Product Description
With the threat of global warming, and the gradual depletion of petroleum supplies, solar electric power is rapidly becoming significant part of our energy mix. The range of solar cells spans different materials and different structures in the quest to extract maximum power from the device while keeping the cost to a minimum. Devices with efficiency exceeding 30% have been demonstrated in the laboratory. Solar Energy Engineering: Processes and Systems. Solar Energy Processes and Systems includes all areas of solar energy engineering. All subjects are presented from the fundamental level to the highest level of current research. The book includes subjects such as energy related environmental problems, solar collectors, solar water heating, solar space heating and cooling, industrial process heat, solar desalination, photovoltaics, solar thermal power systems and modelling of solar systems including the use of artificial intelligence systems in solar energy systems modelling and performance prediction.



Environmental consequences of solar energy
Solar desalination including indirect systems
Modelling and performance prediction of solar energy systems
Worked examples and cases studies ... Read more

Product Description
The bodies of our Solar System have orbited continously around the Sun since their formation, but they have not always been there, and conditions have not always been as they are today. The Story of the Solar System explains how our Solar System came into existence, how it has evolved and how it might end billions of years from now. After a brief historical introduction, Mark Garlick describes the birth of the Sun and the steps that built up the bodies of the Solar System. Vivid illustrations of planets, moons, asteroids and comets complement the detailed descriptions. A comparison of these objects, and an analysis of how they have changed and evolved since birth is followed by a look towards the end of the Solar System's existence.Mark A. Garlick obtained his PhD in astrophysics from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey, England.He is a member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and currently works as a freelance science writer and astronomical illustrator. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great artwork, nice writing but at an introductory level
Don't buy this book if you are looking for an in-depth, extensive coverage of the history of our solar system. There are much better, more informative books on this subject, e.g. the Cambrige Guide to the Solar System or The New Solar System (both also from Cambridge University Press). Nevertheless, the author does a good job in telling this history in a splendid, non-technical and 'epic' language, like a great adventure starring the sun, the planets, the comets and the asteroids, from their first beginnings in a giant molecular cloud composed of interstellar dust to the tragic death of our sun after some 10 billion years (!), leaving our earth as a cold dead world (there's a very beautiful, eery, surreal painting of this blackened dead earth in this book, with the sun as a tiny white spot flickering in the dark sky). Very impressive writing, sublime at times, as if you were actually there, floating between the stars, watching the conception and development of our solar system unfolding before your own eyes. A good book for the novice, I would say, maybe best suited to the teenage cosmologists of the world. The best thing this book has to offer is the paintings, by the author himself (he is from 1968, working for Sky and Telescope, and also an astronomer), which are truly spectacular. I suspect they are the true reason why this book was written. You can get an impression of his 'glorious realist' style by visiting his website. So, buy this book if you like a good cosmological narrative and nice space artwork. Leave it, if you're more scientifically interested.
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Product Description
The present analysis of the origin and evolution of the solar system represents a fusion of two initially independent approaches to the problem. One of us (Alfven) started from a study of the physical processes (1942, 1943a, 1946; summarized in a monograph in 1954), and the other (Arrhenius) from experimental studies of plasma-solid reactions and from chemical and mineralogical analyses of meteorites and lunar and terrestrial samples. Joined by the common belief that the complicated events leading to the present structure of the solar system can be understood only by an integrated chemical-physical approach, we have established a collaboration at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in La Jolla, during the last seven years. Our work, together with that of many colleagues in La Jolla, Stockholm, and elsewhere, has resulted in a series of papers describing the general principles of our joint approach, experimental results, and model approximations for some of the most important processes.

The present volume is a summary of our results, which we have tried to present in such a form as to make the physics understandable to chemists and the chemistry understandable to physicists. Our primary concern has been to establish general constraints on applicable models. Hence we have avoided complex mathematical treatment in cases where approximations are sufficient to clarify the general character of the processes. ... Read more

Product Description
Youngsters learn fascinating facts about the solar system as they color 44 dramatic Space Age illustrations, including images of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, a spacecraft observing the landscape of Mars, representations of all the planets, and much more. Descriptive captions accompany illustrations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

pretty good!
This is a book full of pictures and info. for your curious star student. Really aimed at the older elemntary school child. Worth the price!

