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Books > Professional & Technical > Other technologies > Space science > Astronautics
The contributions gathered in this volume provide introductions to current problems in geospace electromagnetic radiation, guides to the associated literature and tutorial reviews of the relevant space physics. Students and scientists working on various aspects of the terrestrial aurora or magnetospheric and near-Earth heliospheric high-frequency waves will find this volume an indispensable companion for their studies.
Research on extrasolar planets is one of the most exciting fields of activity in astrophysics. In a decade only, a huge step forward has been made from the early speculations on the existence of planets orbiting "other stars" to the first discoveries and to the characterization of extrasolar planets. This breakthrough is the result of a growing interest of a large community of researchers as well as the development of a wide range of new observational techniques and facilities. Based on their lectures given at the 31st Saas-Fee Advanced Course, Andreas Quirrenbach, Tristan Guillot and Pat Cassen have written up up-to-date comprehensive lecture notes on the "Detection and Characterization of Extrasolar Planets," "Physics of Substellar Objects Interiors, Atmospheres, Evolution" and "Protostellar Disks and Planet Formation." This book will serve graduate students, lecturers and scientists entering the field of extrasolar planets as detailed and comprehensive introduction.
The field of Adaptive Optics (AO) for astronomy has matured in recent years, and diffraction-limited image resolution in the near-infrared is now routinely achieved by ground-based 8 to 10m class telescopes. This book presents the proceedings of the ESO Workshop on Science with Adaptive Optics held in the fall of 2003. The book provides an overview on AO instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction strategies, and covers observations of the sun, solar system objects, circumstellar disks, substellar companions, HII regions, starburst environments, late-type stars, the galactic center, active galaxies, and quasars. The contributions present a vivid picture of the multitude of science topics being addressed by AO in observational astronomy.
Astromineralogy deals with the science of gathering mineralogical information from the astronomical spectroscopy of asteroids, comets and dust in the circumstellar environments in general. This field has received a tremendous boost with the reliable identification of minerals by the Infrared Space Observatory. The first edition of this book, published in 2003, was the first comprehensive and coherent account of this exciting field. Data obtained in the meantime with the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope, the stardust mission to the comet 81P / Wild 2, and with the Cassini mission, together with progress in ground-based observations and laboratory astrophysics form the basis for this updated and widely extended second edition.Beyond addressing the specialist in the field, the book is intended as a high-level but readable introduction to astromineralogy for both the nonspecialist researcher and the advanced student.
For every galaxy in the field or in clusters, there are about three galaxies in groups. The Milky Way itself resides in a group. Groups in the local universe offer the chance to study galaxies in environments characterized by strong interactions. In the cosmological context, groups trace large-scale structures better than clusters; the evolution of groups and clusters appears to be related. All these aspects of research are summarized in this book.
The problem of cosmic ray (CR) geomagnetic effects came to the fore at the beg- ning of the 1930s after the famous expeditions by J. Clay onboard ship (Slamat) between the Netherlands and Java using an ionization chamber. Many CR la- tude expeditions were organized by the famous scientists and Nobel Laureates R. Millikan and A. Compton. From the obtained latitude curves it follows that CRs cannot be gamma rays (as many scientists thought at that time), but must be charged particles. From measurements of azimuthally geomagnetic effect at that time it also followed that these charged particles must be mostly positive (see Chapter 1, and for more details on the history of the problem see monographs of Irina Dorman, M1981, M1989). The ?rst explanations of obtained results were based on the simple dipole - proximation of the geomagnetic ?eld and the theory of energetic charged particles moving in dipole magnetic ?elds, developed in 1907 by C. Stormer ] to explain the aurora phenomenon. Let us note that it was made about 5 years before V. Hess discovered CRs, and received the Nobel Prize in 1936 together with K. Anderson (for the discovery of CR and positrons in CR)."
