Space Invaders: How Robotic Spacecraft Explore the Solar System

✍ Scribed by Michel van Pelt

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 320
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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. 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.

✦ Table of Contents

0387332324......Page 1
Space Invaders: How Robotic Spacecraft Explore the Solar System......Page 3
Copyright Page
......Page 4
Table of Contents
......Page 6
PREFACE
......Page 10
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 14
FROM THE GROUND UP......Page 16
ROCKETS AND SATELLITES......Page 17
TO THE MOON......Page 28
HUMANS VERSUS ROBOTS......Page 31
2 A SPACE ROBOT IS BORN......Page 35
SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTION......Page 37
PROVING TECHNOLOGY......Page 45
THE POLITICAL PUSH......Page 48
PAPER SPACECRAFT......Page 50
IT'S JUST A PHASE I'M GOING THROUGH......Page 60
3 ANATOMY OF A SPACE PROBE......Page 65
BITS AND PIECES......Page 67
POWER......Page 69
COMMUNICATION......Page 77
STRUCTURES......Page 82
THERMAL CONTROL......Page 85
ATTITUDE CONTROL......Page 89
PROPULSION......Page 98
DATA HANDLING......Page 101
MECHANISMS......Page 105
THE KIDNAP OF LUNA 1......Page 107
THE SPACECRAFT GARAGE......Page 109
KEEP IT CLEAN......Page 112
PLANETARY PROTECTION......Page 114
SHAKE, RATTLE 'N' ROLL......Page 120
Shaken, not stirred......Page 122
Antenna testing......Page 124
Special cases......Page 125
Breaking the software......Page 126
5 INSTRUMENTS OF SCIENCE......Page 127
THE MORE WE LEARN, THE MORE WE DON'T KNOW......Page 128
LET'S GET PHYSICAL......Page 130
IT'S ALL IN THE DATA......Page 133
MANY EYES......Page 134
There is more than meets the eye......Page 138
MESSENGER'S INSTRUMENTS......Page 141
ROVING AROUND......Page 144
DIVING THROUGH AN ATMOSPHERE......Page 152
Going down......Page 154
ON THE ROAD......Page 161
SPACEPORTS......Page 162
PREPARING FOR LAUNCH......Page 165
UP AND AWAY......Page 168
ROCKETS......Page 171
ORBITS......Page 174
7 DISTANT DESTINATIONS......Page 178
The first visits......Page 181
Preparing for Apollo......Page 183
Robot rovers......Page 186
Modem missions......Page 187
A new Moon......Page 188
Greenhouse nightmare......Page 190
Into the unknown......Page 191
Magellan......Page 197
Venus Express......Page 200
MARS......Page 201
Stumbling toward Mars......Page 203
Viking invasion......Page 204
Disaster strikes......Page 206
Return to the red planet......Page 207
MERCURY, A SCORCHED PLANET......Page 213
GIANT JUPITER......Page 215
SATURN......Page 221
THE OUTER GIANTS: URANUS AND NEPTUNE......Page 226
THE SUN......Page 229
Attack from outer space......Page 234
Thawing ice balls......Page 240
NEVER FINISHED......Page 246
8 DEATH OF A SPACECRAFT......Page 248
DOWN TO EARTH......Page 249
IN A BLAZE OF GLORY......Page 251
SAVING SOHO......Page 254
HOPE IS LOST......Page 256
NEAR EROS......Page 257
9 A BRIGHT FUTURE......Page 259
FASTER, BETTER AND CHEAPER?......Page 261
GOING COMMERCIAL......Page 262
FUTURE LAUNCHERS......Page 266
SOLAR SAILING......Page 272
NUCLEAR ENERGY......Page 275
WORKING TOGETHER......Page 276
GOING FOR A WALK......Page 277
FLYING......Page 280
MICROBOTS......Page 282
BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM......Page 286
10 ONLY JUST BEGINNING......Page 291
GLOSSARY......Page 295
BOOKS AND REPORTS......Page 306
PAPERS AND ARTICLES......Page 308
WEBPAGES......Page 309
OTHER......Page 312
INDEX......Page 313