough, if they’re bold enough – their future. Come share an adventure full of authentic, one-of-a-kind characters, fantastic new worlds, rich imagination and genuine hope in the face of heart-pounding action.Join the adventure in Allure of Oartheca, and discover how hatred and war are not the only ways to destruction.Advisory: this book contains scenes of explicit male/male romance, sex and sexuality, and is recommended only for readers ages 18+.

    Amendola, Joe Lansdale, John Scalzi, Ken Liu, Kirsten Cross, Marko Kloos, Michael Swanwick, Peter F. Hamilton, Steven Lewis, and Vitaliy Shushko

    The narrative weaves together Johnson's personal story, her influence on her daughters' formative years, her and her daughters' fight for civil rights, and her lasting impact on NASA and space exploration.

    Now, pulled by a mysterious energy into this reality, she must work with the Doctors (Matt Smith and Paul McGann) to end the tyrannical rule of the warmongering Bad Wolf Empress.

    But curious earthlings want to know more. Does Mars have deserts? Volcanos? Or signs of life? Could people live there someday?Scientists decided to take a closer look. They built a powerful camera called the HiRise (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) and loaded it onto a rocket. The rocket blasted off on August 12, 2005, and seven months later, the camera began orbiting Mars. It sent back astounding, revealing photos showing the world what Mars really is.Suzanne Slade leads readers through some of these photos taken by the most advanced camera ever sent to another planet. A visual journey for space enthusiasts and STEAM fans that will expand readers' assumptions and understanding of Mars.

    Both are hobbies handed down from his father, which is bittersweet since his death two years ago. While his hydrodriver is great for repairing starship parts, his father’s old string instrument tugs at the latent grief Max hides from his mom and classmates with each chord he strums. When a foreign starship appears on the horizon, Azura welcomes their first tourist in years. Enter Mr. Hames, starship captain and space-brained traveler. But there’s something weird about the stranger-turned-substitute teacher. He has no idea how to teach and thinks enlisting a group of twelve-year-olds to become his starship “crew” is totally normal. Or maybe it’s the fact he keeps raving about the existence of alien creatures in the vacuum of space: star whales. As Max and the rest of Mr. Hames’s class/crew uncover the mysteries of the star whales, they discover they aren’t the only ones looking for the elusive creatures—and not every whaler has good intentions. Confronted with questions about his own father’s history with the star whales, Max must decide how far he’ll go to understand not only his father, but also the boy he’s become since his death . . . even at the expense of the star whales themselves.

    But what will it mean if those targets are achieved? One possibility is that fossil fuel companies will continue to produce billions of tons of atmospheric CO2 while relying on a symbiotic industry to scrub the air clean. Focusing on emissions draws our attention away from the real problem: the point of production. The fossil fuel industry must come to an end but will not depart willingly; governments must intervene. By embracing a politics of rural-urban coalitions and platform governance, climate advocates can build the political power needed to nationalize the fossil fuel industry and use its resources to draw carbon out of the atmosphere.

    Some are bright and famous, some shine so feebly you need a huge telescope. There are big stars, small stars, nearby stars and faraway stars. Some died a while ago, others have not even yet come into being. Collectively they tell the story of the whole world, according to Freistetter. There is Algol, for example, the Demon Star, whose strange behaviour has long caused people sleepless nights. And Gamma Draconis, from which we know that the earth rotates around its own axis. There is also the star sequence 61 Cygni, which revealed the size of the cosmos to us.Then there are certain stars used by astronomers to search for extra-terrestrial life, to explore interstellar space travel, or to explain why the dinosaurs became extinct.In 100 short, fascinating and entertaining chapters, Freistetter not only reveals the past and future of the cosmos, but also the story of the people who have tried to understand the world in which we live.