ANOTHER GREAT COLORING BOOK FROM DOVER!!!!!
We use Dover coloring books with our science and history homeschool curriculum.My children love the pictures and they are great for any age.This book has pictures and information from Ptolemy to Hawking.There are pictures of the individual planets as well as the scientists, sattelites, telescopes, space travel....If you love Dover then you know it is a great book.If you've never purchased a Dover this is a great one if you are interested in the history of space exploration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Highly informative
This is a collection of seventeen Issac Asimov essays that he published as part of a monthly column for a sci-fi magazine.As usual, Asimov manages to take what potentially could be VERY boring concepts and tells them in away that makes them understandable and interesting!I always feel smarterafter reading his books, and this one was no exception.These essay booksare typically science essays, but I liked this book in particular becauseit focused more on astronomy and our solar system(hence the title).

Ifyou are interested in learning new things, you can't go wrong with Asimovor this book.He has a way of writing that makes it easy to follow! ... Read more

Product Description
Orbiting at the edge of the outer Solar System, Pluto is an intriguing object in astronomy. Since the fascinating events surrounding its discovery, it has helped increase our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System, and raised questions about the nature and benefits of scientific classification. This is a timely and exciting account of Pluto and its satellites. The author uses Pluto as a case study to discuss discovery in astronomy, how remote astronomical bodies are investigated, and the role of classification in science by discussing Pluto's recent classification as a dwarf planet. Besides Pluto, the book also explores the rich assortment of bodies that constitute the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, of which Pluto is the innermost member. Richly illustrated, this text is written for general readers, amateur astronomers and students alike. Boxed text provides more advanced information especially for readers who wish to delve deeper into the subject. ... Read more

Product Description

This book reviews the current state of knowledge of the atmospheres of the giant gaseous planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The current theories of their formation are reviewed and their recently observed temperature, composition and cloud structures are contrasted and compared with simple thermodynamic, radiative transfer and dynamical models. The instruments and techniques that have been used to remotely measure their atmospheric properties are also reviewed, and the likely development of outer planet observations over the next two decades is outlined.
This second edition has been extensively updated following the Cassini mission results for Jupiter/Saturn and the newest ground-based measurements for Uranus/Neptune as well as on the latest development in the theories on planet formation.

Product Description

With shortages of fossil energy and heavy biomass energy use occurring in both developed and developing countries, a major focus has developed worldwide on renewable energy systems. Currently, a heavy focus is on biofuels made from crops, crop residues and wood.

Though it may seem beneficial to use renewable plant materials for biofuel, their use raises many concerns about major environmental problems, including food shortages and serious destruction of vital soil resources. All renewable energy systems need to be investigated because humankind has limited oil, gas and coal reserves remaining. In addition, coal will become increasingly difficult to extract and will greatly increase the global warming threat.

Serious energy conservation and research on viable renewable energy technologies are needed. This book considers the effectiveness and economics of several renewable energy technologies of current interest, including biofuels, solar and wind.

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Customer Reviews (4)

A very nice book on the outer solar system.
This is a really nice, and cheap, history of the outer solar system. Until recently Saturn was the last known planet. This all changed with the discovery of Uranus by William Herschel in 1781. Since then we have struggled to reveal information about the outer planets. The book covers both the personal lives of the main characters involved in the discoveries as well as the science involved without going into too much technical detail. At the same time it does not tend to oversimplify the significance of the science by using flowery language.

As it was written around 1990 the book is slightly out of date, missing some of the latest discoveries. However, this is forgivable given the books price.I give the book 4 stars because it is not outstanding. It is however very readable and interesting. It would be worth reading for anyone who has a general interest astronomy/space etc.

An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone
Mark Littmann's Planets Beyond republishes the updated, revised 1990 edition to survey the outer planets; from the history of their discovery to modern scientific findings about the planets including Voyageur results. An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone.

An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone
Mark Littmann's Planets Beyond republishes the updated, revised 1990 edition to survey the outer planets; from the history of their discovery to modern scientific findings about the planets including Voyageur results. An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone.

Pleasantly informal and substantial
This excellent book on the outer solar system is written for laypeople who want more than a short introduction to the subject.The writing style is informal but very informative.

The book was published in 1988, as Voyager 2 neared Neptune.A 1990 paperback edition describes the actual flyby.

There are chapters on Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, their discoveries, the related discovery of the first asteroids, theVoyagers' Grand Tour, the search for a tenth planet, and more.

