- Table View
- List View
Assurance Technologies Principles and Practices: A Product, Process, and System Safety Perspective
by Dev G. Raheja Michael AlloccoThe Second Edition features new content, examples,methods, techniques, and best practices Assurance Technologies Principles and Practices is based on the assertion that safety is not a cost, but an excellent investment. According to the authors, more than sixty percent of problems in complex systems arise from incomplete, vague, and poorly written specifications. In keeping with the authors' passion for safety, the text is dedicated to uniting the gamut of disciplines that are essential for effective design applying assurance technology principles, including system safety, reliability, maintainability, human engineering, quality, logistics, software integrity, and system integration. Readers familiar with the first edition of this text will recognize all the hallmarks that have made it a classic in its field. The Second Edition features a host of new examples, methods, techniques, and best practices to bring the text fully up to date with the state of the art in assurance technology. Much new content has been added as well, including four new chapters: Managing Safety-Related Risks Statistical Concepts, Loss Analysis, and Safety-Related Applications Models, Concepts, and Examples: Applying Scenario-Driven Hazard Analysis Automation, Computer, and Software Complexities The text begins with an introduction and overview of assurance technology. Next, readers are provided with fundamental statistical concepts. The chapters that follow explore in depth the approaches and disciplines that make up assurance technology applications. Each chapter is organized into major phases-design, manufacturing, test, and use phase-that help readers understand both how and when to apply particular measures. Throughout the text, readers discover detailed examples that prepare them to manage real-world challenges. References and further reading are provided at the end of each chapter leading to more in-depth discussion on specialized topics. With its extensive use of examples and highly structured approach, this is an excellent course book for students in industrial engineering, systems engineering, risk engineering, and other assurance technology domains. Design and system engineers as well as safety professionals will find the material essential in troubleshooting complex projects and ensuring product, process, and system safety.
Assurances for Self-Adaptive Systems: Principles, Models, and Techniques (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #7740)
by Antonia Lopes Javier Cámara Rogério De Lemos Carlo GhezziThe increasing complexity of systems and the growing uncertainty in their operational environments have created a critical need to develop systems able to improve their operation, adapt to change, and recover from failures autonomously. This situation has led to recent advances in self-adaptive systems able to reconfigure their structure and modify their behavior at run-time to adapt to environmental changes. Despite these advances, one key aspect of self-adaptive systems that remains to be tackled in depth is "assurances": the provision of evidence that the system satisfies its stated functional and non-functional requirements during its operation in the presence of self-adaptation. This book is one of the outcomes of the ESEC/FSE 2011 Workshop on Assurances for Self-Adaptive Systems (ASAS), held in Szeged, Hungary, in September 2011. It contains extended versions of some of the papers presented during the workshop, as well as invited papers from recognized experts. The 12 refereed papers were thoroughly reviewed and selected. The book consists of four parts: formal verification, models and middleware, failure prediction, and assurance techniques.
Assured Cloud Computing
by Roy H. Campbell Charles A. Kamhoua Kevin A. KwiatExplores key challenges and solutions to assured cloud computing today and provides a provocative look at the face of cloud computing tomorrow This book offers readers a comprehensive suite of solutions for resolving many of the key challenges to achieving high levels of assurance in cloud computing. The distillation of critical research findings generated by the Assured Cloud Computing Center of Excellence (ACC-UCoE) of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, it provides unique insights into the current and future shape of robust, dependable, and secure cloud-based computing and data cyberinfrastructures. A survivable and distributed cloud-computing-based infrastructure can enable the configuration of any dynamic systems-of-systems that contain both trusted and partially trusted resources and services sourced from multiple organizations. To assure mission-critical computations and workflows that rely on such systems-of-systems it is necessary to ensure that a given configuration does not violate any security or reliability requirements. Furthermore, it is necessary to model the trustworthiness of a workflow or computation fulfillment to a high level of assurance. In presenting the substance of the work done by the ACC-UCoE, this book provides a vision for assured cloud computing illustrating how individual research contributions relate to each other and to the big picture of assured cloud computing. In addition, the book: Explores dominant themes in cloud-based systems, including design correctness, support for big data and analytics, monitoring and detection, network considerations, and performance Synthesizes heavily cited earlier work on topics such as DARE, trust mechanisms, and elastic graphs, as well as newer research findings on topics, including R-Storm, and RAMP transactions Addresses assured cloud computing concerns such as game theory, stream processing, storage, algorithms, workflow, scheduling, access control, formal analysis of safety, and streaming Bringing together the freshest thinking and applications in one of today’s most important topics, Assured Cloud Computing is a must-read for researchers and professionals in the fields of computer science and engineering, especially those working within industrial, military, and governmental contexts. It is also a valuable reference for advanced students of computer science.