As a star in the universe, the Sun is constantly releas- cover a wide range of time and spatial scales, making ?? ing energy into space, as much as ?. ? ?? erg/s. Tis observations in the solar-terrestrial environment c- energy emission basically consists of three modes. Te plicated and the understanding of processes di?cult. ?rst mode of solar energy is the so-called blackbody ra- In the early days, the phenomena in each plasma diation, commonly known as sunlight, and the second region were studied separately, but with the progress mode of solar electromagnetic emission, such as X rays of research, we realized the importance of treating and UV radiation, is mostly absorbed above the Earth's the whole chain of processes as an entity because of stratosphere. Te third mode of solar energy emission is strong interactions between various regions within in the form of particles having a wide range of energies the solar-terrestrial system. On the basis of extensive from less than ? keV to more than ? GeV. It is convenient satellite observations and computer simulations over to group these particles into lower-energy particles and thepasttwo decades, it hasbecomepossibleto analyze higher-energy particles, which are referred to as the so- speci?cally the close coupling of di?erent regions in the lar wind and solar cosmic rays, respectively. solar-terrestrial environment.
This book provides an informative account of the design of instruments used in rockets and spacecraft. The volume begins with a chapter introducing the basic principles of designing for the space environment. Following chapters discuss mechanical, structural, thermal and electronic design including the problems that are frequently encountered in the testing and verification of spacecraft subsystems. Important topics are described, including stress analysis, multilayer insulation, two-dimensional sensor systems, mechanisms, the structure of space optics, and project management and control. A final chapter looks towards future developments of space instrument design and addresses issues arising from financial constraints. The book contains lists of symbols, acronyms and units and a comprehensive reference list. Worked examples are found throughout the text. This volume is suitable for researchers and engineers in spacecraft and space instrument design. It will also be valuable to graduate students of physics, space science, spacecraft engineering and astronautics.
This interdisciplinary book probes the subject of extraterrestrial intelligent life, offering scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing pseudo-scientific assertions such as 'rare earth'. The author discusses such philosophical questions as: What is intelligence? What is consciousness? Should we expect ETIs to be conscious beings? Also discussed is the viability of future astronautics which would enable closer human contact with ETI.
This book examines the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. It scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution and the likely future of mankind. There is emphasis on the geological conditions and consequences of life's conquest of land as the pre-condition for the emergence of life with our type of technical intelligence.
This book contains review articles of most of the topics addressed at the conf- ence on Simulations of Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in astrophysics: recent achievements and perspectives which took place from July 2 to 6, 2001 at the Institut Henri Poincare in Paris. We made the choice to publish these lectures in a tutorial form so that they can be read by a broad audience. As a result, this book does not give an exhaustive view of all the subjects addressed during the conference. The main objective of this workshop which gathered about 90 scientists from di?erent ?elds, was to present and confront recent results on the topic of t- bulence in magnetized astrophysical environments. A second objective was to discuss the latest generation of numerical codes, such as those using adaptive mesh re?nement (AMR) techniques. During a plenary discussion at the end of the workshop discussions were held on several topics, often at the heart of vivid controversies. Topics included the timescale for the dissipation of magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) turbulence, the role of boundary conditions, the characteristics of imbalanced turbulence, the validity of the polytropic approach to Alfven waves support within interst- lar clouds, the source of turbulence inside clouds devoid of stellar activity, the timescale for star formation, the Alfven Mach number of interstellar gas motions, the formation process for helical ?elds in the interstellar medium. The impact of small upon large scales was also discussed."
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.
Authored by leading international researchers, this monograph introduces and reviews developed tomograhic methods for discovering 2D and 3D structures of the ionosphere, and discusses the experimental implementation of these methods. The detailed derivations and explanations make this book an excellent starting point for non-specialists.
The purpose of this reference and handbook is to describe and to derive the analytic solutionsoftheequationsofsatellitemotionperturbedbyextraterrestrialandgeo- tential disturbances of the second order. The equations of satellite motion perturbed by extraterrestrial disturbances are solved by means of discretization and appr- imated potential function as well as Gaussian equations. The equations perturbed by geopotential disturbances are solved by symbolic mathematical operations. The traditional problem of singularity in the solutions is solved by so-called singulari- free orbit theory. Simpli?ed disturbed equations of motion are proposed to simplify the solutions. Applications of the theory for analytic orbit determination are also discussed. Indeed, this is the ?rst book since the satellite era, which describes s- tematically the orbit theory with analytical solutions, with respect to all of extrat- restrial and geopotential disturbances of the second order, and the solutions are free of singularity. Based on such a theory, the algorithms of orbit determination can be renewed; deeper insight into the physics of disturbances becomes possible; the way to a variety of new applications and re?nements is opened. My primary knowledge of the orbit theory came from my education of mat- matics while studying physics and theoretical mechanics (1981). My ?rst practical experience with orbit came from the research activity at the Technical University (TU) Berlin on orbit corrections of the satellite altimetry data (1988-1992). The extensive experience on orbit came from the GPS/Galileo software development for orbit determination and geopotential mapping at the GFZ (2001-2004).
