Asteroid Collisions Earth Destroyer or New Frontier? Chicxulub Extinct Dinosaurs

Description

Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier? By Patricia Barnes-Svarney.
NOTE
: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title.
DESCRIPTION:
Hardcover: 292 pages. Publisher: Plenum Press; (1996).
Asteroids sling through space, celestial debris of diverse origins: leftovers from the formation of the solar system, broken offshoots of parental asteroids, or comets that have lost their glow. For the first time in a popular book, Patricia Barnes-Svarney discloses how some asteroids – rich in precious minerals such as gold and platinum – may one day be lassoed and mined by man. She also explores how the natural resources that abound in some asteroids could possibly support human life, leading to their colonization and use as space stations. One day, too, they may reveal to us the secrets of the origins of life. But if an asteroid merely one kilometer in diameter – about the size of eleven football fields end-to-end – were to smash into Earth, it would mean a global catastrophe.
And if a larger asteroid – one the size of Vermont – were to strike, life on our planet would come to an end. We know that we’ve been struck before – from the large and small impact craters that dot the Earth’s major land masses. If, as one theory states, the chance of a major collision is currently about one in ten thousand – similar to that of dying from anesthesia during surgery or of being killed in a car crash during any six-month interval – should we be living in fear? How could we possibly prepare ourselves for such a disaster? Patricia Barnes-Svarney, an asteroid enthusiast since childhood, asserts that the threat is real, and that there are better defenses than those now in place. In Asteroid, she vividly evokes both the perils and fascination of these heavenly bodies that have the power to yield untold rewards – and boundless destruction.
CONDITION: NEW. Unblemished except VERY slight shelfwear to dustjacket. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Condition is entirely consistent with a new book from an open-shelf bookstore environment such as Barnes & Noble. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING!
PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR JACKET DESCRIPTION(S) AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.
PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
PUBLISHER REVIEW
:
REVIEW
A look at the creation and composition of asteroids and the frightening eventuality of a collision with the earth. Author discloses how some asteroids, rich in precious minerals such as gold and platinum, may one day be lassoed and mined by man. She also explores how the natural resources that abound in some asteroids could possibly support human life. In the author’s words, “there’s a great deal of interest in asteroids lately, including several television shows. This book gives you a good synopsis of just what are asteroids, how we search for the ones that come close to the Earth–and what the real dangers are from these space objects. My book also takes the close-to-the-Earth asteroids (logically called near-Earth asteroids) a bit farther, stressing what good may come from these interlopers–especially as in materials we can use to expand into space.”
PROFESSIONAL REVIEW
:
REVIEW
It would take an asteroid the size of Vermont crashing into the Earth to wipe out all life on our planet. We can probably go to sleep tonight without worrying about this happening. Yet a significantly smaller asteroid — say, one that spans 10 football fields — could wreak enormous damage on life as we know it. Even if it struck in the middle of an ocean, violent flooding could drown millions of people. Asteroids this size pass between the Earth and the moon with disturbing frequency, writes Patricia Barnes-Svarney. This book nicely combines history, science and engaging speculation. It’s a must-read for doomsday aficionados.
READER REVIEW
:
REVIEW
The first chapters are very technical, however, you will learn a lot about the scientific background on asteroids and impacts. The chapters on how Earth has been hit in the past, the summary of the theory about the dinosaur extinction, and how the Chicxulub crater was found, are really good. The book also has a good coverage on subjects such as near-Earth objects, actual near-misses, what if scenarios, and the Spaceguard survey. If you became interested on these subjects after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter, or because you are a Sci-Fi fan who likes the “hard stuff” and read Clark’s “The Hammer of God”, Benford’s “Shiva Descending”, or Niven’s “Lucifer’s Hammer”, this book is for you. You can increase the depth of your scientific knowledge and learn why these fiction novels seem so real.
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Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world – but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology.
I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the “business” of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly – even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our
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