Assured Cloud Computing
by Roy H. Campbell Kevin A. Kwiat Charles A. KamhouaExplores key challenges and solutions to assured cloud computing today and provides a provocative look at the face of cloud computing tomorrow This book offers readers a comprehensive suite of solutions for resolving many of the key challenges to achieving high levels of assurance in cloud computing. The distillation of critical research findings generated by the Assured Cloud Computing Center of Excellence (ACC-UCoE) of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, it provides unique insights into the current and future shape of robust, dependable, and secure cloud-based computing and data cyberinfrastructures. A survivable and distributed cloud-computing-based infrastructure can enable the configuration of any dynamic systems-of-systems that contain both trusted and partially trusted resources and services sourced from multiple organizations. To assure mission-critical computations and workflows that rely on such systems-of-systems it is necessary to ensure that a given configuration does not violate any security or reliability requirements. Furthermore, it is necessary to model the trustworthiness of a workflow or computation fulfillment to a high level of assurance. In presenting the substance of the work done by the ACC-UCoE, this book provides a vision for assured cloud computing illustrating how individual research contributions relate to each other and to the big picture of assured cloud computing. In addition, the book: Explores dominant themes in cloud-based systems, including design correctness, support for big data and analytics, monitoring and detection, network considerations, and performance Synthesizes heavily cited earlier work on topics such as DARE, trust mechanisms, and elastic graphs, as well as newer research findings on topics, including R-Storm, and RAMP transactions Addresses assured cloud computing concerns such as game theory, stream processing, storage, algorithms, workflow, scheduling, access control, formal analysis of safety, and streaming Bringing together the freshest thinking and applications in one of today’s most important topics, Assured Cloud Computing is a must-read for researchers and professionals in the fields of computer science and engineering, especially those working within industrial, military, and governmental contexts. It is also a valuable reference for advanced students of computer science.
Assured Victory: How "Stalin the Great" Won the War, but Lost the Peace
by Albert L. WeeksThis book documents dictator Joseph Stalin's brilliant tactics as well as missteps in taking preemptive actions that guaranteed ultimate victory over the German invaders. It also covers the policies implemented after the war that made the Soviet Union a menace to world peace and led to collapse of Soviet rule.A detailed reexamination of historical facts indicates that Stalin could deserve to be regarded as a "great leader." Yet Stalin clearly failed as his nation's leader in a post-World War II milieu, where he delivered the Cold War instead of rapid progress and global cooperation. It is the proof of both Stalin's brilliance and blunders that makes him such a fascinating figure in modern history.Today, most of the Russian population acknowledges that Stalin achieved "greatness." The Soviet dictator's honored place in history is largely due to Stalin successfully attending to the Soviet Union's defense needs in the 1930s and 1940s, and leading the USSR to victory in the war on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany and its allies. This book provides an overdue critical investigation of how the Soviet leader's domestic and foreign policies actually helped produce this victory, and above all, how Stalin's timely support of a wartime alliance with the Western capitalist democracies assured the defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.