    But most of all is it a story about how we all search for meaning in pursuit and fulfillment of our dreams …

    Full of cat photos and whimsical illustrations!Sharper than a claw and more stunning than a phaser blast, The Book of Grudge’s Prime Directive features her take on everything from space travel to the proper care and training of an array of alien species, STAR TREK-inspired quotes, and haiku meditations on Grudge’s most favorite things, including napping and people (as long as they’re far enough away). Make no mistake, Cleveland Booker’s massive – and massively cool – cat, Grudge is no mundane mouser. This taciturn tabby is, in fact, “a Queen.” She knows it, and everyone aboard the Discovery knows it, too… though some realize it just a bit too late!

    More space opera than sci-fi. 18+ for violence, gore, and heat.

    You’ll whiz through space at more than 10 miles per second; learn how giant planet Jupiter helped the little spacecraft reach Pluto; and discover the astonishing surface feature that made the world fall in love with Pluto.

    But when Captain Elya Nevers gets shot down during the evacuation, his squadron and the admiral in charge have to think fast to rescue their pilot before the Kryl overrun the system.Fighting to survive in hostile territory, Captain Nevers discovers what the rampaging Overmind is really after—and it changes everything.An extinct species known as the Telos fled the galaxy eons ago. What caused them to vanish in such a hurry? And more importantly, what ancient relics of alien power did they leave behind?It’s fly or die in this space opera action adventure for fans of Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Honor Harrington, and Starcraft II.

    

    From planets and asteroids to black holes and galaxies, every page of this captivating book reveals the secrets behind more than 100 celestial objects. Get ready to explore fun facts and exciting new scientific discoveries!For centuries, the mysteries of space have captured our imaginations. This picture book will illuminate imaginations and spark curious minds to explore the vastness of space.Take your little astronaut on a journey from our planet out into the furthest reaches of the universe! Filled with gorgeous illustrations and incredible photography, young readers will be intrigued by the detailed close-up images of each celestial body.The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on facts, myths, and key discoveries about the universe. Explore the wonders of our solar system and beyond. This educational book also includes reference pages packed with fascinating information.Journey Through the Vastness of SpaceJoin us on an adventure across the universe, as we rocket to the stars! Discover 100 objects from the universe, arranged from the closest to our planet to the ones the furthest away. Storybook-style text and out-of-this-world pictures make this book perfect for an astronomical bedtime. It's also a fantastic gift for children who can't get enough of space.Grab your spacesuit and put your helmet on! Inside the pages of this adventure book, you'll find:- Beautiful illustrations and incredible photography that showcase the mysteries of space. - Discover 100 remarkable objects in the cosmos. - Engaging storybook-style descriptions that explain key discoveries about the universe.More to ExploreOnce you've discovered The Mysteries of the Universe, dive into the companion titles from this series from DK Books! The Wonders of Nature explores more than 100 items from the natural world and An Anthology of Intriguing Animals showcases animals around the world.

    Three astronauts in a tiny spaceship, a quarter million miles from home. A quarter million miles from help.NASA is about to launch Apollo 18. While the mission has been billed as a scientific one, flight controller Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis knows there is a darker objective. Intelligence has discovered a secret Soviet space station spying on America, and Apollo 18 may be the only chance to stop it.But even as Kaz races to keep the NASA crew one step ahead of their Russian rivals, a deadly accident reveals that not everyone involved is quite who they were thought to be. With political stakes stretched to the breaking point, the White House and the Kremlin can only watch as their astronauts collide on the lunar surface, far beyond the reach of law or rescue. Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists, and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders is a high-stakes thriller unlike any other. Chris Hadfield captures the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of space, and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour as only someone who has experienced all of these things in real life can. Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.

    Stella wants to be an astronaut. There is only one problem: Stella is an elephant. Every time she applies to Space Command, they come up with a new reason she can’t join. But where there’s a will, there’s a way and Stella is determined to reach for the stars. Does she have the right stuff?

    

    When his newest bounty hunting target turns out to be a small Child, the Mandalorian decides the Child must be protected at all costs. Relive all the excitement of the first season of the smash-hit streaming series in this action-packed junior novel by Joe Schreiber! Includes an insert of color photos from the show!

