Space, Time, and Aliens - Dick, Steven J.

Epigraph.- Dedication.- Acknowledgments.- Introduction.- Part I. The Biological Universe.- Introduction.- 1. From the Physical World to the Biological Universe.- 2. The Biological Universe Revisited.- 3. Plurality of Worlds: A Persistent Theme in Western Civilization.- 4. The Biophysical Cosmology: The Place of Bioastronomy in the History of Science.- 5. Back to the Future: SETI Before the Space Age.- 6. The Drake Equation in Context.- 7. Critical Issues in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Astrobiology.- 8. Cosmology and Biology.- 9. Astrobiology Meets the United States Congress.- Part II. Cosmic Evolution and Implications of Alien Life.- Introduction.- 10. Cosmic Evolution: the Context for Astrobiology and its Cultural Implications.- 11. Interstellar Humanity.- 12. Consequences of Success in SETI: Lessons from the History of Science.- 13. Other Worlds: The Cultural Significance of the ETL Debate.- 14. Cultural Evolution, the Postbiological Universe, and SETI.- 15. Anthropology and the Search for ETI.- 16. Toward a Constructive Naturalistic Cosmotheology.- 17. Astroethics and Cosmocentrism.- 18. Should We Message ET?.- 19. METI: Is an Asilomar Consultation Process Possible?.- Part III. The Exploration of Space.- Introduction.- 20. Exploring the Unknown: 50 Years of NASA History.- 21. Moments in Space History: The View from 3001.- 22. Exploration, Discovery and Culture: NASA's Role in History.- 23. Space, Time and Aliens.- 24. NASA and the Search for Life in the Universe.- 25. The Decision to Cancel the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 and its Reversal.- 26. Why We Explore.- Part IV. Measuring the Universe: Institutions and Techniques.- Introduction.- 27. Measuring the Universe: A Brief History of Astrometry.- 27a National Observatories: An Overview.- 28. Pulkovo Observatory and the National Observatory Movement.- 29. John Quincy Adams, the Smithsonian Bequest, and the Origins of the U. S. Naval Observatory.- 30 The First Time Balls.- 30a The First North American Time Ball.- 31. Geodesy, Time, and the Markowitz Moon Camera.- Part V. Discovering, Classifying, and Understanding the Cosmos.- Introduction.- 32 . Discovery and Classification in Astronomy.- 33. Astronomy's Three Kingdoms: A Comprehensive Classification System for Astronomy.- 34. Observation and Interpretation of the Leonid Meteors over the Last Millennium.- 35. Discovering the Moons of Mars.- 36. The Transit of Venus.- 37. The Great Pluto Debate.- 38. The Universe and Alfred Russel Wallace.- 39. Discovering a New Realm of the Universe: Hubble, Galaxies, and Classification.- Part VI Envoi: The Philosophy of Astronomy.- Introduction.- 40. Toward a Philosophy of Astronomy.- 41. The Consolations of Astronomy.- Index.