In its eerie likeness to Earth Mars has long captured our imaginations--both as a destination for humankind & as a possible home to extraterrestrial life. It is our twenty-first century New World; its explorers robots shipped 350 million miles from Earth to uncover the distant planet's secrets. Its most recent scout is Curiosity--a one-ton Jeep-sized nuclear-powered space laboratory--which is now roving the Martian surface to determine whether the red planet has ever been physically capable of supporting life. In Red Rover " geochemist Roger Wiens the principal investigator for the Chem Cam laser instrument on the rover & veteran of numerous robotic NASA missions tells the unlikely story of his involvement in sending sophisticated hardware into space culminating in the Curiosity rover's amazing journey to Mars. In so doing Wiens paints the portrait of one of the most exciting scientific stories of our time: the new era of robotic space exploration. Starting with NASA's introduction of the Discovery Program in 1992 scrappier more nimble missions became the order of the day as manned missions were confined to Earth orbit & behemoth projects went extinct. This strategic shift presented huge scientific opportunities but tight budgets meant that success depended more than ever on creative engineering & human ingenuity. Beginning with the Genesis mission that launched his career Wiens describes the competitive DIY spirit of these robotic enterprises from conception to construction from launch to heart-stopping crashes & smooth landings. An inspiring account of the real-life challenges of space exploration " Red Rover" vividly narrates what goes into answering the question: is there life elsewhere in the universe?" ...

Red Rover Red Rover Bring a Blue Bone Over! Run around to collect the most bones- a great way to learn colours shapes numbers & letters. Get ready to romp as you help everyones favourite electronic talking dog find his bones with different letters shapes numbers & colours! But watch out just when you think you know where they are that silly pup will mix em up! Whoever collects the most bones is top dog! Requires 3 AA batteries (not included). Suitable for 3+ years. ...

The sequel to the perennially popular Yellow on the Broom " " Red Rowans & Wild Honey" follows Betsys story to the end of the Second World War. She recounts in vivid detail the heady years of her adolescence her courtship & her mothers struggle to bring up four children in the only way a travelling woman knew: hawking wares fruit picking tatty howking--in fact any kind of work that would provide the next meal." ...

The world's most famous travelling reporter flies out to Khemed to investigate a case of arms smuggling & the involvement of an old friend. There's a rebellion in Khemed & the Emir's life is in danger! He has entrusted his mischievous son to Captain Haddock's care but when an old friend of Tintin's is caught smuggling arms to the Khemed rebels they must jump straight on a plane to find out what on earth is going on... Join the most iconic character in comics as he embark on an extraordinary adventure spanning historical & political events & thrilling mysteries. Still selling over 100 000 copies every year in the UK & having been adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg & Peter Jackson in 2011 The Adventures of Tintin continue to charm more than 80 years after they first found their way into publication. Since then an estimated 230 million copies have been sold proving that comic books have the same power to entertain children & adults in the 21st century as they did in the early 20th. ...

Escaping from the attentions of the Bondsmagi Locke Lamora the estwhile Thorn of Camorr & Jean Tannen have fled their home city. Taking ship they arrive in the city state of Tal Varrar where they are soon planning their most spectacular heist yet; they will take the luxurious gaming house The Sinspire for all of its countless riches. No-one has ever taken even a single coin from the Sinspire that wasnt won on the tables or in the other games of chance on offer there. But as ever the path of true crime rarely runs smooth & Locke & Jean soon find themselves co-opted into an attempt to bring the pirate fleet of the notorious Zamira Drakasha to justice. Fine work for thieves who dont know one end of galley from another. & all the while the Bondsmagi are plotting their very necessary revenge against the one man who believes e has humiliated them & lived; Locke Lamora. ...

Since its release in 1948 The Red Shoes" has come to be regarded not only as a British classic & as perhaps the most widely loved of all of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger collaborations but as a highlight of world cinema. Its fantastic
- & indeed fantastical
- mixture of dance music colour & light has inspired audiences across the decades. The first comprehensive study of the film that marks the pinnacle of the directors remarkable relationship Connellys book offers fresh insights into this intriguing & beguiling work & into the characters at the heart of the story: the Svengali-like impresario & his obsession the ingenue dancer embodied by the brilliant Moira Shearer. According to many accounts the most successful British film ever made it is fitting that " The Red Shoes" should be celebrated in 2005 the centenary of Powells birth."

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Ever wondered how to predict the weather just by looking at the sky? Or wanted to attract butterflies to your garden? Is there a knack to building the perfect bonfire? & how exactly do you race a ferret? In this world of traffic tailbacks supermarket shopping & 24-hour internet access its easy to feel disconnected from the beauty & rhythms of the natural world. If you have ever gazed in awe at stars in the nights sky tried to catch a perfect snowflake or longed for the comfort of a roaring log fire then this is the book for you. From spotting Britains five kinds of owl to gardening by the phases of the moon & from curing a cold to brewing your own ale Red Sky at Night" is packed with instructions & lists ancient customs & old wives tales making it an indispensable guide to countryside lore." ...

Twelve-year-old Anna is looking forward to the birth of her baby brother. Ben arrives but is disabled & will never be like other children. Anna loves him with her whole heart but she finds herself unable to admit the truth of Bens condition to her school friends. Eventually the truth gets out & leads not to the ridicule Anna expected but sympathy & understanding. ...

A Russian honey trap agent targets a young CIA operative to uncover a senior-ranking mole at the heart of the Russian Intelligence service. Dominika Egorov former prima ballerina is sucked into the heart of Putin's Russia the country she loved & spat out as the twists & turns of betrayal & counter-betrayal unravel. American Nate Nash idealistic & ambitious handles the double agent codenamed MARBLE considered one of CIA's biggest assets. He needs to keep his identity secret for as long as the mole can keep supplying golden information. Will Dominika be able to unmask MARBLE or will the mission see her faith destroyed in the country she has always passionately defended? ...

Sometimes Arkady had the feeling that while he had been away God had lifted Moscow & turned it upside down.. . The night outside was still white. Arkady wasnt sleepy or hungry. He felt like the perfect new Soviet man designed for a land with no food or drink. He got up & left the office. Enough. It began with the unmourned death of Rosen one of Moscows new breed of black marketeers; seemingly a clear-cut case of murder. Although Renko has been recently reinstated at the Moscow Prosecutors office the case begins to slip from his grasp. But his determination never to let go leads him to Munich & Berlin -- back into the life of Irina a woman he though he had lost forever.. . Wonderfully entertaining.. . Red Square is streets ahead of most thrillers that claim to deal with the real world Independent The best thriller to appear in several years.. .extraordinary Time Dense with observation & atmosphere.. . Smiths best book yet Cosmopolitan ...