    America! Spectrum! Blue Marvel! Together, they form the ultimate super team, finding and fixing problems beyond the limits of the infinite! From cosmic forces lurking on Earth to whatever waits beyond the omniverse, the Ultimates start with the impossible — and take it from there! Their first task: ending the planet-eating threat of Galactus…forever! But spacetime is broken — and to solve that, the Ultimates can’t just think within the box. They need to go outside reality! But when they learn that Eternity itself has been chained, the team discovers a threat far larger and older than everything that exists! Can the Ultimates rise to the ultimate challenge, and save the very concept of reality from being absorbed and rewritten?COLLECTING: Ultimates (2015) 1-12; Ultimates 2 (2016) 1-9, 100; material from Avengers (2015) 0

    One was a famous astronaut—an instrumental part of the Apollo space program—but the other was just as much a warrior. This real-life love story is far from a fairy tale. Life as a military wife was beyond demanding, but Susan always rose to the occasion. When Frank joined NASA and was selected to command the first mission to orbit the moon, that meant putting on a brave face for the world as her husband risked his life for the space race. The pressure and anxiety were overwhelming, and eventually Susan’s well-hidden depression and alcoholism finally came to light. Frank had to come to terms with how his “mission above all else” mentality contributed to his wife’s suffering. As Susan healed, she was able to begin helping others who suffered in silence from mental illness and addiction.Discover how Frank and Susan’s love and commitment to each other is still overcoming life’s challenges, even beyond their years as an Apollo commander and the founder of the Astronaut Wives Club.

    A minor accident causes Zara’s ship to be delayed on an unexplored world. The crew is enchanted by the planet’s lush beauty, but when the star-shooters' idyllic interlude is suddenly interrupted by a distress call they discover their paradise has a dangerous secret. After a near-death experience, Zara wakes up in a hostile place and discovers her crew has left her behind. Held captive on a decadent pleasure station, Zara must live the life of a prostitute, forced to perform on a never-ending stream of space cowboys. The life is bearable only through a haze of drugs and alcohol, and through it all Zara desperately grasps at the last vestiges of hope that if she stays alive, and stays sane, she might one day escape.The only refuge Zara has is her journal, a place where she can reveal her secrets: how her path became entangled in her eccentric family's quest for the solution to time travel, and how an unavoidable tragedy proved to her that spacetime is real, that the future is the past, and that life and the universe are bound in extraordinary ways.In The Nomad time is fluid, not linear. Zara’s journey is told in alternating timelines, stories that swing around to reconnect events that are woven together to create the complex fabric of her life."A bold and adventurous vision of humanity's future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture. Readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose, as Tillar has a sharp and clever pen. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive. The Nomad has a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling." Self-Publishing Review

    Scientists are not sure what it is, but most believe it's out there, and in abundance. The astronomer who finally convinced many of them was Vera Rubin. When Rubin died in 2016, she was regarded as one of the most influential astronomers of her era. Her research on the rotation of spiral galaxies was groundbreaking, and her observations contributed significantly to the confirmation of dark matter, a most notable achievement.In Vera Rubin: A Life, prolific science writers Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton provide a detailed, accessible overview of Rubin's work, showing how she leveraged immense curiosity, profound intelligence, and novel technologies to help transform our understanding of the cosmos. But Rubin's impact was not limited to her contributions to scientific knowledge. She also helped to transform scientific practice by promoting the careers of women researchers. Not content to be an inspiration, Rubin was a mentor and a champion. She advocated for hiring women faculty, inviting women speakers to major conferences, and honoring women with awards that were historically the exclusive province of men.Rubin's papers and correspondence yield vivid insights into her life and work, as she faced down gender discrimination and met the demands of family and research throughout a long and influential career. Deftly written, with both scientific experts and general readers in mind, Vera Rubin is a portrait of a woman with insatiable curiosity about the universe who never stopped asking questions and encouraging other women to do the same.

    

    Make no mistake - this is an X-Men book drawn by superstar artist Pepe Larraz. It is absolutely the most important issue of the month.

