Description
Book SynopsisAn up-close and personal look at comets and how we can use these ancient voyagers to understand our place in the solar system.
Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious--comets and asteroids are among the Solar System''s very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants.
Exploring comets and asteroids also allows us to shape the story of Earth''s future, enabling us to protect our precious planet from the threat of a catastrophic impact from space, and maybe to even recover valuable raw materials from them. This cosmic bounty could be as usef
Trade Review
Well presented and bridges many gaps between different observational methods. * Science *
Astonishing...a promising debut * New Scientist *
Natalie Starkey has packed this book full of information on the minor bodies of our solar system, which are key to understanding how things got the way they are today – a must-have for anyone interested in where we came from. -- Matt Taylor, ESA Rosetta Project Scientist
Catching Stardust builds a strong case for why continuing to explore comets and asteroids is so important to understanding our past and in shaping our future. -- Jessica Sunshine, Professor of Astronomy, University of Maryland
An action-packed narrative that really draws in the reader to the thrills and challenged of exploring the true nature of our Solar System. -- Lucy McFadden, Emerita at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre
A fast-paced journey through time and space under the enthusiastic guidance of space geologist Natalie Starkey. Highly recommended. -- Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary Sciences at The Open University
Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: A 4.6-Billion-Year Journey into the Deep Freeze Chapter 3: Comets and Asteroids on Earth Chapter 4: Shooting Stars and Space Dust Chapter 5: Water and Life on Earth and in Space Chapter 6: Taking the Science to Space Chapter 7: The Stardust Mission Chapter 8: The Rosetta Mission Chapter 9: Space Mining Chapter 10: Mission ‘Save Planet Earth’ Epilogue Glossary Acknowledgements Index
