Read Five Billion Years of Solitude Online
Authors: Lee Billings
Kepler’s study of,
82
,
83
missions to,
187
,
188
,
196
,
207
,
221
water on,
28
,
179
Marshall, James,
105
–6,
112
Martian Chronicles, The
(Bradbury),
98
–99
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
251
–52,
259
ExoplanetSat project,
256
–57
“Next 40 Years of Exoplanets” conference at,
225
–35,
263
Mayor, Michel,
58
McPhee, John,
145
mEarth Project,
228
–29
mediocrity, principle of (Copernican Principle),
83
,
89
,
91
Mercury,
82
,
109
,
239
meteorites,
20
methane,
140
,
142
,
168
–71,
174
,
200
methanogens,
140
,
142
,
169
microbes,
28
Miletus,
77
Milky Way,
16
–17,
25
,
31
,
39
,
41
,
79
,
86
–87,
191
,
237
,
238
Sun’s orbit in,
95
Miller, George P.,
101
Miller, Stanley,
19
Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science,
48
,
74
mitochondria,
143
Moon,
3
,
76
,
100
,
229
,
242
in early cosmology,
78
,
83
formation of,
30
,
139
Moon, missions to,
188
,
196
,
221
,
224
Apollo,
1
,
50
,
151
,
187
,
202
,
212
,
239
Morrison, Philip,
15
,
18
–19,
21
,
23
–24
Mosely, T. Michael,
258
Mountain, Matt,
199
–210,
225
,
234
–35
Mount John University Observatory,
96
Mullen, George,
174
multiverse,
90
–91
Murphy, Tom,
103
,
104
Nagasaki,
23
nanosatellites,
256
–57
NASA,
41
–42,
166
,
196
,
200
,
206
–7,
221
–25,
232
,
235
funding and budget for,
188
,
189
,
192
,
195
–98,
215
,
219
,
223
Grunsfeld as associate administrator at,
198
–99
Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
211
–12,
216
,
219
,
221
–25,
231
Kasting and,
151
–53,
156
,
165
–67
SETI and,
11
–12
see also
space missions
National Academy of Sciences,
165
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO),
10
SETI conference at,
15
–25,
27
–28,
101
,
167
–68,
240
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO),
205
,
206
National Science Foundation (NSF),
41
–42,
96
,
165
natural capital,
74
natural gas,
125
–27,
137
,
184
natural selection,
21
Nature,
74
–75,
167
,
181
“Negative Feedback Mechanism for the Long-Term Stabilization of Earth’s Temperature” (Walker, Hays, and Kasting),
177
–79
Neptune,
110
Neptune-like planets,
56
,
108
–9,
251
New Horizons,
239
Newton, Isaac,
83
New York Times,
52
,
155
Nexterra Foundation,
257
“Next 40 Years of Exoplanets” conference,
225
–35,
263
Nixon, Richard,
188
nuclear weapons,
23
–24
Obama, Barack,
196
,
231
–32
observatories,
96
Arecibo,
39
–42
European Southern (ESO),
60
,
64
,
66
Keck,
59
,
60
,
62
,
66
,
118
Lick,
58
,
61
,
62
,
70
,
113
–19
National Radio Astronomy,
see
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
see also
telescopes
oil,
125
–26,
137
,
160
,
184
Oliver, Bernard,
15
On the Nature of Things
(
De Rerum Natura
) (Lucretius),
80
–81
On the Revolutions of Heavenly Orbs
(
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
) (Copernicus),
82
OpTIIX,
207
–8,
210
orchids,
37
–38
Orion Nebula,
97
oxygen,
139
–44,
159
,
168
,
168
–72,
174
,
177
,
180
–83,
200
,
238
ozone layer,
134
–35,
142
,
159
,
176
Page, Larry,
258
parallax,
80
,
86
Pearman, J. P. T.,
15
Pennsylvania,
124
,
128
,
131
,
133
,
138
,
143
,
144
coal mining in,
125
Marcellus formation in,
126
–30,
137
,
138
,
141
,
144
,
160
Pennsylvania State University,
127
,
149
,
153
Permian Period,
132
petroleum,
125
–26,
137
,
160
,
184
Phanerozoic Eon,
138
,
144
Phobos,
100