Books published by publisher Prometheus Classics

Featuring Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin! A NASA insider tells the exciting story of the people, both well-known and unrecognized, who were responsible for so many daring space missions.Award-winning science writer Rod Pyle profiles the remarkable pilots, scientists, and engineers whose work was instrumental in space missions to every corner of our solar system and beyond. Besides heralded names like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, and Gene Kranz, the author highlights some of the "hidden figures" who played crucial roles in the success of NASA, Soviet, and international space exploration. For example, Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to travel into space, aboard Soviet spacecraft Vostok 6. American Margaret Hamilton was an accomplished mathematician and one of the first female software engineers to design programs for spaceflight, software that proved critical to the success of the moon landing. And Pete Conrad, "salty sailor of the skies," flew twice in the Gemini programs, landed on the moon in Apollo 12, and was the commander of the first crew to visit America's new Skylab space station—its first ever—in 1973.Complemented by many rarely-seen photos and illustrations, these stories of the highly talented and dedicated people, many of whom worked tirelessly behind the scenes, will fascinate and inspire.

Mrs. Green is teaching her daily science class one day when suddenly she receives terrible news: A popular student named Amanda has been struck by a car on her way to class and is now hospitalized with serious injuries. "Let's all pray for Amanda," says one earnest classmate. "Surely God will make her well if He hears our prayers." Mrs. Green is confronted with the dilemma that every public school teacher must be ready to deal with. While the church-state separation laws won't allow school prayer, Mrs. Green wants to do something to help her students cope with a life-threatening situation that has raised deep questions.Thus begins a conversation between teacher and students that forms the basis of this thoughtful work. Starting with the historic concept of separation of church and state, the curious youngsters' insistent questions lead to a consideration of philosophic issues: Why shouldn't they pray for Amanda in class? Why do some people believe in God while others don't? Is there life after death? What gives life meaning? In the course of what becomes a parent-approved after-school discussion, Mrs. Green presents a humanistic point of view, making the following points. Humanists look at life as a natural process, so they don't believe in the supernatural. They rely on science to explain the meaning of life, not on religion, though they support each person's freedom to choose to believe or not to believe. Rather than speculating about what comes after death, humanists prefer to focus on life on earth. Humanists generally espouse the values of universal education, freedom of thought and free expression, open-minded pursuit of the truth, tolerance of others' differences, mutual respect, and preservation of the environment.Complete with discussion questions, suggestions for activities, and a bibliography, this innovative approach to presenting humanism to young adults will be welcome by parents and teachers looking to expose their children or students to a secular philosophic perspective.

Shows the many advantages of thinking like a scientist and argues that today's problems require a scientific approach.You don't have to be a scientist to think like a scientist. Anyone can do it and everyone should. This book will show you how. The advantages are many: from detecting bias to avoiding error and appreciating the richness of the world. Author Stanley Rice, himself a scientist, explains that science is essentially organized common sense. While the brain is hardwired for common sense, unfortunately, it also relies on a number of misleading tendencies. Instead of reasoning objectively it tends to rationalize. Often it sees what it wants to see rather than what is really there. And it is adept at both self-deception and deceiving others. Rice notes that these tendencies were useful in the past as the human race evolved in an often-hostile environment. But today bias and delusions put us at risk of worldwide catastrophe.The author invites readers to participate in the adventure of scientific discovery. He provides many interesting and humorous examples of how science works. He shows how hypothesis testing can be used to tackle everyday problems like car trouble or seeing through the specious appeal of a fad diet. Beyond practical applications, science meets the basic human need to satisfy curiosity: it tells verifiable stories about the universe, providing humans with fascinating narratives supported by testable facts. The author also explores some of science's biggest ideas, including natural selection (creating order out of randomness) and interconnectedness (Earth's systems are intricately intertwined). Read this book and learn to think like a scientist. It will guard you against being manipulated by politicians, corporations, and religious leaders, and equip you to deal with the world's most pressing problems. And you will have a lot of fun doing it.

This illustrated volume is a nonsexist sexuality education book for children ages 6 to 10.Do all boys want to become pilots or firemen? Do all girls want to become mothers or secretaries? Is blue a boy's color? Is pink a girl's color? "Baloney!" says Dr. Sol Gordon in this refreshingly candid book about gender differences and human similarities. Gordon designed this book to help parents be the primary sex educators for their children and to prepare children for mature and responsible adult attitudes. In it, he explains facts about human reproduction, the physical differences between boys and girls, and the fact that these differences have no effect on a person's choice of career or other interests.Gordon reminds children that everyone is human - even though girls are girls and boys are boys - and that it's important that everybody has equal opportunities for the jobs they want, the way they have fun, and the life they want to lead. Gordon provides space for children to write down their hopes and goals for the future and includes a teaching note for parents and educators.