Assured Victory: How "Stalin the Great" Won the War, but Lost the Peace
by Albert L. WeeksThis book documents dictator Joseph Stalin's brilliant tactics as well as missteps in taking preemptive actions that guaranteed ultimate victory over the German invaders. It also covers the policies implemented after the war that made the Soviet Union a menace to world peace and led to collapse of Soviet rule.A detailed reexamination of historical facts indicates that Stalin could deserve to be regarded as a "great leader." Yet Stalin clearly failed as his nation's leader in a post-World War II milieu, where he delivered the Cold War instead of rapid progress and global cooperation. It is the proof of both Stalin's brilliance and blunders that makes him such a fascinating figure in modern history.Today, most of the Russian population acknowledges that Stalin achieved "greatness." The Soviet dictator's honored place in history is largely due to Stalin successfully attending to the Soviet Union's defense needs in the 1930s and 1940s, and leading the USSR to victory in the war on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany and its allies. This book provides an overdue critical investigation of how the Soviet leader's domestic and foreign policies actually helped produce this victory, and above all, how Stalin's timely support of a wartime alliance with the Western capitalist democracies assured the defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.
Assuring Quality in Online Education: Practices and Processes at the Teaching, Resource, and Program Levels
by Kay ShattuckOnline distance education continues to grow at a fast pace, even outpacing the overall growth of U.S. higher education. Demands for quality are coming from all shareholders involved. As if caught by surprise, a patchwork response to quality is often the typical organizational response. The result can be inconsistent and uncoordinated levels of value to those invested in online learning. This often promotes negative images of the educational experience and institution.Comprised of highly regarded experts in the field, this edited volume provides a comprehensive overview of quality assurance, a snapshot of current practices and proven recommendations for raising standards of quality in online education.Topics discussed include:* Improving practices for teaching online* Using educational analytics for quality assurance and improvement* Accessibility: An important dimension of quality assurance* Assuring quality in online course design* Assuring quality in learner support, academic resources, advising and counseling* The role and realities of accreditationThis text clearly answers the call for addressing quality from a broad, deep and coordinated understanding. It addresses the complexities of quality assurance in higher education and offers professionals top-shelf advice and support. *This text is also appropriate for students enrolled in Educational Technology and Higher Education Administration Masters and PhD programs
Assuring Quality in Online Education: Practices and Processes at the Teaching, Resource, and Program Levels
Online distance education continues to grow at a fast pace, even outpacing the overall growth of U.S. higher education. Demands for quality are coming from all shareholders involved. As if caught by surprise, a patchwork response to quality is often the typical organizational response. The result can be inconsistent and uncoordinated levels of value to those invested in online learning. This often promotes negative images of the educational experience and institution.Comprised of highly regarded experts in the field, this edited volume provides a comprehensive overview of quality assurance, a snapshot of current practices and proven recommendations for raising standards of quality in online education.Topics discussed include:* Improving practices for teaching online* Using educational analytics for quality assurance and improvement* Accessibility: An important dimension of quality assurance* Assuring quality in online course design* Assuring quality in learner support, academic resources, advising and counseling* The role and realities of accreditationThis text clearly answers the call for addressing quality from a broad, deep and coordinated understanding. It addresses the complexities of quality assurance in higher education and offers professionals top-shelf advice and support. *This text is also appropriate for students enrolled in Educational Technology and Higher Education Administration Masters and PhD programs
Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire (Blackwell Companions To The Ancient World Ser.)
by Eckart FrahmAt its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.Although Assyria was crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE, its legacy endured from the Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative account of a civilisation essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.
Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire
by Eckart FrahmAt its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.Although Assyria was crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE, its legacy endured from the Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative account of a civilisation essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.
