Fifty Years on the Space Frontier: Halo Orbits, Comets, Asteroids, and More by Robert W. Farquhar; Outskirts Press, Inc., Denver, Colorado; (hard cover); $32.36; 2011 There is renewed and growing interest in imaginative use of L-points in space – special spots in space that are useful for an array of human and robotic exploration duties. [...]

When Biospheres Collide – A History of NASA’s Planetary Protection Programs by Michael Meltzer; NASA History Program Office (NASA SP-2011 – 4234), Washington, D.C.; 2011. Note: Available as NASA e-Book. This is an absorbing look at a topic that receives little attention – but should. First things first: What is planetary protection? Planetary protection is [...]

Exploring Mars – Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery by Scott Hubbard; University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona; $17.95 (paperback); December 2011. As I write this today, NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover is outbound for the red planet. It has been a long haul for the robot to get en route. It experienced its own set [...]

Out of This World – New Mexico’s Contributions to Space Travel by Loretta Hall; Rio Grande Books, Los Ranchos, New Mexico; $19.95 (Paperback); 2011. For a good many readers, I’m sure you’re hungry to slip into a spacesuit and head for the heavens. No doubt you are also following the test flights of Richard Branson’s Virgin [...]

Drifting on Alien Winds – Exploring the Skies and Weather of Other Worlds by Michael Carroll; Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, New York: $39.95 (Hardcover); 2011. From the creative and artistic mind of Michael Carroll comes an original and fact-filled look at atmospheres of other worlds – and how scientists and engineers are taking [...]