Kategoria BISAC: Science >> Physics - Astrophysics

How can you make sense of a world where no one has ever lived? Acclaimed science writer Oliver Morton tells the story of the heroic landscapes of Mars, now better mapped in some ways than the Earth itself. Mapping Mars introduces the reader to the nineteenth-century visionaries and spy-satellite pioneers, the petroleum geologists and science-fiction writers, the artists and Arctic explorers who have devoted themselves to the discovery of Mars. In doing so they have given a new world to the human imagination, a setting for our next great adventure.

In the 1960s and 1970s deep space missions were dispatched in pairs in case one was lost in launch or failed during its journey. Following the triumphs of the Viking landings on Mars in 1976 and both Voyagers spacecraft successfully surveying the outer giant planets of the Solar System, it was decided by NASA to cut costs and send out just a single probe.

Although Magellan successfully mapped Venus by radar, it suffered from problems during the flight. Then came the loss of Mars Observer, whose engine exploded as it was preparing to enter Mars orbit because it was using technology...

Offers a unique and original discussion on how Russia prepares its cosmonauts for spaceflight.

Contains original interviews and photographs with first-hand information obtained by the authors on visits to Star City

Provides an insight to the role of cosmonauts in the global space programme of the future.

This book tells the story of the Soviet and Russian lunar programme, from its origins to the present-day federal Russian space programme. Brian Harvey describes the techniques devised by the USSR for lunar landing, from the LK lunar module to the LOK lunar orbiter and versions tested in Earth s orbit. He asks whether these systems would have worked and examines how well they were tested. He concludes that political mismanagement rather than technology prevented the Soviet Union from landing cosmonauts on the moon. The book is well timed for the return to the moon by the United States and...

Mounting pressure in the early 1960s from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study ways of expanding the role of astronauts to conduct science on future space missions led to NASA's conclusion that flying scientifically trained crewmembers would generate greater returns from each mission. NASA and industry studies continued investigating possibilities that could lead to the eventual creation of the first space stations using surplus Apollo hardware, through the Apollo Applications Programme (AAP). There was also a growing interest within the military to create their own manned space...

* Depicts Mir s assembly piece by piece, in space, between 1982 and 1996.

* Describes how Mir became an international research laboratory.

* Advises how Mir technology went on to form the core modules of the ISS.

* The definitive account of Mir throughout its life through to de-orbiting in March 2001.

The Moon is not just a "local" destination, argues former NASA Astronaut Harrison Schmitt. As a destination, the Moon presents us with a goal that tests our resourcefulness and determination. How much are we willing to spend to re-establish ourselves as space-farers? Return to the Moon proposes that we begin planning, and now, for the establishment of human outposts on the Moon -- not just as an exercise in technology and discovery, and not just as a way of fulfilling our destiny as explorers and pioneers. Schmitt, having himself traveled to and literally walked on the...

Specifically traces the impact of Einstein's ideas on astronomy, including the way we interpret observations of stars and galaxies.

Includes comments from principals in important discoveries, illuminating the processes behind these results.

Presents many applications of relativity that have not been shown in earlier popular-level books and illustrates how deeply physics permeates the way we interpret many astronomical phenomena.

Highlights light-travel delays in cosmic jets, using gravitational lensing to trace cosmic mass distribution.

Illustrations employ...

Currently, a first generation of dedicated satellite missions for the precise mapping of the Earth s gravity field is in orbit (CHAMP, GRACE, and soon GOCE). The gravity data from these satellite missions provide us with very new information on the dynamics of planet Earth. In particular, on the mass distribution in the Earth s interior, the entire water cycle (ocean circulation, ice mass balance, continental water masses, and atmosphere), and on changes in the mass distribution.

The results are fascinating, but still rough with respect to spatial and temporal resolution. Technical...

Explains the methods that rocket scientists use--expressed in a way that could be applied in everyday life. The book illustrates the methods (the 7 secrets) with anecdotes, quotations and biographical sketches of famous scientists, ideas from sci-fi, personal stories and insights, and occasionally a bit of space history. The author reveals that rocket science is just common sense applied to the extraordinarily uncommon environment of outer space and that rocket scientists are people, too.

PRAISE FOR BOOK

It's really great --Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot, First Manned...

This book describes the history of the progress made in auroral science and magnetospheric physics by providing examples of ideas, controversies, struggles, acceptance, and success in some instances. The author, a distinguished auroral scientist, fully describes his experiences in characterizing and explaining auroral phenomena. The volume also includes beautiful full-color photos of the aurora.