The Assyrian Genocide: Cultural and Political Legacies (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
by Hannibal TravisFor a brief period, the attention of the international community has focused once again on the plight of religious minorities in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. In particular, the abductions and massacres of Yezidis and Assyrians in the Sinjar, Mosul, Nineveh Plains, Baghdad, and Hasakah regions in 2007–2015 raised questions about the prevention of genocide. This book, while principally analyzing the Assyrian genocide of 1914–1925 and its implications for the culture and politics of the region, also raises broader questions concerning the future of religious diversity in the Middle East. It gathers and analyzes the findings of a broad spectrum of historical and scholarly works on Christian identities in the Middle East, genocide studies, international law, and the politics of the late Ottoman Empire, as well as the politics of the Ottomans' British and Russian rivals for power in western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean basin. A key question the book raises is whether the fate of the Assyrians maps onto any of the concepts used within international law and diplomatic history to study genocide and group violence. In this light, the Assyrian genocide stands out as being several times larger, in both absolute terms and relative to the size of the affected group, than the Srebrenica genocide, which is recognized by Turkey as well as by international tribunals and organizations. Including its Armenian and Greek victims, the Ottoman Christian Genocide rivals the Rwandan, Bengali, and Biafran genocides. The book also aims to explore the impact of the genocide period of 1914–1925 on the development or partial unraveling of Assyrian group cohesion, including aspirations to autonomy in the Assyrian areas of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. Scholars from around the world have collaborated to approach these research questions by reference to diplomatic and political archives, international legal materials, memoirs, and literary works.
The Assyrian Genocide: Cultural and Political Legacies (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
by Hannibal TravisFor a brief period, the attention of the international community has focused once again on the plight of religious minorities in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. In particular, the abductions and massacres of Yezidis and Assyrians in the Sinjar, Mosul, Nineveh Plains, Baghdad, and Hasakah regions in 2007–2015 raised questions about the prevention of genocide. This book, while principally analyzing the Assyrian genocide of 1914–1925 and its implications for the culture and politics of the region, also raises broader questions concerning the future of religious diversity in the Middle East. It gathers and analyzes the findings of a broad spectrum of historical and scholarly works on Christian identities in the Middle East, genocide studies, international law, and the politics of the late Ottoman Empire, as well as the politics of the Ottomans' British and Russian rivals for power in western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean basin. A key question the book raises is whether the fate of the Assyrians maps onto any of the concepts used within international law and diplomatic history to study genocide and group violence. In this light, the Assyrian genocide stands out as being several times larger, in both absolute terms and relative to the size of the affected group, than the Srebrenica genocide, which is recognized by Turkey as well as by international tribunals and organizations. Including its Armenian and Greek victims, the Ottoman Christian Genocide rivals the Rwandan, Bengali, and Biafran genocides. The book also aims to explore the impact of the genocide period of 1914–1925 on the development or partial unraveling of Assyrian group cohesion, including aspirations to autonomy in the Assyrian areas of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. Scholars from around the world have collaborated to approach these research questions by reference to diplomatic and political archives, international legal materials, memoirs, and literary works.
The AST Handbook of Transplant Infections
by Deepali Kumar Atul HumarWhether you need to manage a post-transplant infection or reduce the possibility of infection, you will find effective guidance in this handbook. The work of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice, this reference exclusively uses tables and flowcharts to speed up decision making. This distinguished group of investigators and teachers provide point of care information on optimum management of infection in adult and pediatric organ and stem cell transplant patients. The unique tables and flowcharts are devised by the authors, backed up with extensive references, making the book a fully researched yet easy to use guide. The fast growing specialty of transplantation will be well served by this book as increasing numbers of successful procedures mean transplant teams have to be ever more alert to the possibility of and need for action in the event of ensuing infection.
The AST Handbook of Transplant Infections
by Deepali Kumar Atul HumarWhether you need to manage a post-transplant infection or reduce the possibility of infection, you will find effective guidance in this handbook. The work of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice, this reference exclusively uses tables and flowcharts to speed up decision making. This distinguished group of investigators and teachers provide point of care information on optimum management of infection in adult and pediatric organ and stem cell transplant patients. The unique tables and flowcharts are devised by the authors, backed up with extensive references, making the book a fully researched yet easy to use guide. The fast growing specialty of transplantation will be well served by this book as increasing numbers of successful procedures mean transplant teams have to be ever more alert to the possibility of and need for action in the event of ensuing infection.