Foothold in the Heavens, the second volume in the A History of Human Space Exploration series, focuses upon the 1970s, the decade in which humanity established real, longterm foothold in the heavens with the construction and operation of the first space stations. It marked a transitional phase between the heady, race-to-the-Moon days of the Sixties and efforts to make space travel more economical, more frequent and more 'routine.' Space exploration in the Seventies, although dominated by Soviet achievement, saw the first efforts of mankind to really 'live' and work in space, producing results of direct benefit to humans on Earth. The emphasis changed from the gung-ho, 'strap-it-on-and-go' pioneers of the Sixties to the more practical exploitation of space for science, medicine, and technology. This book focuses on each mission launched between April 1971 and April 1981: from the launch of the world's first space station to the end of operations of Salyut 6, and from the expanded, lengthy exploration of the Moon on Apollo 15 to the first flight of the Shuttle.
The majority of books dealing with prospects for interstellar flight tackle the problem of the propulsion systems that will be needed to send a craft on an interstellar trajectory. The proposed book looks at two other, equally important aspects of such space missions, and each forms half of this two part book. Part 1 looks at the ways in which it is possible to exploit the focusing effect of the Sun as a gravitational lens for scientific missions to distances of 550 AU and beyond into interstellar space. The author explains the mechanism of the Sun as a gravitational lens, the scientific investigations which may be carried out along the way to a distance of 550 AU (and at the 550 AU sphere itself), the requirements for exiting the Solar System at the highest speed and a range of project ideas for missions entering interstellar space. Part 2 of the book deals with the problems of communicating between an interstellar spaceship and the Earth, especially at very high speeds. Here the author assesses a range of mathematical tools relating to the Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) for optimal telecommunications, technical topics that may one day enable humans flying around the Galaxy to keep in contact with the Earth. This part of the book opens with a summary of the author's 2003 Pe ek Lecture presented at the IAC in Bremen, which introduces the concept of KLT for engineers and 'newcomers' to the subject. It is planned to include a DVD containing the full mathematical derivations of the KLT for those interested in this important mathematical tool whilst the text itself will contain the various results without outlines of the mathematical proofs. Astronautical engineers will thus be able to see the application of the results without getting bogged down in the mathematics."
Pays considerable attention to various aspects of light absorption inside particles, including internal field distributions, MDR resonances, and absorption in restricted regions inside particles. It contains many results (and more than 100 figures) computed for polydisperse particle systems and algorithms and provides the possibility to use them (web site).
The impact of anthropogenic activities on our atmospheric environment is of growing public concern and satellite-based techniques now provide an essential component of observational strategies on regional and global scales. The purpose of this book is to summarise the state of the art in the field in general, while describing both key techniques and findings in particular. It opens with an historical perspective of the field together with the basic principles of remote sensing from space. Three chapters follow on the techniques and on the solutions to the problems associated with the various spectral regions in which observations are made. The particular challenges posed by aerosols and clouds are covered in the next two chapters. Of special importance is the accuracy and reliability of remote sensing data and these issues are covered in a chapter on validation. The final section of the book is concerned with the exploitation of data, with chapters on observational aspects, which includes both individual and synergistic studies, and on the comparison of global and regional observations with chemical transport and climate models and the added value that the interaction brings to both. The book concludes with scientific needs and likely future developments in the field, and the necessary actions to be taken if we are to have the global observation system that the Earth needs in its present, deteriorating state. The appendices provide a comprehensive list of satellite instruments, global representations of some ancillary data such as fire counts and light pollution, a list of abbreviations and acronyms, and a set of colourful timelines indicating the satellite coverage of tropospheric composition in the foreseeable future. Altogether, this book will be a timely reference and overview for anyone working at the interface of environmental, atmospheric and space sciences.
