This volume, number 16 in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI, reviews the present knowledgeonmanyaspectsofthehistoryofthesolarsystem. Itfocuses onisotopic signatures ofvolatile elements as tracers for the evolutionary processes during the formation of the Sun and the planets from an interstellar molecular cloud and, in tum, illuminates how the isotopic compositions of present-day solar system ob jects had been established. This integrated collection of articles complements the information provided by previous ISSI volumes such as From Dust to Terrestrial Planets and Chronology and Evolution of...

In this third corrected and revised edition students and lecturers in astronomy and planetary science as well as planet observers will find a mine of up-to-date information on the solar system and its interaction with the interplanetary medium, its various objects, comparative planetology, discussion of questions for further research and future space exploration.

This volume, number 16 in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI, reviews the present knowledgeonmanyaspectsofthehistoryofthesolarsystem. Itfocuses onisotopic signatures ofvolatile elements as tracers for the evolutionary processes during the formation of the Sun and the planets from an interstellar molecular cloud and, in tum, illuminates how the isotopic compositions of present-day solar system ob jects had been established. This integrated collection of articles complements the information provided by previous ISSI volumes such as From Dust to Terrestrial Planets and Chronology and Evolution of...

The Earth is the only planet in the Solar System where liquid water is present on the surface, a condition that seems necessary for the development of life. Its sisters Venus and Mars are extremely different. Why did these three planets, born under fairly comparable conditions, evolve to the conditions we observe today? Understanding the physical or chemical factors that are at the origin of such divergent evolutions is a first step in an approach to the problem of the origin of life on Earth.