The Space Business - From Hotels in Orbit to Mining the Moon – How Private Enterprise is Transforming Space

Andrew May

Summary

Dreams, schemes and opportunity as space opens for tourism and commerce.

Twentieth century space exploration may have belonged to state-funded giants such as NASA, but there is a parallel history which has set the template for the future.

Even before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, private companies were exploiting space via communication satellites - a sector that is seeing exponential growth in the internet age. In human spaceflight, too, commercialisation is making itself felt. Billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have long trumpeted plans to make space travel a possibility for ordinary people and those ideas are inching ever closer to reality. At the same time, other companies plan to mine the Moon for helium-3, or asteroids for precious metals.

Science writer Andrew May takes an entertaining, in-depth look at the triumphs and heroic failures of our quixotic quest to commercialise the final frontier.

Available since: 10/07/2021.

Print length: 176 pages.

Science & Technology

Other books that might interest you

Eat Your Rice Cakes -...

RD Margaret Weiss

Have you been confronted with a medical diagnosis that has altered your otherwise comfortable and peaceful life?
Twenty-five years ago, Margaret Weiss, RD , CDCES was happily raising her family in central New Jersey when she was diagnosed with celiac disease. With little support for what was then a relatively unknown condition, she was forced to face her reactions and behaviors as she navigated many, often unpleasant, life changes to accommodate this disease.
· Are you experiencing a range of emotions and behaviors related to your own condition that you’d like to understand better?
· Are you interested in behavioral theories that might help explain and guide your actions as you navigate significant change?
· Are you looking for a way to transform your mindset about your diagnosis with constructive and reliable best practices that are forward-looking and healing?
Drawing on her experience as both a person with celiac disease and as a practicing dietitian, Margaret wrote Eat Your Rice Cakes to explore this journey of change. With humor and pragmatism, she speaks to both patients and providers of healthcare with a combination of personal and professional experiences that illustrate our responses to significant upheaval. Told with humor and insight through her eyes, the book offers an inspirational way for all readers to process life-altering change across a wide range of medical disorders with an ultimate vision of empowerment and compassion.

Show book

Agile Adoption Made Easy

Kevin Aguanno

Are you trying to adopt agile methods into your organization? Are you facing significant resistance from your teams or business management? Don't try to find your own way -- learn from those who have gone before you and take the easy road to agile adoption.In this live recording of a one-hour seminar on agile adoption, agile project management expert Kevin Aguanno shows you how to slowly phase in agile techniques into your organization and make them appear as if they are compatible with your current processes. In this recording, he advocates not pulling in a whole new methodology in one massive change, but rather adopting specific agile techniques, one-by-one to into your projects until the team members and stakeholders are using agile methods without realizing it. He suggests specific agile techniques that you should phase in early in your transformation, and how to "package" them to avoid objections from the business stakeholders. Full of real-life stories, he brings the subject to life and turns abstract concepts into practical next steps.

Show book

January First - A Child's...

Michael Schofield

A brilliant and harrowingly honest memoir, January First is the extraordinary story of a father's fight to save his child from an extremely severe case of mental illness in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Show book

Traditional Enemies - Britain's...

John D. Grainger

After the surrender of the French government in May 1940, the British were concerned that the resources of the French Empire, and particularly the powerful French fleet, would be put at the disposal of the Germans. The British, dependent upon their naval power and the resources of the Empire and Commonwealth to continue the war, sought to neutralize the threat of the French fleet and saw an opportunity to gobble up certain French colonies for themselves. Thus, even while Britain was locked in a deadly struggle with Nazi Germany, she continued the centuries-old imperial rivalry with her nearest neighbor and recent allies. The British attack on the French Mediterranean fleet at Mers el Kebir is well known, but less often remembered are the British operations against Vichy forces in West Africa, Syria and Madagascar. As the latent threat of the French fleet was the chief source of British concern, the conflict was largely a naval one, but there were substantial land operations in Syria and Madagascar. In Syria and Lebanon, Operation Exporter pitted 20,000 British, Indian, Australian and Free French troops against 35,000 Vichy French who fought with much greater skill and determination than expected. Operation Ironclad, the invasion of Madagascar, saw three brigades of infantry, supported by light tanks, make the first large scale British amphibious assault since the ill-fated Gallipoli landings in WWI. John D Grainger narrates and analyses all the British operations, by land, sea and air, against the French up to the Anglo-American Torch landings in North Africa. He reveals the initial reluctance of the British forces to really get stuck into their erstwhile allies and the reverses that resulted from underestimating the will of the Vichy French to fight. The complicating factor of De Gaulle's Free French is another major theme. Above all, what emerges is that these are fascinating campaigns in their own right that have been unduly neglected.

Show book

The Book of Barely Imagined...

Caspar Henderson

“Caspar Henderson takes us on an eye-opening tour of real animals that no sane human could ever have invented.” —Frans de Waal, New York Times–bestselling author 
 
With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson’s book—from the axolotl to the zebrafish—are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up—that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature’s “extreme survivors,” able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value—or fail to value—and what we might change. 
 
A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change. 
 
“The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is one that Pliny would have envied, Darwin applauded, and Borges relished . . . In these days of doom and gloom, I can think of nothing more rejoicing than Caspar Henderson’s magical book.” —Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading 
 
“Magnificent, bravura, beautiful and astoundingly interesting.” —The Sunday Times 
 
“Spell-binding, brilliantly executed, extraordinary.” —The Guardian

Show book

Pass the CCNA Exam: Your...

Cyrus Melrose

Pass the CCNA Exam: Your Essential Guide to Success
⭐⭐ Simplified Audio Guide & Explanations Included ⭐⭐
Are you eager to advance your career and solidify your networking knowledge by successfully passing the CCNA Exam 2024-2025?
Searching for a comprehensive resource that contains all the essential elements to ace the CCNA Exam 2024-2025?
Your quest ends here!
This guide is your ultimate companion for deepening your understanding, applying your skills, and engaging in practical exercises. With this resource, you are set for success.
Updated to reflect the CCNA 2024-2025 Exam Structure.
Key features of this enhanced guide include:
- In-depth insights into the CCNA Exam 2024-2025 Certification
- Detailed explanations of networking principles
- Effective strategies for exam preparation and problem-solving
Our guide stands out through its comprehensive coverage, crucial for your exam triumph. Concepts are not just touched upon; they are explored in detail with accuracy.
Please note that this guide operates independently and is not affiliated with any official organization.
Crafted with a clear structure and accessible language, our CCNA Exam Guide 2024-2025 ensures seamless transitions between topics. Say farewell to convoluted jargon and embrace content that is clear, precise, and technically sound.
So why delay? Click the BUY NOW button, secure your guide, and embark on your path to success in the CCNA Exam 2024-2025!
Take control of your future and enhance your career potential with this essential guide!

Show book