Harvesting Space for a Greener Earth (eBook)

What was our planet like in years past? How has our civilization affected Earth and its ecology? Harvesting Space for a Greener Planet, the Second Edition of Paradise Regained: The Regreening of the Earth, begins by discussing these questions, and then generates a scenario for the restoration of Earth. It introduces new and innovative ideas on how we could use the Solar System and its resources for terrestrial benefit.

The environmental challenges that face us today cannot be resolved by conservation and current technologies alone. Harvesting Space highlights the risk of humankind's future extinction from environmental degradation. Population growth, global climate change, and maintaining sustainability of habitats for wildlife are all considered, among other issues.

Rather than losing heart, we need to realize that the solutions to these problems lie in being good stewards of the planet and in the development of space. Not only will the solutions offered here avert a crisis, they will also provide the basis for continued technological and societal progress. Tapping the resources of near-Earth asteroids will lead to methods of diverting those asteroids that threaten Earth. Space-based terrestrial power generation systems will work synergistically with Earth-based conservation.

This book needs to be read urgently and widely, if we are to save ourselves from environmental disaster, reduce the risk of catastrophic cosmic impacts, and build a prosperous and sustainable future for all the creatures of Earth.

Greg Matloff has published or delivered about 100 research papers related to atmospheric physics, space exploration and space science and has authored or co-authored nine books and many popular articles. Dr. Matloff is a professor emeritus and adjunct professor at New York City College of Technology, CUNY, where he teaches astronomy. Matloff consulted for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; he is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and a Hayden Associate at the American Museum of Natural History, where he worked on asteroid diversion techniques. He also heads the science board on the new Institute for Interstellar Studies.

C Bangs has exhibited her art in museums and galleries throughout the United States, South America, Europe and Australia. Bangs has created chapter frontispiece art for the books authored by her husband, Greg Matloff. Reversing roles with Greg, she created her first artist/scientist book, which has been collected by the Brooklyn Museum and the British Interplanetary Society for their artist book collections. Her work has appeared in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Analog: Science Fact and Fiction and Zenit. Bangs worked under a grant at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and then as a NASA faculty fellow for three sequential summers. Bangs' art is included in numerous public and private collections.

Les Johnson is the deputy manager of NASA's Advanced Concepts at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Previously he managed NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project, developing advanced technologies such as solar sails and aerocapture for future space science missions. He was the NASA co-investigator on the Japanese T-Rex tether propulsion experiment in 2010. In addition to his NASA credentials, Johnson is also an inventor. He holds three patents and was twice the recipient of NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal. He is the author of numerous technical publications, co-author of three mass-market popular science books and two science fiction books and has consulted on various novels and two major motion pictures.

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What was our planet like in years past? How has our civilization affected Earth and its ecology? Harvesting Space for a Greener Planet, the Second Edition of Paradise Regained: The Regreening of the Earth, begins by discussing these questions, and then generates a scenario for the restoration of Earth. It introduces new and innovative ideas on how we could use the Solar System and its resources for terrestrial benefit.The environmental challenges that face us today cannot be resolved by conservation and current technologies alone. Harvesting Space highlights the risk of humankind's future extinction from environmental degradation. Population growth, global climate change, and maintaining sustainability of habitats for wildlife are all considered, among other issues.Rather than losing heart, we need to realize that the solutions to these problems lie in being good stewards of the planet and in the development of space. Not only will the solutions offered here avert a crisis, they will also provide the basis for continued technological and societal progress. Tapping the resources of near-Earth asteroids will lead to methods of diverting those asteroids that threaten Earth. Space-based terrestrial power generation systems will work synergistically with Earth-based conservation.This book needs to be read urgently and widely, if we are to save ourselves from environmental disaster, reduce the risk of catastrophic cosmic impacts, and build a prosperous and sustainable future for all the creatures of Earth.