{"title":"Piers Bizony","description":"\u003cp\u003ePiers Bizony explores the fascinating intersections of science, technology, and culture, offering readers a unique glimpse into humanity’s journey through space and innovation. His works delve into the visual and historical marvels of NASA, capturing both the technical achievements and the awe-inspiring artistry behind space exploration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the cinematic portrayals of robots to rare archival collections, Bizony’s books invite readers to appreciate the blend of science, adventure, and art. His writing appeals to those curious about the frontiers of technology and the cultural impact of our quest beyond Earth.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-nasa-archives-45th-ed-by-piers-bizony-9783836588089","title":"The NASA Archives. 45th Ed.","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn October 1, 1958, the world's first civilian space agency opened for business as an emergency response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik a year earlier. Within a decade, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, universally known as NASA, had evolved from modest research teams experimenting with small converted rockets into \u003cb\u003eone of the greatest technological and managerial enterprises ever known\u003c\/b\u003e, capable of sending people to the Moon aboard gigantic rockets and of dispatching robot explorers to Venus, Mars, and worlds far beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn spite of occasional, tragic setbacks in NASA's history, the Apollo lunar landing project remains \u003cb\u003ea byword for American ingenuity\u003c\/b\u003e. The winged space shuttles spearheaded the International Space Station, a dazzling array of astronomical satellites, robotic landers, and Earth observation programs that have \u003cb\u003etransformed our understanding of the cosmos and our home world's fragile place within it\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout NASA's 60-year history, images have played a central role. Who today is not familiar with the \u003cb\u003eHubble Space Telescope\u003c\/b\u003e's mesmerizing views of the universe or the pin-sharp panoramas of Mars from NASA's surface rovers? And who could forget the photographs of the first men walking on the Moon?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis compact edition is derived from our XL edition, which was researched \u003cb\u003ein collaboration with NASA\u003c\/b\u003e, and gathers \u003cb\u003ehundreds of historic photographs\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003erare concept renderings\u003c\/b\u003e, scanned and remastered using the latest technology. Texts by science and technology journalist \u003cb\u003ePiers Bizony\u003c\/b\u003e, former NASA chief historian \u003cb\u003eRoger Launius\u003c\/b\u003e, and best-selling Apollo historian \u003cb\u003eAndrew Chaikin\u003c\/b\u003e round out this \u003cb\u003ecomprehensive exploration of NASA\u003c\/b\u003e, from its earliest days to its \u003cb\u003ecurrent development of new space systems for the future\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe NASA Archives\u003c\/i\u003e is more than just a fascinating pictorial history of the U.S. space program. It is also \u003cb\u003ea profound meditation on why we choose to explore space and how we will carry on this grandest of all adventures in the years to come\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833690869996,"sku":"9783836588089","price":62.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27869023483553.jpg?v=1758475083"},{"product_id":"art-of-nasa-by-piers-bizony-9780760368077","title":"Art of NASA","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormed in 1958, NASA has long maintained a department of visual artists to depict the concepts and technologies created in humankind's quest to explore the final frontier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCulled from a carefully chosen reserve of approximately 3,000 files deep in the NASA archives, the 200 artworks presented in this large-format edition provide a glimpse of NASA history like no other. From space suits to capsules, from landing modules to the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and more recent concepts for space planes, \u003ci\u003eThe Art of NASA\u003c\/i\u003e presents 60 years of American space exploration in an unprecedented fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAll the landmark early missions are represented in detail—Gemini, Mercury, Apollo—as are post-Space Race accomplishments, like the mission to Mars and other deep-space explorations. The insightful text relates the wonderful stories associated with the art. For instance, the incredibly rare early Apollo illustrations show how Apollo might have looked if the landing module had never been developed. Black-and-white Gemini drawings illustrate how the massive NASA art department did its stuff with ink pen and rubdown Letraset textures. Cross-sections of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking adapter reveal Russian sensitivity about US \"male\" probes \"penetrating\" their spacecraft, thus the androgynous \"adapter\" now used universally in space. International Space Station cutaways show how huge the original plan was, but also what was retained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery picture in \u003ci\u003eThe Art of NASA\u003c\/i\u003e tells a special story. This collection of the rarest of the rare is not only a unique view of NASA history—it's a fascinating look at the art of illustration, the development of now-familiar technologies, and a glimpse of what the space programme might have looked like.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853986287852,"sku":"9780760368077","price":95.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/bfd1e03a5b087c005d3248689d1d8281.jpg?v=1759271356"},{"product_id":"art-of-nasa-by-piers-bizony-9780760382578","title":"Art of NASA","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\nIn this expanded collector's edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Art of NASA\u003c\/em\u003e, complete with a paper model Lunar Module and a poster, explore over 200 stunning artworks commissioned by NASA to sell its missions.\n\nFormed in 1958, NASA has long maintained a department of visual artists to depict the concepts and technologies created in humankind's quest to explore the final frontier. Culled from a carefully chosen reserve of approximately 3,000 files deep in the NASA archives, the 200+ awe-inspiring illustrations presented in this special boxed edition are complemented by:\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e32 pages of new material\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA paper model of the Lunar Module\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA rolled poster\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA sheet of four postcards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA new foreword by astronaut Tom Jones\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\nFrom space suits to capsules, from landing modules to the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and more recent concepts for space planes, \u003cem\u003eThe Art of NASA\u003c\/em\u003e presents 60 years of American space exploration in an unprecedented fashion. All the landmark early missions are represented in detail—Gemini, Mercury, Apollo—as are post-Space Race accomplishments, like the mission to Mars and other deep-space explorations.\n\nThe insightful text relates the wonderful stories associated with the art. For instance, the incredibly rare early Apollo illustrations show how Apollo might have looked if the landing module had never been developed. Black-and-white Gemini drawings illustrate how the massive NASA art department did its work with ink pen and rubdown Letraset textures. Cross-sections of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking adapter reveal Russian sensitivity about US \"male\" probes \"penetrating\" their spacecraft, thus the androgynous \"adapter\" now used universally in space. International Space Station cutaways show how huge the original plan was, but also what was retained.\n\nEvery picture in \u003cem\u003eThe Art of NASA\u003c\/em\u003e tells a special story. This collection of the rarest of the rare is not only a unique view of NASA history—it’s a fascinating look at the art of illustration and a glimpse of NASA history like no other.\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072128073964,"sku":"9780760382578","price":195.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1da898a84b1401c561c11a52bdb94e78.jpg?v=1765104203"},{"product_id":"robots-on-screen-by-piers-bizony-9781805700487","title":"Robots on Screen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly 2027 sees two significant cinema anniversaries: the 100th of Fritz Lang's eternally influential \u003cem\u003eMetropolis\u003c\/em\u003e, and the 50th of \u003cem\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/em\u003e. The famous golden robot in the second movie owes its origins directly to the first, but \u003cem\u003eMetropolis\u003c\/em\u003e was the first time that an entity that we'd recognise as a \"robot\" first appeared on screen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEver since Lang's Maschinenmensch (\"machine person\") first stunned audiences with its elegant aloofness, filmmakers have shown a tremendous appetite for cyborgs, androids, replicants, and all manner of human-like robots. The idea of machines in our image has fascinated and appalled us in equal measure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow that science fiction in cinema and on TV has shaped our view of the future, we assume, without question, that humanoid robots or androids will be joining us soon. Our quest to build machines in our image could be dangerous, yet we seem compelled to try, both in screen fantasies and in the real world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow we live in an unsettling era where robots and artificial intelligences genuinely are about to transform our lives in ways we can't yet predict. Will robots help us or threaten us? Will machine intelligences deserve rights? Will electronic minds become smarter than our own? Will AI take our jobs? And what of us? Will the next stage in our evolution involve a fusion of flesh and machine?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the last century, filmmakers have been exploring these urgent existential questions: \u003cem\u003eRobots on Screen\u003c\/em\u003e tells that story with over 200 stunning images and film stills.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48318019535084,"sku":"9781805700487","price":59.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781805700487-robots-on-screen-1.jpg?v=1788751570"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/piers-bizony.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}