Astaire by Numbers: Time & the Straight White Male Dancer
by Todd DeckerAstaire by Numbers looks at every second of dancing Fred Astaire committed to film in the studio era--all six hours, thirty-four minutes, and fifty seconds. Using a quantitative digital humanities approach, as well as previously untapped production records, author Todd Decker takes the reader onto the set and into the rehearsal halls and editing rooms where Astaire created his seemingly perfect film dances. Watching closely in this way reveals how Astaire used the technically sophisticated resources of the Hollywood film making machine to craft a singular career in mass entertainment as a straight white man who danced. Decker dissects Astaire's work at the level of the shot, the cut, and the dance step to reveal the aesthetic and practical choices that yielded Astaire's dancing figure on screen. He offers new insights into how Astaire secured his masculinity and his heterosexuality, along with a new understanding of Astaire's whiteness, which emerges in both the sheer extent of his work and the larger implications of his famous "full figure" framing of his dancing body. Astaire by Numbers rethinks this towering straight white male figure from the ground up by digging deeply into questions of race, gender, and sexuality, ultimately offering a complete re-assessment of a twentieth-century icon of American popular culture.
Astaire by Numbers: Time & the Straight White Male Dancer
by Todd DeckerAstaire by Numbers looks at every second of dancing Fred Astaire committed to film in the studio era--all six hours, thirty-four minutes, and fifty seconds. Using a quantitative digital humanities approach, as well as previously untapped production records, author Todd Decker takes the reader onto the set and into the rehearsal halls and editing rooms where Astaire created his seemingly perfect film dances. Watching closely in this way reveals how Astaire used the technically sophisticated resources of the Hollywood film making machine to craft a singular career in mass entertainment as a straight white man who danced. Decker dissects Astaire's work at the level of the shot, the cut, and the dance step to reveal the aesthetic and practical choices that yielded Astaire's dancing figure on screen. He offers new insights into how Astaire secured his masculinity and his heterosexuality, along with a new understanding of Astaire's whiteness, which emerges in both the sheer extent of his work and the larger implications of his famous "full figure" framing of his dancing body. Astaire by Numbers rethinks this towering straight white male figure from the ground up by digging deeply into questions of race, gender, and sexuality, ultimately offering a complete re-assessment of a twentieth-century icon of American popular culture.
Asterisk 1.4: The Professional's Guide : Implementing, Administering, And Consulting On Commercial Ip Telephony Solutions
by Colman Carpenter David Duffett Ian PlainEmploying a comprehensive handbook-style approach, this easy-to-follow book shows the reader various means of implementing the power of Asterisk in a commercial environment. In next to no time, the reader will gain a deeper understanding of many of the issues faced by Asterisk consultants and the solutions they believe work best. Primarily aimed at Asterisk Professionals, this book provides real-world insight for Asterisk Network Administrators and System Implementers in the commercial environment. This book is not for newcomers to Asterisk. Readers are expected to be experienced with installing and administering Asterisk systems.
Asterisk 1.6: Build Feature-rich Telephony Systems With Asterisk
by Barrie Dempster David Gomillion David MerelThe book offers readers both a detailed description as well as step by step instructions on deploying software solutions as well as Asterisk configurations. Screenshots are provided in sections to give a visual perspective of the instructions. For Asterisk configurations actual sample code is listed in the book which can be directly inserted into your Asterisk solution. This book is aimed at anyone who is interested in building a powerful telephony system using the free and open source application, Asterisk, without spending many thousands of dollars buying a commercial and often less flexible system. This book is suitable for the novice and those new to Asterisk and telephony. Telephony or Linux experience will be helpful, but not required.