This candid autobiography, the last work by renowned psychologist Albert Ellis, is a tour de force of stimulating ideas, colorful descriptions of memorable people and events, and straightforward, no-nonsense talk. Ellis, the creator of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy―Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)―recounts the memorable episodes of his life; discusses how he coped with emotional problems at different stages of life; describes his love life; and subjects his own self-description to a ruthlessly honest critique. The heart of Ellis's book is his analysis of the psychological leitmotifs that have appeared again and again throughout his life. He describes the aim of this autobiography as follows: "As far as I can, I shall present my bad and good, stupid and intelligent, weak and strong points. Why? Because, following H. G. Wells's recommendation, I want to go as all-out as I can. I want to acknowledge my idiocies―and use REBT to feel sorry about but unashamed of them. I want to make the point―again a central tenet of REBT―that all humans are fabulously fallible―including, of course, me. We have no real choice about this, but we can unconditionally accept ourselves―our so-called essence or being―with our fallibility. That will momentously help us, probably encourage us to acquire unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and possibly inspire other people to give it to themselves, too." With a concluding chapter by Ellis's widow, Debbie Joffe Ellis, describing the final years of his life, this is the definitive summation of the life and work of one of psychology's most successful thinkers and practitioners.

It's Christmas time all across America and Jenny is feeling left out. Her secular parents, born to different faiths that they no longer observe, don't believe in celebrating Christmas. She never seemed to mind before, but this year it bothers her--maybe because they're home and not on the Florida coast where they usually go at this time of the year to avoid the holiday hoopla. All around her the neighbors have decorated their houses with festive lights, while her house by contrast looks drab and uninviting during the long, cold winter nights. Itfs made her feel like an outsider. Why does her family have to be different? She talks with her mom and dad about their reasons for not observing the holidays.Then one day a teacher gives her "an awesome idea": she tells Jenny about the winter solstice and ancient traditions among many peoples of the northern hemisphere who celebrate this shortest day of the year in anticipation of the longer, warmer, and brighter days of the coming spring. Why don't we celebrate the winter solstice, too? Jenny wonders.Her parents can't help but agree and a few days later they bring home a potted pine from the local nursery for the living room. What fun they all have placing their special decorations on the solstice tree. And best of all, Jenny can now invite any of her friends, no matter what their religious backgrounds are, to admire her beautiful tree. Everyone can participate!This charming story will help children and parents enjoy the winter season in a meaningful and all-inclusive fashion.

A blunt and humorous profile of Isaac Newton focusing on his disagreeable personality and showing that his offputting qualities were key to his scientific breakthroughs.Isaac Newton may have been the most important scientist in history, but he was a very difficult man. Put more bluntly, he was an asshole, an SOB, or whatever epithet best describes an abrasive egomaniac. In this colorful profile of the great man—warts and all—astronomer Florian Freistetter shows why this damning assessment is inescapable.Newton's hatred of fellow scientist Robert Hooke knew no bounds and he was strident in expressing it. He stole the work of colleague John Flamsteed, ruining his career without a second thought. He carried on a venomous battle with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the invention of calculus, vilifying him anonymously while the German scientist was alive and continuing the attacks after he died. All evidence indicates that Newton was conniving, sneaky, resentful, secretive, and antisocial. Compounding the mystery of his strange character is that he was also a religious fanatic, a mystery-monger who spent years studying the Bible and predicted the apocalypse.While documenting all of these unusual traits, the author makes a convincing case that Newton would have never revolutionized physics if he hadn't been just such an obnoxious person. This is a fascinating character study of an astounding genius and—if truth be told—an almighty asshole as well.

When scientists peer through a telescope at the distant stars in outer space or use a particle-accelerator to analyze the smallest components of matter, they discover that the same laws of physics govern the whole universe at all times and all places. Physicists call the eternal, ubiquitous constancy of the laws of physics symmetry. Symmetry is the basic underlying principle that defines the laws of nature and hence controls the universe. This all-important insight is one of the great conceptual breakthroughs in modern physics and is the basis of contemporary efforts to discover a grand unified theory to explain all the laws of physics.Nobel Laureate Leon M. Lederman and physicist Christopher T. Hill explain the supremely elegant concept of symmetry and all its profound ramifications to life on Earth and the universe at large in this eloquent, accessible popular science book. They not only clearly describe concepts normally reserved only for physicists and mathematicians, but they also instill an appreciation for the profound beauty of the universe's inherent design.Central to the story of symmetry is an obscure, unpretentious, but extremely gifted German mathematician named Emmy Noether. Though still little known to the world, she impressed no less a scientist than Albert Einstein, who praised her "penetrating mathematical thinking." In some of her earliest work she proved that the law of the conservation of energy was connected to the idea of symmetry and thus laid the mathematical groundwork for what may be the most important concept of modern physics.Lederman and Hill reveal concepts about the universe, based on Noether's work, that are largely unknown to the public and have wide-reaching implications in connection with the Big Bang, Einstein's theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and many other areas of physics. Through ingenious analogies and illustrations, they bring these astounding notions to life. This book will open your eyes to a universe you never knew existed.