    Diamond planets, zombie stars, black holes heavier than a billion Suns. The cast of characters is extraordinary, and each one has its own incredible story to tell.We once thought of our Earth as unique, but we have now discovered thousands of alien planets, and that’s barely a fraction of the worlds that are out there. And there are more stars in the Universe than grains of sand on every planet in the Solar System. But amid all this vastness, the Milky Way Galaxy, our Sun and the Earth are home to the only known life in the Universe – at least for now.With a foreword from Professor Brian Cox, and access to all the latest stunning NASA photography, Andrew Cohen takes readers on a voyage of discovery, via the probes and telescopes exploring the outer reaches of our galaxy, revealing how it was formed and how it will inevitably be destroyed by the enigmatic black hole at its heart. And beyond our galaxy, the expanding Universe, which holds clues to the biggest mystery of all – how did it all begin? We now know more about those first moments of existence than we ever thought possible, and hidden in this story of how it all began are the clues to the fate of the Universe itself and everything in it.

    In this fast-paced novel, joy is linked to self-destruction, love is inseparable from death, freedom is twinned with unbearable solitude, and life is worth only as much as a given moment. The taste for risk and vertigo never stop: they feed each other as the abyss approaches. Julia, determined to never look back, lives perpetually on the brink, even if it means shedding her own skin in the process.The Animal Days, the long awaited translation of Keila Vall de la Ville's Los días animales, winner of the 2018 International Latino Book Award.

    Her ability to imagine is perfectly suited to kill, and all Andria has to do is bag the prize money and consider the next Contract on the list.When an illegitimate Contract goes according to plan, everything goes wrong for her and her partner. They have a month before they’re put on trial and chained for murder. As time runs out and unlikely alliances form, Andria’s ready to pay whatever price to preserve her freedom.But as forgotten nightmares surface and the demon who made her forfeit her crown for the life of a murderer crawls out of the shadows, one thing becomes clear. The past won’t haunt you only if you kill it.And no one’s better at killing than her. Trigger Warnings: violence; blood & gore; implied sex; abuse, torture, and self-harm; cursing.

    Future slacker Kelso’s got the easiest gig in the galaxy, working the Gordita Especial! pod on board an interstellar cruiser, although that doesn’t stop him from complaining about it to anyone who’ll listen.Cyborg Security Officer Londa James spends her days wrangling idiot tourists and keeping an artificial eye out for any passengers or crew who might be on the verge of snapping from space sicknesses.But after a colleague is brutally murdered, Kelso and James are going to have to work together if they want to survive! Man-eating machines, cybernetically-enhanced badasses, septuagenarian toddlers, an opioid algorithm-addicted bucket of bolts, a cult that worships the reincarnation of a 400-year-old God Genius, and one very unusual sex robot come together in JAILBROKE, a heartwarming/ripping tale about what it means to be human in a galaxy run by artificial intelligence.

    --Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Helgoland You've got questions: about space, time, gravity, and the odds of meeting your older self inside a wormhole. All the answers you need are right here.As a species, we may not agree on much, but one thing brings us all together: a need to know. We all wonder, and deep down we all have the same big questions. Why can't I travel back in time? Where did the universe come from? What's inside a black hole? Can I rearrange the particles in my cat and turn it into a dog?Researcher-turned-cartoonist Jorge Cham and physics professor Daniel Whiteson are experts at explaining science in ways we can all understand, in their books and on their popular podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. With their signature blend of humor and oh-now-I-get-it clarity, Jorge and Daniel offer short, accessible, and lighthearted answers to some of the most common, most outrageous, and most profound questions about the universe they've received.This witty, entertaining, and fully illustrated book is an essential troubleshooting guide for the perplexing aspects of reality, big and small, from the invisible particles that make up your body to the identical version of you currently reading this exact sentence in the corner of some other galaxy. If the universe came with an FAQ, this would be it.