Asterisk Hacking
by Joshua BrasharsAsterisk Hacking provides detials of techniques people may not be aware of. It teaches the secrets the bad guys already know about stealing personal information through the most common, seemingly innocuous, highway into computer networks: the phone system. This book provides detials to readers what they can do to protect themselves, their families, their clients, and their network from this invisible threat. Power tips show how to make the most out of the phone system for defense or attack. - Contains original code to perform previously unthought of tasks like changing caller id, narrowing a phone number down to a specific geographic location, and more! - See through the eyes of the attacker and learn WHY they are motivated, something not touched upon in most other titles.
The Asteroid Hunter: A Scientist's Journey to the Dawn of our Solar System
by Dante LaurettaA "captivating, behind-the-scenes account" of NASA&’s historic OSIRIS-REx mission to return an asteroid sample and unlock the mystery of formation on life on earth braided with the remarkable life story of the mission&’s leader, Dr. Dante Lauretta (Sara Seager). On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery in the vastness of space. Scientists uncovered an asteroid of immense scientific importance—a colossal celestial entity. As massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the iconic Empire State Building, this cosmic titan was later named Bennu. Remarkable for much more than its size, Bennu belonged to a rare breed of asteroids capable of revealing the essence of life itself. But just as Bennu became a beacon of promise, researchers identified a grave danger. Hurtling through space, it threatens to collide with our planet on September 24, 2182. Leading the expedition was Dr. Dante Lauretta, the Principal Investigator of NASA's audacious OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. Tasked with unraveling Bennu's mysteries, his team embarked on a daring quest to retrieve a precious sample from the asteroid's surface — one that held the potential to not only unlock the secrets of life's origins but also to avert an unprecedented catastrophe. A tale of destiny and danger, The Asteroid Hunter chronicles the high-stakes mission firsthand, narrated by Dr. Lauretta. It offers readers an intimate glimpse into the riveting exploits of the mission and Dr. Lauretta's wild, winding personal journey to Bennu and back. Peeling back the curtain on the wonders of the cosmos, this enthralling account promises a rare glimpse into the tightly woven fabric of scientific exploration, where technical precision converges with humanity&’s profound curiosity and indominable spirit.
The Asteroid Impact Connection of Planetary Evolution: With Special Reference to Large Precambrian and Australian impacts (SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences)
by Andrew Y. GliksonWhen in 1981 Louis and Walter Alvarez, the father and son team, unearthed a tell-tale Iridium-rich sedimentary horizon at the 65 million years-old Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at Gubbio, Italy, their find heralded a paradigm shift in the study of terrestrial evolution. Since the 1980s the discovery and study of asteroid impact ejecta in the oldest well-preserved terrains of Western Australia and South Africa, by Don Lowe, Gary Byerly, Bruce Simonson, Scott Hassler, the author and others, and the documentation of new exposed and buried impact structures in several continents, have led to a resurgence of the idea of the catastrophism theory of Cuvier, previously largely supplanted by the uniformitarian theory of Hutton and Lyell. Several mass extinction of species events are known to have occurred in temporal proximity to large asteroid impacts, global volcanic eruptions and continental splitting. Likely links are observed between asteroid clusters and the 580 Ma acritarch radiation, end-Devonian extinction, end-Triassic extinction and end-Jurassic extinction. New discoveries of ~3.5 – 3.2 Ga-old impact fallout units in South Africa have led Don Lowe and Gary Byerly to propose a protracted prolongation of the Late Heavy Bombardment (~3.95-3.85 Ga) in the Earth-Moon system. Given the difficulty in identifying asteroid impact ejecta units and buried impact structures, it is likely new discoveries of impact signatures are in store, which would further profoundly alter models of terrestrial evolution..