The author also remembers the human touch.There is ample discussion of planet discoverers William Herschel, John Adams, Urban Le Verrier, and Clyde Tombaugh.We also learn about thememorable people they worked with, and sometimes against (!)

The author likes sidebars, which are quite interesting and keep the main text from bogging down.There you will find:

* A short biography of Caroline Herschel (William's sister), the first woman professional astronomer;
* Clyde Tombaugh on some of his experiences;
* Gary Flando on his discovery of the Grand Tour;
* James Christy on his discovery of Pluto's moon Charon;
* Galileo's unsuspecting observation of Neptune in 1613;
* The planned Galileo and Cassini missions;
* Much more.

One sidebar strongly supports Pluto's planetary status, but it concedes that if Pluto turns out to be a typical member of a hypothetical asteroid belt beyond Neptune, it might make sense to redesignate Pluto.Four years later, the Kuiper Belt was discovered...

Hopefully Littmann will revise the book again to include the Kuiper Belt, the Hubble Telescope, the latest speculation on Planet X, and more.

Highly recommended.

*****
January 28, 2006:I have just acquired the 1990 paperback edition.

A new 30-page chapter thoroughly covers Voyager 2's 1989 Neptune flyby.The rest of the book is almost unchanged, so the reader can compare speculation and reality.

The book suggests that a proposed 2000-2014 Pluto mission be named Tombaugh. New Horizons is now on the way to a 2015 flyby. It doesn't carry Clyde Tombaugh's name, but it does carry some of his ashes.

Much has happened since Littman's 1990 revision, and indeed since my initial 2000 review. Galileo was crashed into Jupiter after completing its mission. Cassini is at Saturn. Two new moons of Pluto were discovered. Pluto is no longer the largest known object beyond Neptune. There is no consensus whether eight, nine, or ten objects deserve the term planet. If Littman revises the book again, he has a lot of new material to discuss.

Still highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Building on a long tradition of effective pedagogy and comprehensive coverage, The Cosmic Perspective: The Solar System, Sixth Edition provides the most engaging and up-to-date introduction to astronomy for non-science majors. The text provides a wealth of features to help enhance student skill building, including new Visual Skills Check end-of-chapter questions that provide an opportunity for students to test their visual interpretation skills, new Cosmic Context Figures that help students synthesize key concepts and processes, and a new comprehensive visual overview of scale to help students explore the scale of time and space. The Sixth Edition has also been fully updated to include the latest astronomical observations, research, and theoretical developments. The text is supported by the most robust package of instructor ancillaries.

Customer Reviews (19)

textbooks
This book is fine for college classes...turns out that my son was able to purchase an online version so this was redundant, but the information is accurate.

would have been useful
I ordered this book from Amazon, and it came quickly, within two days, and it great condition.This book was exactly what I needed for my Astronomy class, except for one HUGE drawback, it is missing the middle 200 pages!I did not expect this, and have now returned it, as I need the middle pages for my class.Maybe I am crazy, but maybe I missed this somewhere on the description of the book?Even now, I can not find this anywhere on the purchase page.

Great Merchant!
This book came to me used and was in great condition. Amazon told me that the book would get to me after my classes were supposed to begin, however the book got to me within 3 days which was an entire week before classes started. I am very impressed with the merchant and would recommend them for future purchases.

Great
Great job on the shipping with this book! i am very happy with the condition of the book and your service!

Amazing
The product came just like it promised. The book is absolutely fabulous and the online tools are a big help. I'm taking this class for the summer, so I need all the cramming I can get. This is my second astronomy class, and this book is just the right amount of detail (not too mathy, but lots of new information). The only thing I haven't explored is the star gazer that came with the pack. But all in all, this item was a great buy for my class. ... Read more

Product Description
A concise, illustrated guide to the solar system.

Just as explorers of the sixteenth century unveiled the night skies, the Hubble space telescope and space probes such as Voyager, Pioneer and Cassini are expanding our knowledge of the planetary world.

New fields of research are opening up such as the exploration of the populous world of the asteroids and comets. Scientists have recently discovered a new family of transneputnal bodies as far away as Neptune's orbit. This discovery may even lead to the demotion of Pluto from a planet to a one of these smaller bodies.

This comprehensive reference explains the origin of stars and the sun and extensively covers each planet. Illustrated with spectacular photographs and meticulous color diagrams.

