Robots in Space: Technology, Evolution, and Interplanetary Travel

Hardcover (New Edition)
$30.28
BN.com price
$38.00 List Price (Save 20%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$5.25
$38.00 List Price (Save 86%)
Usually ships within 1-2 business days
All (9)  
Used (7)  
New (2)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
$5.25
(Save 86%)
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(13)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Very Good
2008-01-07 Hardcover Very Good Light wear. No highlighting or writing, Will not ship heavy or oversized books to Canada.

Ships from: Aurora, CO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$14.25
(Save 62%)
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4409)

Condition: Very Good
Some page corners are folded. Dust jacket has slight shelf wear. Pages appear unmarked. Ships the next business day, with tracking and delivery confirmation sent to your email.

Ships from: Beaverton, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$15.33
(Save 60%)
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(2323)

Condition: Like New
Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
$15.94
(Save 58%)
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(6911)

Condition: Very Good
1-7-08 Hardcover VERY GOOD Crisp, clean, unread hardcover with light shelfwear to the dust jacket and a publisher's mark to one edge-Nice! 1.3 lbs.

Ships from: Harrisburg, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$18.50
(Save 51%)
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(298)

Condition: Like New
2008 Hard cover Fine in new dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 313 p. New Series in NASA History (Hardcover). Audience: General/trade. NEW book w/ ... remainder mark (black marker) on the edges. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Chicago, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$20.00
(Save 47%)
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(32)

Condition: Like New
Baltimore 2008 Hardcover First Edition As New in As New jacket Book. 12mo-over 6"-7" tall. This is a New and Unread copy of the first edition.

Ships from: South Portland, ME

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$20.00
(Save 47%)
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(18)

Condition: Like New
Hardcover 2008 edition. Dust jacket, covers and text in fine condition. Binding firm. Pages unmarked and clean. [313 pages]

Ships from: Redondo Beach, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
  • Express, 48 States
  • Express (AK, HI)
$24.09
(Save 37%)
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(21316)

Condition: New
BRAND NEW

Ships from: Avenel, NJ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
$62.04
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(670)

Condition: New
0801887089 Brand New. Exact book as advertised. Delivery in 4-14 business days (not calendar days). We are not able to expedite delivery. No PO Boxes.

Ships from: Romulus, MI

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by

Overview

Given the near incomprehensible enormity of the universe, it appears almost inevitable that humankind will one day find a planet that appears to be much like the Earth. This discovery will no doubt reignite the lure of interplanetary travel. Will we be up to the task? And, given our limited resources, biological constraints, and the general hostility of space, what shape should we expect such expeditions to take?

In Robots in Space, Roger Launius and Howard McCurdy tackle these seemingly fanciful questions with rigorous scholarship and disciplined imagination, jumping comfortably among the worlds of rocketry, engineering, public policy, and science ...

See more details below
Sending request ...

Overview

Given the near incomprehensible enormity of the universe, it appears almost inevitable that humankind will one day find a planet that appears to be much like the Earth. This discovery will no doubt reignite the lure of interplanetary travel. Will we be up to the task? And, given our limited resources, biological constraints, and the general hostility of space, what shape should we expect such expeditions to take?

In Robots in Space, Roger Launius and Howard McCurdy tackle these seemingly fanciful questions with rigorous scholarship and disciplined imagination, jumping comfortably among the worlds of rocketry, engineering, public policy, and science fantasy to expound upon the possibilities and improbabilities involved in trekking across the Milky Way and beyond. They survey the literature—fictional as well as academic studies; outline the progress of space programs in the United States and other nations; and assess the current state of affairs to offer a conclusion startling only to those who haven't spent time with Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke: to traverse the cosmos, humans must embrace and entwine themselves with advanced robotic technologies.

Their discussion is as entertaining as it is edifying and their assertions are as sound as they are fantastical. Rather than asking us to suspend disbelief, Robots in Space demands that we accept facts as they evolve.

Editorial Reviews

Air and Space Magazine

Noted space historians... breathe new life into the subject by examining its history as well as its possible future. They call for a new vision of human spaceflight—a 'transhuman' program that takes into account current trends in robotics, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and other fields that are rapidly changing the nature of both humans and machines.

From The Critics

Excellent, eye-opening, horizon-broadening reading! Highly recommended.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780801887086
  • Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
  • Publication date: 1/28/2008
  • Edition description: New Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 734,782
  • Series: New Series in NASA History Series

Meet the Author

Roger D. Launius is a member of the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and the former Chief Historian of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He has authored and coauthored several books on space exploration, most recently Space: A Journey to Our Future. Howard E. McCurdy is a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University and the author of Faster, Better, Cheaper: Low-Cost Innovation in the U.S. Space Program and Inside NASA: High Technology and Organizational Change in the U.S. Space Program, both published by Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction: A False Dichotomy     xi
The Human/Robot Debate     1
Human Spaceflight as Utopia     32
Promoting the Human Dimension     62
Robotic Spaceflight in Popular Culture     96
The New Space Race     125
Interstellar Flight and the Human Future in Space     162
Homo sapiens, Transhumanism, and the Postbiological Universe     191
An Alternative Paradigm?     220
Inadequate Words     253
Notes     257
Index     303
Customer Reviews
If you've bought this product, tell the world how you liked it.
Write a Review

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit