The Galileo Conspiracy

It is the twenty-second century. The Earth is an ecological mess where the UN has become the dominant political influence. To reduce the exploitation of resources and pollution on earth, mining colonies have been established on the Moon and Mars. The jewel in the UN space development program was 'Project JUPITER', centred on the UNSV GALILEO, a deep space, survey and mining vessel built to exploit the vast mineral resources of Jupiter and the asteroid belt. Jan Maldrick of the Central Intelligence and Security Service had been given a simple close protection assignment. However, he found himself being dragged into the centre of conflicting conspiracies to save the human race and obtain global dictatorial power, with the GALILEO as the target for both. With no way out, he becomes embroiled in a complex plot involving espionage, sabotage, assassination and corruption. The GALILEO was the key. The vessel needed to be protected and fate had selected him to achieve this. Only the GALILEO and her crew could guarantee the future of mankind. Confined to the Earth, humanity remains vulnerable. Extreme climate change, volcanic activity, asteroid impact or global nuclear war; any one of these could threaten us with extinction. We have the technological capability; isn't it about time we expanded beyond our planet to ensure survival of the species? The story of the GALILEO Conspiracy seeks to create a fictional future situation that might lead to a small band of humanity taking that leap and leaving them in a state of affairs that sets the scene and raises questions for future stories. What might happen if a small band of talented and dedicated people made their home in space? How would they survive? What kind of society might they build? What would their challenges be? Are we alone?

An “intriguing and accessible” (Publishers Weekly) interpretation of the life of Galileo Galilei, one of history’s greatest and most fascinating scientists, that sheds new light on his discoveries and how he was challenged by science deniers. “We really need this story now, because we’re living through the next chapter of science denial” (Bill McKibben). Galileo’s story may be more relevant today than ever before. At present, we face enormous crises—such as minimizing the dangers of climate change—because the science behind these threats is erroneously questioned or ignored. Galileo encountered this problem 400 years ago. His discoveries, based on careful observations and ingenious experiments, contradicted conventional wisdom and the teachings of the church at the time. Consequently, in a blatant assault on freedom of thought, his books were forbidden by church authorities. Astrophysicist and bestselling author Mario Livio draws on his own scientific expertise and uses his “gifts as a great storyteller” (The Washington Post) to provide a “refreshing perspective” (Booklist) into how Galileo reached his bold new conclusions about the cosmos and the laws of nature. A freethinker who followed the evidence wherever it led him, Galileo was one of the most significant figures behind the scientific revolution. He believed that every educated person should know science as well as literature, and insisted on reaching the widest audience possible, publishing his books in Italian rather than Latin. Galileo was put on trial with his life in the balance for refusing to renounce his scientific convictions. He remains a hero and inspiration to scientists and all of those who respect science—which, as Livio reminds us in this “admirably clear and concise” (The Times, London) book, remains threatened everyday.

Most books on GPS are quite technical and concentrate on the satellites and/or receiver design. This book is about user equipment evolution from expensive, complex and voluminous military sets to today's low-cost chips buried in our cell phones. It traces a system designed primarily for military and civilian aircraft, ships and land vehicles to an essential utility of everyday life, enabling new businesses, more safety and the ability to track everything that moves. In parallel with the evolution of GPS is the evolution of commercial air travel as experienced by the author, starting from a flight on a Pan Am 707 in 1963 to a recent one on an Air France A380. Part II is a memoir written for the GPS community, people who have met or been influenced or educated about GPS by the author and anyone else interested in this facet of GPS history. It describes the tribulations that accompanied the development GPS user equipment and some of their first applications. What makes the book an autobiography is the inclusion of Part I, which is for the author's friends and family and anyone else interested in his early development.

Since 1947 highly reliable witnesses, including airline pilots, military personnel, astronauts, everyday professionals and children have been witnessing unexplained objects in the world's skies....Now, Robert Spire is about to be thrust into the rapidly evolving UFO phenomenon, in this fast-paced mystery thriller. 1947 - Roswell, New Mexico, U.S.A. Legend and conspiracy combine, when; following a hot, stormy, July night in the desert, where the first atomic bomb was tested, the wreckage of a strange object is discovered. Local people who handled the debris described it as being...not from this world. Present Day - London, U.K. Ex-environmental lawyer and GLENCOM agent, Robert Spire, receives an unusual and enticing invite, from renowned U.S. physicist, Professor Robert Lazarus, who is putting on a presentation at the Royal London Observatory and Planetarium. The invite suggests that Lazarus will be revealing a paradigm-shifting technology, hidden from the world for decades. Before Lazarus can reveal his secrets however, he is assassinated in front of Spire and the rest of the 100-strong specially chosen audience. A Dark Truth; A Hidden Agenda. Spire races to assist Lazarus, but the assassin has done too good a job. Amongst the mess, Spire finds the device that Lazarus was about to link up to the planetarium's projector, on the floor. He grabs the gadget and races out to try find the professor's killer, but quickly realises other powerful forces are at work. GLENCOM call an emergency meeting to discuss the event, and invite renowned UFO Historian Dr Richard Doman to give a briefing on the UFO phenomenon, however developments take a mysterious turn. GLENCOM's tech team manage to override the security settings on Lazarus' personal device, but when the team try to access it, the device emits a hologram....a message for Spire. The message from beyond the grave is crystal clear. The UFO phenomenon is real, but the reason for the cover-up is a crime against all of humanity...Continue my quest...Reveal the truth...Don't get killed. Spire and ex-U.S. Marine, Travis Dexter, must embark on their most dangerous and important mission yet - as they try to unravel the truth that is the UFO Phenomenon - along with Spire's recently met acquaintance, Russian astrobiologist, Dr Isobel Enova.

Few legal events loom as large in early modern history as the trial of Galileo. Frequently cast as a heroic scientist martyred to religion or as a scapegoat of papal politics, Galileo undoubtedly stood at a watershed moment in the political maneuvering of a powerful church. But to fully understand how and why Galileo came to be condemned by the papal courts—and what role he played in his own downfall—it is necessary to examine the trial within the context of inquisitorial law. With this final installment in his magisterial trilogy on the seventeenth-century Roman Inquisition, Thomas F. Mayer has provided the first comprehensive study of the legal proceedings against Galileo. By the time of the trial, the Roman Inquisition had become an extensive corporatized body with direct authority over local courts and decades of documented jurisprudence. Drawing deeply from those legal archives as well as correspondence and other printed material, Mayer has traced the legal procedure from Galileo's first precept in 1616 to his formal trial in 1633. With an astonishing mastery of the legal underpinnings and bureaucratic workings of inquisitorial law, Mayer's work compares the course of legal events to other possible outcomes within due process, showing where the trial departed from standard procedure as well as what available recourse Galileo had to shift its direction. The Roman Inquisition: Trying Galileo presents a detailed and corrective reconstruction of the actions both in the courtroom and behind the scenes that led to one of history's most notorious verdicts.

In asserting the primacy of science on the territory of truth, Galileo strayed from purely scientific inquiry into the theological realm, an act that put him squarely on the warpath with the Church. The outcome would change the world."--BOOK JACKET.

"This is must reading for historians of science and a delight for the interested public. From his access to many primary sources in the Vatican Library and from his broad knowledge of the history of the 17th century, Finocchiaro acquaints readers in an interesting manner with the historical facts of Galileo's trial, its aftermath, and its repercussions. Unlike many other works which present predetermined and, at times, prejudiced judgments, this work provides exhaustive evidence to allow readers to develop their own informed opinion on the subject.”—George V. Coyne, Director, Vatican Astronomical Observatory “The tragic condemnation of Galileo by the Roman Catholic Church in 1633 has become the single most potent symbol of authoritarian opposition to new ideas. Pioneering in its scope, Finocchiaro's book provides a fascinating account of how the trial and its cultural significance have been freshly reconstructed by scholars and polemicists down the ages. With a philosopher's eye for fine distinctions, the author has written an exciting commentary on the successive appearance of new primary sources and their exploitation for apologetic and secular purposes.”—John Hedley Brooke, author of Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives "If good history begins with good facts, then Retrying Galileo should be the starting point for all future discussions of the post-trial phase of the Galileo affair. Maurice Finocchiaro's myth-busting documentary history is not only a repository of little-known sources but a pleasure to read as well.”—Ronald L. Numbers, co-editor of When Christianity and Science Meet “Retrying Galileo tells the less well-known half of the Galileo affair: its long and complex history after 1633. Finocchiaro has performed an invaluable service in writing a book that explores how the trial and condemnation of Galileo has been received, debated, and reinterpreted for over three and a half centuries. We are not yet done with this contentious story.”—Paula E. Findlen, Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of Italian History and Director of the Science, Technology and Society Program, Stanford University

Telling the fascinating stories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton and Pascal, Charles E. Hummel provides a historical perspective on the relationship between science and Christianity.