Exploring the Solar System [electronic resource] : The History and Science of Planetary Exploration /
Launius, R.editor.
Beginning in the early days of the Space Age - well before the advent of manned spaceflight - the United States, followed soon by other nations, undertook an ambitious effort to study the planets of the solar system. The remarkable fruits of this research revolutionized the public's view of their celestial neighbors, capturing the imaginations of people from all backgrounds like nothing else save the Apollo lunar missions. From the first space probes to the most recent planetary rovers, they have continually delivered impressive discoveries and reshaped our understanding of the cosmos. Offering fascinating investigations into this crucial chapter in space history, this collection of specially commissioned essays from leading historians opens new vistas in our understanding of the development of planetary science.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Half-Title; Title; Copyright; Contents; List of Figures and Tables; Introduction; Part I Managing Planetary Science; Chapter 1 Homer Newell and the Origins of Planetary Science in the United States; Chapter 2 The Survival Crisis of the US Solar System Exploration Program in the 1980s; Chapter 3 Faster, Better, Cheaper: A Sociotechnical Perspective on Programmatic Choice, Success, and Failure in NASA's Solar System Exploration Program; Part II Developing New Approaches to Planetary Exploration
Chapter 4 Redefining Celestial Mechanics in the Space Age: Astrodynamics, Deep-Space Navigation, and the Pursuit of AccuracyChapter 5 Big Science in Space: Viking, Cassini, and the Hubble Space Telescope; Chapter 6 Visual Imagery in Solar System Exploration; Chapter 7 Returning Scientific Data to Earth: The Parallel but Unequal Careers of Genesis and Stardust and the Problem of Sample Return to Earth; Part III Exploring the Terrestrial Planets; Chapter 8 Planetary Science and the "Discovery" of Global Warming
Chapter 9 Exploring Planet Earth: The Development of Satellite Remote Sensing for Earth ScienceChapter 10 Venus-Earth-Mars: Comparative Climatology and the Search for Life in the Solar System; Chapter 11 Missions to Mars: Reimagining the Red Planet in the Age of Spaceflight; Part IV Unveiling the Outer Solar System; Chapter 12 Parachuting onto Another World: The European Space Agency's Huygens Mission to Titan; Chapter 13 Pluto: The Problem Planet and its Scientists; Chapter 14 Transcendence and Meaning in Solar System Exploration; Index
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Beginning in the early days of the Space Age - well before the advent of manned spaceflight - the United States, followed soon by other nations, undertook an ambitious effort to study the planets of the solar system. The remarkable fruits of this research revolutionized the public's view of their celestial neighbors, capturing the imaginations of people from all backgrounds like nothing else save the Apollo lunar missions. From the first space probes to the most recent planetary rovers, they have continually delivered impressive discoveries and reshaped our understanding of the cosmos. Offering fascinating investigations into this crucial chapter in space history, this collection of specially commissioned essays from leading historians opens new vistas in our understanding of the development of planetary science.
History.
America—History.
History, Modern.
United States—History.
History of Science.
History of the Americas.
Modern History.
US History.