Asteroid Impact Risk: Impact Hazard from Asteroids and Comets (Impact Studies)
by Josep M. Trigo-RodríguezThis book describes the complexity of impact hazards associated with asteroids and comets. The challenge in this regard lies in the heterogeneous nature of these bodies that endanger our planet, which is why we are conducting new experiments to better understand their unique physicochemical properties. Several generations of astronomers have tracked and mapped the orbits of asteroids and comets over the past few centuries, and telescopic surveys have only begun to discover “new” interstellar objects. In addition, cutting-edge software allow our computers to combine the orbits of these elusive bodies to study how they evolve over time and seek to match asteroid complexes as fragments of asteroidal and cometary disruptions.Impact hazards represent one of the greatest threats to the survival of human beings in the medium term. Geological studies show that the stratigraphic record holds clear geological evidence of these rare but transcendental encounters in the history of life on our planet. The study and quantification of past catastrophes can give us clues to face future challenges in the form of potential impacts.Further, it would be illogical to assume that Earth’s interaction with space is limited to major impacts. Every night, Earth is struck by millions of particles, and dozens of meteor showers occur around the globe every year. The study of lake and ocean sediments reveals the magnitude of the continuous contribution of interplanetary matter reaching Earth: roughly 100,000 tons per year.Accordingly, the goal of this book is to underscore the need for society-wide awareness of the dangers associated with asteroid and comet impacts, on the basis of scientific evidence and with no intention of sparking alarmism. After all, we ourselves may only be the fruit of an opportunity given to mammals sixty-five million years ago to evolve after the conflagration that would be the downfall of the dinosaurs. If we have learned to read Earth’s geological history, we should consider ourselves a very fortunate species, and its teachings should equip us to face this problem.The also book emphasizes the role of space missions to gain insights on these bodies, particularly describing the relevance of the DART (NASA) and Hera (ESA) missions to deflect and study Dimorphos, respectively, the small satellite of the Didymos binary asteroid.
Asteroids: Prospective Energy and Material Resources
by Viorel BadescuThe Earth has limited material and energy resources while these resources in space are virtually unlimited. Further development of humanity will require going beyond our planet and exploring of extraterrestrial resources and sources of unlimited power. Thus far, all missions to asteroids have been motivated by scientific exploration. However, given recent advancements in various space technologies, mining asteroids for resources is becoming ever more feasible. A significant portion of asteroids value is derived from their location; the required resources do not need to be lifted at a great expense from the surface of the Earth. Resources derived from Asteroid not only can be brought back to Earth but could also be used to sustain human exploration of space and permanent settlements in space. This book investigates asteroids' prospective energy and material resources. It is a collection of topics related to asteroid exploration, and utilization. It presents past and future technologies and solutions to old problems that could become reality in our life time. The book therefore is a great source of condensed information for specialists involved in current and impending asteroid-related activities and a good starting point for space researchers, inventors, technologists and potential investors. Written for researchers, engineers, and businessmen interested in asteroids' exploration and exploitation. Keywords: Asteroids, Asteroid exploration, Asteroid exploitation, Energy sources, Space Resources, Material Resources, In-Situ Resource Utilization, Mining
Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space
by Martin ElvisA unique, wide-ranging examination of asteroid exploration and our future in space Human travel into space is an enormously expensive and unforgiving endeavor. So why go? In this accessible and authoritative book, astrophysicist Martin Elvis argues that the answer is asteroid exploration, for the strong motives of love, fear, and greed. Elvis’s personal motivation is one of scientific love—asteroid investigations may teach us about the composition of the solar system and the origins of life. A more compelling reason may be fear—of a dinosaur killer–sized asteroid hitting our planet. Finally, Elvis maintains, we should consider greed: asteroids likely hold vast riches, such as large platinum deposits, and mining them could provide both a new industry and a funding source for bolder space exploration. Elvis explains how each motive can be satisfied, and how they help one another. From the origins of life, to “space billiards,” and space sports, Elvis looks at how asteroids may be used in the not-so-distant future.