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| View Larger Image | Space Invaders: How Robotic Spacecraft Explore the Solar System
by Michel van Pelt
| | List Price: | $27.50 | | Price: | $20.90 | | You Save: | $6.60 (24%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 825114 | | Studio: | Springer | | | Binding: | Hardcover | | Number Of Pages: | 314 | | Publication Date: | December 15, 2006 | | Publisher: | Springer |
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Product Description
Manned space programs attract the most media attention, and it is not hard to understand why -- the danger, the heroism, the sheer adventure we as earthbound observers can imagine when humans are involved. But robotic missions deserve a respectful and detailed history and analysis of their own, and this book provides it. Focusing on future modern spacecraft, Michel van Pelt explains the exciting life of unmanned space explorers, making the technology, design, development, operation and results of modern space probe missions understandable by lay readers. Instead of describing one specific spacecraft or mission, Michel van Pelt offers a "behind the scenes" look at the life of a space probe: from its first conceptual design to the analysis of the scientific data returned by the spacecraft. While most popular books on space concentrate on manned spaceflight, this book shows that unmanned space exploration is just as exciting. It demonstrates to the reader just what it takes to send a robotic spacecraft to another planet and what fascinating insight and knowledge we have gained from these probes. **Offers an insight into the life of a space probe from concept through design to return and analysis of scientific data. **Explains what it takes to send a robotic space probe to another planet. **Demonstrates that unmanned space exploration can be as exciting as manned exploration. **Provides the reader with a view of how the fascinating images and knowledge are obtained from these probes. **Focuses on modern spacecraft and the future, rather than the history of past projects |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 1 review)
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The long arms of Man 
In the beginning half a century ago there was a real dichotomy between the perception of "manned" and "unmanned" missions. These days the difference stands between "planned", i.e. mostly imagined, manned multibillion missions with men on, say Mars, and the multihundred million real missions where you have spacecraft and instruments out among the planets, moons, comets, asteroids and whatnot, with their hardworking crews in the Mission Controls here on Earth. We invade the Solar Systems with programmable senses aboard the spacecrafts, tied to our perception with unseen electronic nerve connections. The Solar System enfolded, since the beginnings half a century ago, as a collection of much more hostile places than could be imagined during those decades when space technology was born and developed. Fortunately the technology of guidance and control, needed by process industry as well as by ballistic missiles could be adapted to spacecrafts.
Crafts in space - crew on the gound. Thus man is not put at risk, and through the years there has been a plethora of mishaps fatal to the craft, mostly only embarrassing for their crews and patrons. Most of the places visited by our spacecraft would be wery difficult environments for man, and some of them would be positively lethal. To this day almost all - with a few exceptions - of the invaders were sent out on one-way missions. Michel van Pelt has done us all a great service in describing in layman's language how all this came to be. He also describes how the "old" Solar System gradually is superseded by a new, more complete understanding of how the diversity of worlds still underline the commonality of the physical laws governing their evolution. Thus we gain a clearer understanding also of our own place in the scheme of things.
There has been a lot going on between the first Lunas and Pioneers of the nineteen fifties and the Cassini-Huygens, Deep Space, SMART-1 and Messenger of today, it takes an exposition as "Space Invaders" to give the full scope of our "robotic" exploration, which, of course, will be going on for the foreseeable future. If anything, there should be lots of excitement still ahead.
To explain the "how" and the "when" of all this, in a volume of some 300 pages, including glossary and index, is a tall order for anyone. van Pelt has accepted the challenge and comes through with flying colours. All the salient points get covered, in a lucid prose. During the reading the "why's" of it all unfold, bit by bit. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
March 11, 2007 | |
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