"We've all asked ourselves the question. Looking up at the night sky, it's almost impossible NOT to wonder: Are we alone in the universe? In [this book], Space.com senior writer Dr. Michael Wall treats that question as merely a jumping-off point. He considers, for instance, the myriad of questions that would arise once we do discover life beyond Earth (an eventuality which, top NASA officials told Dr. Wall, is only drawing closer). From the unexpected--do...

A human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by the discovery of an immense bowl-shaped structure in space that leads to hostile alien encounters and profound revelations about humanity's place in the universe.

"For a long time, most people believed that Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to 'discover' America--the first to make a successful round-trip voyage across the Atlantic. But in recent years, as new evidence has come to light, our understanding of history has changed. We know now that Columbus was among the last explorers to reach the Americas, not the first"--Book jacket.

Presents a brief history of space exploration, covering such topics as the first human missions, life on the International Space Station, and settling on Mars.

A radical reinterpretation of da Gama's pioneering voyages, revealing their role as a decisive turning point in the struggle between Christianity & Islam.
In 1498 a young captain sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies and, with it, access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage known in history. The little ships were pushed beyond their limits,...

Charles Mann chronicles the Age of Exploration and explores its consequences. Here, he looks at how European interation affected the Americas, China, and Africa.

"This illustrated narrative explains the universe from the solar system to the farthest reaches of space"--

Details the past, present, and future of deep space exploration, describing the planets and objects that occupy space as well as the tools and methods scientists use in their quest to learn more about the universe.

Several years after his Jupiter ocean exploration team is rescued by a native creature in an act that proved the species' intelligence, physicist Grant Archer prepares for a new expedition that is threatened by both the hostile environment of the giant planet and sabotaging humans.