The First International Conference on Mobile Lightweight Systems (MOBILIGHT) was held in Athens during May 18-20, 2009. The decision to organize a scientific event on wireless communications, where competition is really enormous, was motivated by discussions with some colleagues about the current unprecedented request for lightweight, wireless communication devices with high usability and performance able to support added-value services in a highly mobile environment. Such devices follow the user everywhere he/she goes (at work, at home, while travelling, in a classroom, etc.), but also result in exciting - search, development and business opportunities. Such a scenario clearly demands significant upgrades to the existing communi- tion paradigm in terms of infrastructure, devices and services to support the anytime, anywhere, any device philosophy, introducing novel and fast-evolving requirements and expectations on research and development in the field of information and com- nication technologies. The core issue is to support the desire of wireless users to have 24/7 network availability and transparent access to "their own" services.
Berlin offers an in-depth look into all the engineering aspects of geostationary satellite design, construction, and launch. Geostationary satellites have opened new doors for the peaceful use of outer space. From vantage points 22,000 miles above the equator, they permit people anywhere on land, at sea, or in the air to communicate with each other, and they provide meteorologists, geologists, and other scientists with photographs of the earth. This book gives equal emphasis to the explanation of launch vehicles, orbital mechanics, the space environment, spacecraft structures, mechanisms, thermal control, telemetry tracking and command, communications technology, meterological payloads, product assurance and testing.
Between 1969 and 1972, twelve people walked on the surface of the Moon. Twelve others flew over its barren and majestic surface. They were the sons of workers, farmers, soldiers and businessmen. They thought anything was possible-and they proved this to the entire world. For 20 years, Lukas Viglietti, an airline pilot and captain, has been fascinated by the conquest of the astronauts who went to space during his childhood. He has recorded their testimonies and since becoming their friend and confidant, he now offers an exclusive and unprecedented insight into their adventures. In APOLLO CONFIDENTIAL, adults and children alike experience the all-inspiring accounts of: steely-eyed test pilots sensitive painters and poets hard-living bad boys thoughtful, studious scientists The only thing they had in common was they all saw the view of the beautiful home planet from a quarter of a million miles away, an oasis of life compared to the stark and lifeless, alien moon. In APOLLO CONFIDENTIAL, Lukas Viglietti recounts what people from the history books-people such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin-were like in person.
Spaceplanes From Airport to Spaceport presents a coherent, lucid, and optimistic picture of the future of the near future. Space vehicles may soon take off from international airports and refuel in space. New technologies could allow flights to take off regularly between the Earth and the Moon. The technical details presented explain precisely how all this can be accomplished within the next few decades. This book also explains why the Space Tourist market could easily become the single most important factor in the mid-term future development of space transportation. In a few years it will be possible to board a spaceplane and fly into Earth orbit, and perhaps visit a space station. Later development could include refuelling in orbit to take a tour of cislunar space. The book's solid engineering foundation will be of interest to both space exploration enthusiasts and future space travelers.
This fascinating book is a must-have text for space enthusiasts with an engineering bent. It is a detailed history of unmanned missions that have explored our solar system. The subject is treated wherever possible from an engineering and scientific standpoint and includes technical descriptions of the spacecraft, their mission designs and their instrumentations. Scientific results are discussed in depth, together with details of mission management. The book is fantastically comprehensive, covering missions and results from the 1950s right up to the present day. Some of the latest missions and their results appear in a popular science book for the first time.
The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program looks at the Russian space programme in 2007, 50 years after Sputnik. Brian Harvey covers all the key elements of the current Russian space programme, from manned to unmanned missions; the various types of unmanned applications programmes; the military programme; the infrastructure of production, launch centres and tracking; the commercialization of the programme and its relationship with western companies; and the programme in a comparative global context. Strong emphasis is placed on Russiaa (TM)s future space intentions and on new programmes and missions in prospect, such as Soyuz in Kourou, Kliper, Phobos Grunt and the Angara launcher. End matter contains a list of all missions since January 1991 to December 2006.
This book explains how the Apollo crews learned to work on the lunar surface. Its lively and informative text draws heavily on transcripts and photographs to illustrate points. It puts the reader on the lunar surface with the astronauts, sharing their observations, excitement, and frustrations. The book describes the challenging yet exhilarating lunar environment facing the Apollo astronauts, and reveals their courageous, sometimes creative and occasionally humorous adaptation to the field conditions on another planet. Recent interviews with the astronauts are included in which they recall their thoughts after more than 25 years of reflection. |
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