Space chronicles: facing the ultimate frontier

pt. 1: Why. The allure of space ; Exoplanet Earth ; Extraterrestrial life ; Evil aliens ; Killer asteroids ; Destined for the stars ; Why explore ; The anatomy of wonder ; Happy birthday, NASA ; The next fifty years in space ; Space options ; Paths to discovery

pt. 2: How. To fly ; Going ballistic ; Race to space ; 2001 : fact vs. Fiction ; Launching the right stuff ; Things are looking up ; For the love of Hubble ; Happy anniversary, Apollo 11 ; How to reach the sky ; The last days of the space shuttle ; Propulsion for deep space ; Balancing acts ; Happy anniversary, Star Trek ; How to prove you've been abducted by aliens ; The future of US space travel

pt. 3: Why not. Space travel troubles ; Reaching for the stars ; America and the emergent space powers ; Delusions of space enthusiasts ; Perchance to dream ; By the numbers ; Ode to Challenger, 1986 ; Spacecraft behaving badly ; What NASA means to America's future

Epilogue: The cosmic perspective.

Appendix A. National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as ammended

Appendix B. Selected statutory provisions applicable to NASA

Appendix C.A half century of NASA spending 1959-2010

NASA spending 1959-2010

NASA spending as a percentage of US Federal Governement spending and of US GDP 1959-2010

Space budget: global 2010

Space budgets: US and non-US governments 2010.

Why

How

Why not.