Key sections cover:- The solar system and the sun- Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars- Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto- Minor Bodies: comets, asteroids and meteorites

A detailed directory of web sites direct readers to relevant sources of information. The Solar System is an appealing, authoritative reference for any stargazer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a great resource!
This is a compact, comprehensive view of the solar system.I used this to research and found it to be exactly what I neededThanks. ... Read more

Product Description
Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in planetary science. It starts with a tour of the Solar System and an overview of its formation that reviews in detail the terrestrial planets, giant planets and minor bodies. It concludes with a discussion of the origin of the Solar System. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction for the scientifically literate
This information-stuffed book is an excellent introduction to our astronomical neighborhood.Although the writing is easy to follow, be aware that the book assumes the reader has a fair knowledge of physics and chemistry and some knowledge of mathematics (it is intended to be a college-level textbook).There is an abundance of diagrams and photographs, as well as quizes, which are a great deal of fun.My only criticism is that it has not been updated since 2004, an eternity for a science book.Certainly, the solar system has not changed in that time, but Pluto is no longer considered a planet, and more information has become available about some topics. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

James E. Dewar, "To the End of the Solar System"
This is an important book about a topic that is often unjustly overlooked.Nuclear rockets are significant because they represent the only proved approach to gaining significant improvements in the performance of rockets to be used for space propulsion.I hope to write about this and if I do, I will use this book as my principal reference.

Thomas A. Heppenheimer

Excellent for anyone interested in space exploration or history.
This book is mesmerizing for anyone who is interested in either the U.S. political process or space exploration.The author spent his working life at DOE immersed in both politics and nuclear materials management, and much of Dewar's description of the way things worked in Congress back in the 1950's and 1960's is still the case today.While the author sometimes promotes his topic, he delineates his opinions carefully and gives equal space to opposing arguments.The book is copious with footnotes that are in and of themselves an excellent resource.

By the end of World War II, both rocket scientists and preeminent physicists like Leo Szilard and Stan Ulam had realized that although it looked impossibly difficult to develop, only nuclear energy could make manned space exploration beyond Earth orbit feasible.Nuclear reactors at that time were still huge and heavy, and nuclear weapons were only just barely feasible to carry on a large aircraft.Nonetheless, the physics of space travel was undeniable, then and now.Dewar mentions (and footnotes) a non-technical 1947 article by Luis Alvarez entitled, "There Is No Obvious or Simple Way in Which to Use Nuclear Energy For Spaceships" that made a long and objective assessment of the difficulties nuclear rockets entailed.At the time and up until Sputnik, rockets were a low priority for the United States.It was a young Dr. Robert Bussard who managed to convince a few people in the right places in 1953 that the difficulties could be overcome.Ultimately John von Neumann said that it should be examined as a precaution against the Russians developing one first.Mark Mills, assistant director of Livermore, came up with a way to achieve a workable design, and Herbert York, then-Livermore director (he later became director of DARPA), announced that he would form a division around it and staunchly supported nuclear thermal rockets for the remainder of his life.Norris Bradbury, director of Los Alamos, said that he would do the same, and a few years later the launch of Sputnik infused more cash into the project.The Cold War and the unrelenting support of several space supporters in Congress kept the project funded (along with Apollo) throughout the sixties, long enough to conquer Alvarez's list, right up until the Nixon administration defunded it along with much of the space program.

The technical reasons for developing nuclear rockets lie in gravity.Although we are able to send unmanned missions to other planets using chemical rockets, they must be highly expensive, multi-year affairs.Even though Apollo stretched the U.S. budget (approximately $150B in 2008 dollars), the Apollo missions were only feasible by using a multi-day gravitational slingshot process to help get our spacecraft to the Moon.A small 1960's-era nuclear thermal rocket can easily ascend to the Moon or Mars while keeping radiation exposure for astronauts to a minimum.

Today's rockets burn chemicals.Anybody who has ever built rockets, even just Estes rockets, has learned that almost all of a rocket's weight at launch is fuel.A large amount of effort is spent trying to leave just a few percent of the total weight of the rocket for payload, i.e. cargo.

Get more energy out of the fuel, and you're able to decrease the amount of fuel you carry.Now you can decrease the size of tanks and structure, and so the total weight of your rocket decreases, leading to a further decrease in fuel requirements.A small amount of weight saved means an extraordinary amount of fuel saved, and so the amount of energy in your fuel limits how far you can travel.

Weight and energy are issues for rocket engineers.Space radiation is a big issue for astronauts.For long missions very large amounts of shielding are necessary, not to mention more food and water.Radiation shielding tends to be made of materials like lead and concrete, so for example on a mission to Mars they very quickly begin to take up a significant portion of a rocket's cargo capacity.The mass drives up the fuel which drives up the mass again, etc.Because there are practical limits to the size of a space vehicle, the shielding requirement raises the mass and forces the mission duration to go up, which in turn requires more supplies and more shielding, which slows it down some more, and so on and so on.

Chemical rocket missions to the Moon the size of a Saturn V can take very little cargo and bring back almost none.Chemical rocket missions to anywhere else farther out stretch to years and multiple rockets.Huge manned multi-year space missions have thus far proven to be far beyond what any government has been willing to pay, because they require huge traveling space stations.They are also currently far beyond the reach of even the richest corporations.Even unmanned missions beyond low Earth orbit based on chemical rockets are either very expensive or incredibly slow.In contrast, manned nuclear-powered missions can be short and cheap.

No new chemicals are coming; the periodic table has been thoroughly explored since the early 1900's.If we want to send humans elsewhere in the solar system, chemical energy is insufficient, and only rockets powered by nuclear energy will do.

Nuclear rockets do much better than cutting rocket fuel requirements in half, as one of the other reviewers asserted.The ones invented in the 1960's made fast manned missions to anywhere in the solar system possible.This is not fanatic advocacy; it's simple physics.The research programs that succeeded in inventing them are one of the subjects of this book, and the incredible politics surrounding that research are another.

James Dewar wrote this book because by virtue of the fact that the programs were classified, very little has to date been published about them."To The End Of The Solar System" is the ONLY existing detailed history of the U.S. nuclear rocket program.It reveals that by 1968 the difficult problems of building a nuclear thermal rocket had been solved.The programs were cancelled not because of technical difficulties or radiation problems, but because at that time manned space exploration was a huge budget issue, and the Republican Party saw correctly that nuclear rockets were necessary to exploration.The Democratic Party had made manned space exploration an integral part of their party platform, and by stopping manned exploration the Republican party was able stymie the Democrats.Politics doesn't always make sense, but that's what happened.What people didn't foresee was that the nuclear rocket and manned space exploration were so thoroughly hamstrung that they would be crippled for (at least) 40 years.

The research and footnotes in this book are exhaustive.One of the surprising things you'll learn is that the nuclear rocket program was not all pork-barrel politics, as Jeff Bell, an avowed opponent of manned space exploration, has asserted.Many of the program's staunchest Congressional supporters stood to gain nothing by supporting it; they simply argued that manned space exploration was a noble goal.

All rocket designers deal with white-hot temperatures, but the biggest problem for nuclear rocket designers was fuel rods that needed to be exposed to these temperatures.Surprisingly, after just over a decade of research in high-temperature materials and nuclear physics, the test program had advanced to the point where the engines were ready to launch.By 1968 the engines were running for hours at a time, a feat unmatched in engine tests before or since.The release of small amounts of radioactive materials in space (where they would be used) was not an issue, but by 1970 enough progress had been made by the Y-12 researchers that they felt that the engines might safely be used in the upper atmosphere with no releases whatsoever.Before the new fuel rods could be tested and before they could be flown, the program was ended.

It must be stressed again that the nuclear rocket program was ended not for technical reasons, but because many people were alarmed at the cost of the Apollo program.Ending nuclear rockets was the best way to make sure that the multi-decade expense of supporting Lunar and Mars colonies did not arrive.

James Dewar believes fervently in manned space exploration, but even if you don't there is no better or more exhaustively-referenced book on this fascinating slice of U.S. history than this one.

Definitive Narrative History
Six million horsepower from a reactor the size of a 55 gallon drum. This was the promise of the ultimate in all-American 60's muscle - the nuclear thermal rocket engine. With it, you could send jumbo jet sized payloads to the Moon, or send a crew to Mars in 3 months.

James A. Dewar's exhaustively researched work (there are 91 pages of footnotes) shows both the technical and political sides of the 18 year effort to develop the nuclear rocket. Like the space program itself, the nuclear rocket program was a creature of the Washington political process.

While lacking the polish of a David McCullough, Dewar does a good job of introducing the cast of characters and their competing visions for America's technologic and social future.

