Books : Orbit: NASA Astronauts Photograph the Earth

In association with Amazon.com
 View Shopping Cart or Checkout 

Author name: Jay Apt, Michael Helfert, Justin Wilkinson

 : Orbit: NASA Astronauts Photograph the Earth
View Bigger Picture

Regular marked price: $25.00
Discount Price: $16.50
Cost Savings: $8.50 (34%)
Price fluctuation possible.

Used Price: $3.37
Third Party New Price: $16.00


How soon does it ship: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks



Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.222
EAN num: 9780792261865
ISBN number: 0792261860
Label: National Geographic
Manufacturer: National Geographic
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 240
Printing Date: October 01, 2003
Publishing house: National Geographic
Release Date: October 01, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 549188
Studio: National Geographic




Other books you might be interested in perusing:

Editor's Notes and Comments:

Product Description:
On his historic 1962 orbital flight, John Glenn made a request to carry a camera. From that moment forward photography became a vital duty for all astronauts. In this astonishing book, National Geographic gathers the most spectacular images from 41 years of orbital photography—many never before seen—to reveal an astronaut’s view of home.

Each photograph featured in Orbit was taken by a NASA astronaut with a hand-held camera and features detail that far exceeds the electronic images sent from satellites. These photographs capture the most magnificent sights on earth: Mount Everest casting its shadow over lesser peaks, the sands of the Sahara arrayed in endless patterns, the eerily atmospheric aurora australis. And they document the effects of human negligence on the Earth: pollution, scarred forests, and topsoil washing into the sea. As Americans contemplate the U.S. space program in the wake of recent tragedy, Orbit is an excellent reminder of the magnificent achievements of space travel.

Detailed maps, ground-based photographs, and informative captions give further depth to this definitive and remarkable history of how our Earth has changed since we very first ventured into space.

Amazon.com Review:
This awe-inspiring collection of photographs gives those of us stuck on Earth a glimpse of what our home planet looks like from the window of a space craft... and the big blue marble has never looked more beautiful. All the continents are shown, as well as weather events, the Aurora borealis, and the visible effects of anthropogenic environmental change--deforestation and desertification chief among them. Take a sobering look at our lovely planet and realize how small and fragile it really is.



Customer Reviews
User popularity level:  out of 5 stars

Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - For the Space Buff
This table book provides both beautiful photos of the Earth, as well as the context of a story and a timeline. Combining images taken from various space explorations, it gives you a real sense of both the beauty and details of our planet, and also a sense of the experience of an astronaut.



Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Very nice book!
Awesome pictures taken form high up in the sky. One can find unique views that are beyond imagination. Also included necessary information regarding NASA expeditions.



Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - High flyers!
Shuttle astronaut Jay Apt, together with scientists Michael Helfert and Justin Wilkinson, has put together a wonderful book of photographs under the auspices of National Geographic, Orbit. These are all photographs taken by astronauts from the space shuttle while in orbit (with a few exceptions, historically significant photographs from moon circlings and early trips into space). Photography, interestingly enough, is never really scheduled as a shuttle activity, but rather done 'in between' the other assignments. The photographs included in this book do not come from special 'space' cameras, but rather from regular hand-held, off-the-shelf cameras that astronauts took with them.

The shuttle offers a unique platform for photography, to say the least. It has 11 different windows, and as the shuttle orbits in what one might consider an upside-down position, the windows and cargo-bay with doors open are almost always facing the earth. Astronauts take lots of film with them, and record many phenomena. This book is divided geographically, by earth region: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, Middle and South America, and North America. There is also a special section on the Aurora, with dazzling photographs of things that look right out of Star Trek!

The images include daytime and nighttime views, calm views and stormy views. One can see hurricanes and cyclones from high above, stretching their entire lengths across great portions of the globe. One can see the difference lighting makes in an urban area at night, the way terrain and human-engineering connect, and how much of the world seems to remain unspoilt when viewed from a distance of even a few hundred miles away.

This is a remarkable book, full of glorious photographs of the 'home world', a great coffee-table book, a great gift, and a great guide of inspiration for younger readers who might be interested in science, geography, or even becoming an astronaut.



Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - Another Great Space Book From National Geographic
Astronaut Jay Apt, with the help of geographer Justin Wilkinson and climatologist Michael Helfert, has assembled a book full of pictures of Earth taken from orbit. These photographs were chosen from over a 145,000 that are available from the NASA photographic library and focus on many different aspects of our planet's geology and climate. The large coffee table style format and the high quality of the reproductions allows this book bring out the stunning features of our home and is welcome addition to anyone who is interested in space photography, especially since most of the book is photographs and very little text.

The book is divided into sections covering each continent, the Pacific Ocean and the aurora. To show the range of Earth's geology and climate, each section highlights the major geological features found in each region and if appropriate mankind's influence. To further emphasis to geological diversity of the planet, occasional surface photographs that correspond to an orbital photograph are also included. For example, in the section on Africa, there are photos of the Nile, Nile cities, the Sahara desert, various coastline features and cloud formations. The only portions of the Earth not covered are the North and South Poles, since the shuttle does not fly over these regions. There is also one extremely interesting two page map spread which shows the location of each one of the 268,000 photographs taken by the astronauts.

This book is one of my favorite space photography books and I look at it often and each time that I do I always notice something different. This is a great book and well worth the price.



Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - A must for every household
Truely a magnificent piece of work to wiew the wonder of God's creation leaves you in awe of the beauty of the Earth. I pick it up regularly, for maximum enjoyment choose times where you are not rushed so you can drink in the superb pictures. A book no household can afford to be without.

see more


Find other books like this one:

 


Heal Elbow Psoriasis / How Can I Defeat Panic Attack / The Bedford-row Conspiracy / The Bicyclers / Martial Arts /
Arabic Lessons Poetry Gifts Personalized Kids Novels Corporate Award And Gift Psoriasis Child Book Coloring Jungle Page Flower Gift Basket Weird Gifts Sherlock Holmes Author Wizard Of Oz Image Quiz For The Hound Of The Baskervilles

Home - Trains - Planes - Ships - Transportation
Home Cinema Myspace Layouts vShare YouTube Clone Free vBulletin Skins Myspace Layouts::