Asteroid [Hardcover]

Patricia Barnes-Svarney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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.

About the Author

Patricia Barnes-Svarney is the editor/writer of the award-winning New York Public Library Science Desk Reference. She has published more than 350 articles in such magazines as Popular Science, Astronomy, Omni, and Air & Space.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1ST edition (August 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306454084
• ISBN-13: 978-0306454080
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,208,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, if you are interested in the subject, October 30, 1997

By 

Emc2 (Tropical Ecotopia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Asteroid (Hardcover)

The first chapters are a little bit too 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?, and the Spaceguard survey.

If you became interested on these subjects after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter, or because you are a Sc-Fi fan who like the "hard stuff" and read Clark's "The Hammer of God", Benford's "Shiva Descending", or Niven's "Lucifr's Hammer", this book is for you. You can deepen your scientific knowledge and learn why these fiction novels seem so real, specially those written before the Alvarez paradigm.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Facts About Asteroids, April 6, 2011

By 

Donald W. May "bearded wonder" (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Asteroid: Earth Destroyer Or New Frontier? (Paperback)

This book has excellent material on the science of asteroids. Much has been learned, though, since was written in 2003. It could use an update with this new information