Dewar's thesis is that the nuclear engine was feasible and would have revolutionized space travel, boosting mankind into a 2001 Space Odyssey. I found his viewpoint to be refreshing, especially in contrast to the dour visions of historians such as Richard Rhodes. He devotes Appendix D of the book to "safety and environmental aspects of testing."

Perhaps the most poignant vision one gets from reading the book is that of the turning of a page in American history. With the end of Apollo and the nuclear engine project in 1973 we go from an era of limitless promise, to an era of sharply limited outcomes.

A True Believer's History
I have been a big fan of the Nuclear Thermal Rocket for many years. In 1966 my family drove by the Jackass Flats test site and I still have vivid memories of the AEC carpools passing us at 100mph on their private freeway from Las Vegas, hard hats stacked next to the back windows of their government-issue Chevys.

As I learned more about this program in recent years, the advantages of nuclear rockets seemed less clear to me.Is the 2x reduction in propellant weight really worth the big increase in cost and danger of a white-hot nuclear reactor? This book confirms my growing suspicions that NTR was and is a bad idea.The bare facts make it clear that this technology wasn't worth the costs even in the nuclear-friendly 1950s.

One often sees the claim that NERVA had a flight-ready design at the time of cancellation in 1971.The detailed descriptions of the many reactor tests in this book make it clear that this really wasn't so.Despite a huge amount of research, the high-temperature graphite/uranium fuel elements in these reactors were still subject to considerable cracking, corrosion and erosion.It was considered a great milestone when a test reactor lost less than 100lbs of bomb-grade uranium blown out the nozzle, mostly in the form of gas or microscopic inhalable particles.

This shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.The great nuclear physicist Luis Alvarez had pointed out the fundamental physical limitations of the H2/U-235 rocket engine in an obscure but unclassified journal as early as 1947.And the Rover/NERVA project was consistently opposed by every Presidential Science Adviser and every NASA Administrator right up to its final cancellation in 1971.Why then was so much public money wasted on a project that almost all competent observers thought was unwise?

This is the strongest aspect of Dewar's book.He has reconstructed in great detail the political deals that kept Rover and NERVA alive.It's a fascinating window into a past age of Congressional politics -- an age when a few powerful committee chairmen ruled the Hill with an iron fist, deciding billion-dollar research programs at all-night poker parties lubricated with large amounts of hard liquor.None of these men had any kind of technical education at all, and their decisions seem to have largely been based on pork barrel politics.It's no accident that the strongest supporter of NERVA was Sen. Clinton Anderson of New Mexico, home of Los Alamos where most of the NERVA funding ended up.

But I also wanted to learn all the technical details of the program, and in this area Dewar has come up short.He obtained a vast number of formerly-classifed internal project documents, but the information from them is not conveyed to the reader in a digestible form.Dewar has tried to water down the subject to make it understandable for a non-technical audience.This is really difficult to do in a complex field like fission reactor design, and some of his analogies and interpretations are oversimplified and downright misleading.A few tables summarizing the different reactor designs and their test histories would have been nice.

Dewar also adopts the annoying practice of summarizing lenghty policy documents in his own words, without including the original text in a appendix.On p.248-249, he even includes what seems to be a totally imaginary conversation between some of the major players in NERVA -- hardly an acceptable practice for serious historians.

Even worse, there are a few telling technical errors that make me doubt that Dewar understands nuclear physics very well. In an attack on anti-nuclear activists on p.209-210, he confuses Pu-239 with Pu-238.These isotopes have very different properties and safety problems.

But the biggest problem with this book is that the author is a true believer.He repeats as gospel truth all the claims made by pro-NERVA politicians, while expressing nothing but scorn for the opinions of highly qualified experts like Alvarez, Herbert York, and Jim Webb.When he states facts, he usually can be trusted.But his analysis and opinions are highly biased and untrustworthy.I hope somebody writes a better book on this topic someday -- but I'm keeping this one until that happens.

historical aspect in rocketry
Excellent book... a must read for anyone interested in space propulsion technology which needs a 'second look' to enable humans to bridge our Solar System in the future. ... Read more

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Product Description
Six board books in this colorful set, all shaped to resemble the Sun and its planets, explain the solar system in pictures and text that will appeal to kids. The books in this set, all subtitled Little Book of Facts are as follows—

