Spacewalker – My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA’s Record-Setting Frequent Flyer by Jerry Ross with John Norberg; Purdue University Press, $29.95; 2013. As a former astronaut, Jerry Ross has written a personal account of his childhood in rural Indiana, then taking a career path that eventually led him into Earth orbit – not [...]

Apollo 11 and Lunar Rover: Owners Workshop Manuals from Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, UK. Haynes Publishing has issued a number of space-related manuals – and these are cram packed with great photos, good writing, and insightful history. Apollo 11 1969 (including Saturn V, CM-107, SM-107, LM5) was written by Christopher Riley and Phil Dolling. They have [...]

A new PBS NOVA TV special offers a revealing look at Planet Earth thanks to an armada of space-based assets. Earth from Space has been produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, making extensive use of data gleaned by Earth-observing satellites This unique NOVA production showcases the astonishing beauty and complexity of our dynamic planet. [...]

Near-Earth Objects – Finding Them Before They Find Us by Donald K. Yeomans; Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey; $24.95; 2013. This is a superb book that brings the reader up-to-speed on those menacing denizens of the deep – Near Earth Objects, or NEOs for short. Moreover, this book is good bedtime reading for those [...]

What to do about human-made space junk? A first step is get up to speed on speeding orbital clutter! The NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) has made public release of Orbital Debris Management and Risk Mitigation, its first publication of NASA training materials using the iBook format. Orbital Debris Management & Risk [...]