    A rebellion grows. The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.Technical Chief "Pappy" Gunther is a grizzled, burning out commando in the United Earth Armed Forces. He ponders a return to civilian life, yet feels a strong sense of belonging to his elite team. When colonists on a far-flung world request aid, a task force from several allied systems is assembled. Pappy and his crack unit are sent to investigate, and to engage a mysterious alien force from beyond.Talks-To-His-Spear is the warrior-caste champion of a matriarchal space empire called the Regime. Leading an army of fanatical, genetically-enhanced super soldiers, he dreams of dying in battle for the glory of his Queen. However, he’s beginning to question the motives of this new campaign, and fears that he may have to compromise his own deep sense of honor in order to fulfill his tasks.Nobody expected the two alien cultures to have so much in common, and for friendships and alliances to form alongside rivalries. However, when Pappy discovers a rebellion spanning worlds, everything changes. The growing insurrection threatens to tear the Regime—and the galaxy—apart.

    Humanity survives by selling the only resource available—themselves. 2689 has signed away his rights as a living being and become décor, living artwork that rich aliens use to decorate their homes. It's a stable existence but a boring one. Until one day his owner plays host to three unexpected guests. Large, loud, and more potent than anything 2689 has ever experienced, this trio of ship-dwellers from the wrong side of the universe awakens a desire he can't ignore.However, blissful days of sex and companionship with Brog, Desmodian, and Xavis come to an end when 2689 discovers a plot that could land the trio in jail...or worse. 2689 will have to make a choice—stay silent and allow three innocent lives to be ruined or give up his stable life to protect the ones he loves.

    However, instead of dying, he found himself 500 years later in the body of a young and aspiring composer who shared the same name. Having received a second chance at life, Fang Zhao sets out to achieve the previous owner’s dreams.Armed with the experience of living through an apocalyptic age and his profession as a composer before that period, Fang Zhao uses his talent, wits, and knowledge to make his mark in the entertainment industry of the future.

    Her wishes are granted. She wins a home of her own in the middle of nowhere. The only problem is…that home is haunted.Objects slide off horizontal surfaces. The floor howls. And the resident ghost, a sexy spirit she has named Chad, roams the space. He sports soulful dark eyes, a deep growly voice, and shiny silver hands big enough to handle a female’s abundant curves.Halleli wants him, and that is wrong, so very wrong. A relationship between them is impossible. He is dead. And she is…not.Valor isn’t dead. He isn’t a ghost. And his name isn’t Chad. He’s an E Model cyborg determined to claim his female…once he can convince her he’s alive. Achieving that feat might require clever words, some heated kisses…and a whole lot of explosives.

    But what happened to Homer after he was a West Virginia rocket boy? In his latest memoir, Homer recounts his life in college where he built the world's biggest, baddest game cannon, fought through some of the worst battles in Vietnam, became a scuba instructor, discovered sunken U-boats, wrote the definitive account of a World War II naval battle, befriended Tom Clancy, made a desperate attempt to save the passengers of a sunken river boat, trained the first Japanese astronauts, taught David Letterman to scuba dive, helped to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, wrote his number one bestselling Rocket Boys, and was on set during the making of October Sky. Although told with humor and wit, Hickam does not shy away from the pain and hardship endured and the mistakes he made during the tumultuous decades since his life in the town he made famous—Coalwood, West Virginia.

    She’s stuck at a job she hates in a city she wants to escape. When tragedy strikes on a subway train, Cara awakens to find herself in the future, but not the one she dreamed of. Her old life is a distant memory and nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a future on the brink of war, she must learn how to navigate this strange new universe.Commander of the Confederation Fleet Nikolas Caine is a man haunted by past sins as he defends the star system he has dedicated his life to protect. His ship is attacked by space raiders called Hostiles and Cara is discovered on board. Her arrival sets into motion a chain of events that will change his world forever.Cara uncovers dark secrets that threaten to tear the star system apart and endanger her life. She must fight to survive if she wants to get home to her family. Battling a looming war and his growing feelings for Cara, Caine must finish his mission. Of course, Cara would end up falling for the one man dead set on sending her home. As the ghosts of his past catch up to Caine, Cara finds herself struggling to face her future.