Product Description
Add visual excitement to homework assignments and other flat surfaces with accurate illustrations of all the planets in the solar system—as well as moons, asteroids, and a comet. 18 stickers.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Worthless
The only reason I bought these stickers was because I was about $1 short of getting free shipping. Even with this in mind, these stickers suck, plain and simple. I mean, it's not even a paperback as described. It's like three pages of sort of heavy paper with a handful of stickers. Unfortunately, "no stars" is not an option, otherwise I would have awarded these stickers nothing.

just ok
This is a tiny book of stickers of planets, some comets and suns. Very few of the stickers are duplicates.
I ordered three of these, and one came in with black and white pages instead of full color...not worth returning at the price I paid, though. Good for sticker rewards. ... Read more

Product Description
This manual was prepared primarily for use in conducting a practical training course on the design of solar heating and cooling systems for residential and small office buildings, but may also be useful as a general reference text.Only active solar systems are described in this manual.Other books are available for passive designs.Liquid and air-heating solar systems for combined space and service water heating or service water heating only are included in this manual.Furthermore, only systems with proven experience are discussed to any extent.This manual was developed by the staff of the Solar Energy Applications Laboratory and vocational education specialists at Colorado State University in cooperation with the NAHB Research Foundation.A national advisory committee selected from various sectors of the home-building industry, university sources, private practice, and government, was established to provide advice and general guidance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

reprint
This book is a direct reprint from 1980.It was good then but much of it is out of date.Some of the sections the one on installation on are the same.Having been in the trade for 27 years I found it useless. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore the amazing world of outer space as you scratch pictures of planets, comets, and spacecraft to reveal glittery, swirly, and even glow-in-the-dark colors beneath. Shrink-wrapped with a wooden stylus for drawing on black-coated paper to reveal colors beneath. 64 pages. Includes 20 scratch-off, 20 illustrated, 20 sketch pages. 6-3/8'' wide x 8-1/2'' high; wire-o bound hardcover. Ages 6 and up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fun book
My children love to play with these.They are fun for home or trips.It gives them information and they can be creative at the same time.

Blank pages
The black pages in this book are blank. It's a little difficult & not as entertaining as the ones with tracing marks. My son has to copy what's on the opposing page in this book. I got my daughter the Princess book & that one has tracing marks which she can follow. She's had hours of fun doing that. but this book won't be as fun for my son.

Great travel companion for young kids
Excellent product. Kept my 6 year old busy on the entire flight. I have since bought the whole series.A great traveling companion when traveling with young kids.Plus, it's of great educational value.

A Journey Into Space..........
In this exciting scratch and sketch book, imaginative artists of any age learn there is more to outer space than the stars, planets, and aliens!
As you doodle explore the planets, space gear, and more. The last 20 pages artists can go nuts, with their very own space creations! ... Read more

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Children can explore the heavens with this beautifully illustrated wall map. It features colorful cartoon icons making the map educational & fun. Next to each illustrated significant space mission is its name & reference number. The index then provides its name, reference number, sponsor, date of launch, & what makes it significant. The map's glossy UV finish makes it extra durable for hours of fun!

On the far left side of the map the Real Relative Distances in the Solar System bar shows the main celestial bodies of the solar system in relation to each other, expressed in astronomical units.

On the left side of the map a chart gives the symbol, name, significant data, mass, diameter, distance from the sun, revolution period, rotation period, temperature, & number of natural satellites for each major celestial body of this solar system. Similar data about our moon (in relation to Earth rather than the sun) is also shown. Below the chart are defintions of the measurement units used in astronomy, URLs for more info on the solar system, & info about the minor celestial bodies of the solar system.

The bottom of the map features a timeline of the key moments of the genesis & discovery of our solar system.

The top of the map features diagrams covering: real relative size of the major celestial bodies of the solar system; solar & lunar eclipses; lunar phases; configuration of the planets; seasons of the northern & southern hemispheres; higher & lower flood tides; meteor storm radiants; layers of atmosphere; greenhouse effect; diagram of launches falling, entering orbit, or entering space free from gravitational pull; & structural diagrams of our sun, Earth, Jupiter, & a comet.

A lot of work, effort, & knowledge were put into this map. Experts in history, geology, astronomy, & climatology participated actively in creating a product of the highest possible quality, based on the latest referential literature.

Size: 54"x38"

Product Description
Travel the solar system and explore the planets while discovering the process of orbits and rotations of the planets. Readers are even exposed to asteroids that exist throughout the solar system and are introduced to vocabulary specific to the solar system. ... Read more