We all know what happened to the dinosaurs. Unable to do anything but observe, they watched as an asteroid hurled itself into Earth’s atmosphere and experienced the ramifications of the asteroid’s impact on the planet. Factors such as mass, velocity, type, and trajectory resulted in the extinction of seventy percent of life on Earth. Millions of years later, are we prepared for our battle against this same opponent? The Asteroid Apocalypse is an educational, nonfiction account of the asteroid threat to life on Earth. Detailing the latest science and technologies, The Asteroid Apocalypse guides readers through simulations and space missions that study the asteroid threat. Author Rajeev Raghuram provides readers with the historical context and accessible data to create a holistic understanding of the many potential threats Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs) pose to Earth, as well as how scientists and astronomers around the world prepare to respond to these possible threats. Young readers and aspiring space engineers, astronomers, and scientists everywhere will enjoy this introduction into the world of space rocks swirling around our planet and how we can work to ensure a fate different to that of the dinosaurs.

In 2004, NASA announced to the public that on April 13, 2036 an asteroid named Apophis 99942 (Asteroid 2004 MN4) will impact earth with 750 megatons of kinetic energy killing more than 10 million people. This will cause an apocalypse. A biblically prophesied apocalypse.

For untold millennia, comets and asteroids have struck fear into the hearts of humankind. Their stark radiance was observed everywhere with a sense of impending doom and interpreted as signs of the gods' judgment, omens of plague, mass destruction and the end of time. Astronomers recorded their appearance the world over, building large scale observatories to track their movements and predict their ominous arrival. What was it about these majestic wonders of the heavens that inspired such dread? Was it simply a product of mere superstition and social hysteria? The latest scientific analysis and historical analysis strongly suggest otherwise. Our ancestors knew something we have since forgotten, their secrets deeply embedded in the archaeological record and the myths passed on throughout generations. And we have only begun to unravel their mysteries ... Spurred by the discovery of a little known letter of warning to the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development by astrophysicist Victor Clube, author Laura Knight-Jadczyk began an in-depth research project to get to the bottom of the very real threat to humanity posed by these celestial visitors. In The Apocalypse: Comets, Asteroids, and Cyclical Catastrophes, Knight-Jadczyk shares what she found: historical evidence for mass destructions, comet-borne plagues, and repeated cover ups littering our past, as well as clues that a similar fate may be fast approaching.

Presents a realistic, workable plan for defusing a potentially lethal threat from a rogue asteroid or comet. The explosion of a large meteor over Chelyabinsk, Siberia, in February 2013 is just the latest reminder that planet Earth is vulnerable to damaging and potentially catastrophic collisions with space debris of various kinds. In this informative and forward-looking book, veteran aerospace writer William E. Burrows explains what we can do in the future to avoid far more serious impacts from "Near-Earth Objects" (NEOs), as they are called in the planetary defense community. The good news is that humanity is now equipped with the advanced technology necessary to devise a long-term strategy to protect the planet. Burrows outlines the following key features of an effective planetary defense strategy- * A powerful space surveillance system capable of spotting a serious threat from space at least a year in advance * A space craft "nudge" that would throw a collision-course asteroid off target long before it poses the threat of imminent impact * A weapons system to be used as a last-ditch method to blast an NEO should all else fail. The author notes the many benefits for world stability and increasing international cooperation resulting from a united worldwide effort to protect the planet. Combining realism with an optimistic can-do attitude, Burrows shows that humanity is capable of overcoming a potentially calamitous situation.

Text and illustrations explore the theory that the collision of an asteroid with the Earth ended the Cretaceous Period and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The sequel to Red Thunder is “a cosmic coming-of-age novel . . . [with] enthralling everyday heroics” from a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author (Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com). It doesn’t matter that Ray Garcia-Strickland’s father was one of the first men on Mars. The now overdeveloped planet has lost its hip factor, its luxurious hotels—like the one Ray’s father manages—overrun with gravity-dependent tourists from Earth. Ray is over the Red Planet. Soon he gets his own chance at interplanetary adventure, when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami. Ray heads back to Florida to help family and friends who’ve survived the devastation—and soon learns the so-called natural disaster could have unnatural consequences . . . “The book Robert A. Heinlein would have written if he lived in George Bush’s America.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing “A highly satisfying sequel to Red Thunder . . . Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Drawing unabashedly on current events from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the author mixes space opera–esque adventure and merriment with uncensored images of disaster areas and teenage sex. At his Heinlein-channeling best, Varley preaches the gospel of individual responsibility with all the fervor of a space-age libertarian revival preacher.” —Publishers Weekly “John Varley blends past fiction, current events and future tech to create a story all his own, but with classic roots in at least a half dozen of Heinlein's juveniles.” —SF Site

I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's still would be open. High school sophomore Miranda's disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, like "one marble hits another." The result is catastrophic. How can her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis are wiping out the coasts, earthquakes are rocking the continents, and volcanic ash is blocking out the sun? As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. Told in a year's worth of journal entries, this heart-pounding story chronicles Miranda's struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. An extraordinary series debut Susan Beth Pfeffer has written several companion novels to Life As We Knew It, including The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon.