Waubonsee Community College

Catching stardust, comets, asteroids and the birth of the solar system, Natalie Starkey

eng

illustrationsmapsplates

index present

non fiction

Catching stardust

1001924211

Natalie Starkey

Bloomsbury sigma series, Book Thirty-three

comets, asteroids and the birth of the solar system

"Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious--comets and asteroids are among the Solar System's very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants. Exploring comets and asteroids also allows us to shape the story of Earth's future, enabling us to protect our precious planet from the threat of a catastrophic impact from space, and maybe to even recover valuable raw materials from them. This cosmic bounty could be as useful in space as it is on Earth, providing the necessary fuel and supplies for humans as they voyage into deep space to explore more distant locations within the Solar System. Catching Stardust tells the story of these enigmatic celestial objects, revealing how scientists are using them to help understand a crucial time in our history--the birth of the Solar System, and everything contained within it."--Dust jacket

Introduction -- A 4.6-billion-year journey into the deep freeze -- Comets and asteroids on earth -- Shooting stars and space dust -- Water and life on earth and in space -- Taking the science to space -- The Stardust mission -- The Rosetta mission -- Space mining -- Mission 'Save Planet Earth' -- Epilogue