The story of the people who designed, built, launched, landed, and are now operating the Mars rover CuriosityAward-winning science writer Rod Pyle provides a behind-the-scenes look into the recent space mission to Mars of Curiosity—the unmanned rover that is now providing researchers with unprecedented information about the red planet. Pyle follows the team of dedicated scientists whose job it is to explore new vistas on Mars. Readers will also join Curiosity, the most advanced machine ever sent to another planet, on its journey of discovery. Drawing on his contacts at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the author provides stunning insights into how this enthusiastic team of diverse individuals uses a revolutionary onboard laboratory of chemistry, geology, and physics instruments to unravel the profound secrets of the Red Planet.Readers will meet: Robert Manning, chief engineer for every rover mission since Pathfinder; John Grotzinger, the chief scientist of the entire mission; Vandi Tompkins, the software designer who keeps the rover on track; Bobak Ferdowsi, famed "Mohawk Guy" from Mission Control; Adam Steltzner, the Elvis-like Entry, Descent and Landing Lead; Al Chen, chief of flight dynamics and the voice of JPL during Curiosity's treacherous landing; and many others.And of course, Pyle describes the adventures of the Curiosity rover itself, from landing through the first samples, drilling, and discovering a habitable past on the planet, to reaching the ultimate target: Mount Sharp, in the center of Gale Crater.America is once again at the forefront of a new space age and Curiosity is just the beginning of many exciting new discoveries to come.

The critically acclaimed biography Meriwether Lewis, coauthored by Thomas C. Danisi, was praised for its meticulous research and for shedding new light on the adventurous life and controversial death of the great explorer who became famous through the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Now, the author, with some help from contributors, extends his groundbreaking studies of Meriwether Lewis with this compilation of historical essays that offers new findings based on recently discovered documents, tackling such intriguing subjects as:-The court-martial of Meriwether Lewis: Danisi's discovery of the astonishing never-before published transcript of the entire court-martial proceedings affords him the distinction of being the first historian to mine the document for the many insights it offers into the then-untested twenty-one-year-old officer, who eloquently defended himself and won his case.-Documentation straight from the medical ledgers of Dr. Antoine Saugrain, the physician who treated Governor Lewis, which helps to confirm that Lewis suffered from malaria prior to his celebrated trek to the Pacific Ocean with the Corps of Discovery and continuing through his service as governor of the Louisiana Territory. Was Lewis's death, as reported, the result of suicide, or was he merely a victim of this episodic and incurable disease?-Documentation that proves the true nature of the much-discussed Gilbert Russell Statement given at the court-martial of General James Wilkinson. Some historians have argued that Wilkinson orchestrated Lewis's murder, but Danisi's research sets the record straight.-The role of Major James Neelly in Lewis's last days. This subject has gained much prominence through the History Channel, according to which Neelly supposedly lied to President Thomas Jefferson about his presence at Meriwether Lewis's burial, but Danisi has evidence to the contrary. The author presents an abundance of additional material to fill in previous historical gaps regarding the mysteries and controversies surrounding Lewis's life and death. In doing so, he paints a vivid picture of the brilliant rise of an ambitious young man by virtue of courage, talent, and political connections, and the tragic fall of a conscientious public servant under the weight of chronic illness, bureaucratic pettiness, and the political intrigue that was rampant throughout America's Wild West.This superb contribution to Meriwether Lewis research is a must-read for students and scholars of American history and anyone with an interest in one of our nation's most important explorers and public servants.

Following on the popularity of her first book, If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? children's author and psychologist Sandra McLeod Humphrey continues her series on kids making tough moral choices in a complex world. This new interactive book encourages parents and teachers to talk to children about their values and helps kids formulate their own personal value system in the face of peer pressure, even when following their own conscience means going it alone. The twenty-five contemporary scenarios presented are situations that children can easily identify with, and the questions at the end of each chapter encourage productive, in-depth discussions about the moral choices suggested by a particular story. Readers can easily personalize each short tale or use them as jumping-off points to make up their own problem scenarios to fit specific circumstances.Above all, this is a fun book! Kids will enjoy reading through each short situation and then deciding what they would do. Best of all, they'll learn that just as their bodies need exercise to build strong muscle and bone, moral character also needs "sets" and "reps" to keep it fit. In a society where rules are ambiguous and role models transient, this excellent book will guide children through everyday problems and instill in them a sense of responsibility for their own choices and actions.