Based on lecture notes on a space robotics course, this book offers a pedagogical introduction to the mechanics of space robots. After presenting an overview of the environments and conditions space robots have to work in, the author discusses a variety of manipulatory devices robots may use to perform their tasks. This is followed by a discussion of robot mobility in these environments and the various technical approaches. The last two chapters are dedicated to actuators, sensors and power systems used in space robots. This book fills a gap in the space technology literature and will be useful for students and for those who have an interest in the broad and highly interdisciplinary field of space robotics, and in particular in its mechanical aspects.

How does it happen that billions of stars can cooperate to produce the beautiful spirals that characterize so many galaxies, including ours? This book reviews the history behind the discovery of spiral galaxies and the problems faced when trying to explain the existence of spiral structure within them. In the book, subjects such as galaxy morphology and structure are addressed as well as several models for spiral structure. The evidence in favor or against these models is discussed. The book ends by discussing how spiral structure can be used as a proxy for other properties of spiral galaxies, such as their dark matter content and their central supermassive black hole masses, and why this is important.

The Shelf2Life Mines and Mining Collection is a unique set of materials focusing on the operation of mines, the mining industry and mineralogy in the 19th and 20th centuries. From first-hand accounts of life in the mines to descriptions of mine construction, excavation methods and machinery, to mine taxation and determinative mineralogy, this collection reveals the science and culture of the thriving mining industry pre-1923. Illuminating the pages of these intriguing volumes are rock and mineral photographs and mineral classification tables including chemical tests and scientific experiments written during a period of significant expansion in the discipline of mineralogy. The Mines and Mining Collection unearths a period of early historical mining practices and related scientific discoveries of value to enthusiasts, students and mineralogists alike.

This work presents a study of methods useful for modeling and understanding dynamical systems in the Galaxy. A natural coordinate system for the study of dynamical systems is the angle-action coordinate system. New methods for the approximation of the action-angle variables in general potentials are presented and discussed. These new tools are applied to the construction of dynamical models for two of the Galaxy's components: tidal streams and the Galactic disc. Tidal streams are remnants of tidally stripped satellites in the Milky Way that experience the effects of the large scale structure of the Galactic gravitational potential, while the Galactic disc provides insights into the nature of the Galaxy near the Sun. Appropriate action-based models are presented and discussed for these components, and extended to include further information such as the metallicity of stars.

Written by experts in their area of research, this book has outlined the current status of the fundamentals and analytical concepts, modelling and design issues, technical details and practical applications of different types of sensors and discussed about the trends of next generation of sensors and systems happening in the area of Sensing technology. This book will be useful as a reference book for engineers and scientist especially the post-graduate students find will this book as reference book for their research on wearable sensors, devices and technologies.

This book contains contributions to the 32nd Polish-Czech-Slovak Symposium on Mining and Environmental Geophysics held in May 2009 in Piechowice (Poland). The papers are related to various aspects of geophysical science such as induced seismicity, engineering seismology, environmental geophysics and geophysics in geology

As the sister book to "Introduction to Multicopter Design and Control," published by Springer in 2017, this book focuses on using a practical process to help readers to deepen their understanding of multicopter design and control. Novel tools with tutorials on multicopters are presented, which can help readers move from theory to practice. Experiments presented in this book employ: (1) The most widely-used flight platform - multicopters - as a flight platform; (2) The most widely-used flight pilot hardware - Pixhawk - as a control platform; and (3) One of the most widely-used programming languages in the field of control engi-neering - MATLAB + Simulink - as a programming language. Based on the current advanced development concept Model-Based Design (MBD)process, the three aspects mentioned above are closely linked. Each experiment is implemented in MATLAB and Simulink, and the numerical simula-tion test is carried out on a built simulation platform. Readers can upload the controller to the Pixhawk autopilot using automatic code generation technology and form a closed loop with a given real-time simulator for Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) testing. After that, the actual flight with the Pixhawk autopilot can be performed. This is by far the most complete and clear guide to modern drone fundamentals I've seen.It covers every element of these advanced aerial robots and walks through examples and tutorials based on the industry's leading open-source software and tools. Read this book, and you'll be well prepared to work at the leading edge of this exciting new industry. Chris Anderson, CEO 3DR and Chairman, the Linux Foundation's Dronecode Project The development of a multicopter and its applications is very challenging in the robotics area due to the multidomain knowledge involved. This book systematically addresses the design, simulation and implementation of multicopters with the industrial leading workflow - Model-Based Design, commonly used in the automotive and aero-defense industries. With this book, researchers and engineers can seamlessly apply the concepts, workflows, and tools in other engineering areas, especially robot design and robotics ap-plication development. Dr. Yanliang Zhang, Founder of Weston Robot, EX-product Manager of Robotics System Toolbox at the MathWorks

This book, edited by the European Space Policy Institute, is the first international publication, following UNISPACE+50, to analyze how space capacity building can empower the international community towards fully accessing all the economic and societal benefits that space assets and data can offer. New innovation models are increasingly spreading across various sectors and disciplines, including space, which is becoming an integral part of many societal activities (e.g. telecoms, weather, climate change and environmental monitoring, civil protection, infrastructures, transportation and navigation, healthcare and education). The book helps readers construct their own space capacity building roadmaps, which take into account key stakeholders and also new private actors, NGOs and civil society. Starting from a policy and strategy perspective, it addresses key aspects of capacity building, including innovation and exploration, global health, climate change and resilient societies. It outlines the available options and summarizes the ideal programmatic conditions for their successful implementation. Showcasing reflections from a range of senior space professionals around the world, with their unique perspectives and solutions, it provides a rich mosaic in which various cultural and policy approaches to space are translated into actionable programs and ideas so that space may truly benefit all of humankind.

Acoustic Justice engages issues of recognition and misrecognition by mobilizing an acoustic framework. From the vibrational intensities of common life to the rhythm of bodies in movement, and drawing from his ongoing work on sound and agency, Brandon LaBelle positions acoustics, and the broader experience of listening, as a dynamic means for fostering responsiveness, understanding, dispute, and the work of reorientation. As such, acoustic justice emerges as a compelling platform for engaging struggles over the right to speak and to be heard that extends toward a broader materialist and planetary view. This entails critically addressing questions of space, borders, community, and the acoustic norms defining capacities of listening, leading to what LaBelle terms “poetic ecologies of resonance.” Acoustic Justice works at issues of recognition and resistance, place and displacement, by moving across a range of pertinent references and topics, from social practices and sound art to the performativity of skin and the poetics of Deaf voice. Through such transversality, LaBelle captures acoustics as the basis for strategies of refusal and repair.

Regularized equations of motion can improve numerical integration for the propagation of orbits, and simplify the treatment of mission design problems. This monograph discusses standard techniques and recent research in the area. While each scheme is derived analytically, its accuracy is investigated numerically. Algebraic and topological aspects of the formulations are studied, as well as their application to practical scenarios such as spacecraft relative motion and new low-thrust trajectories.

Small satellite technology is opening up a new era in space exploration offering reduced cost of launch and maintenance, operational flexibility with on-orbit reconfiguration, redundancy etc. The true power of such missions can be harnessed only from close and precise formation flying of satellites. Formation flying missions support diverse application areas such as reconnaissance, remote sensing, solar observatory, deep space observatories, etc. A key component involved in formation flying is the guidance algorithm that should account for system nonlinearities and unknown disturbances. The main focus of this book is to present various nonlinear optimal control and adaptive guidance ideas to ensure precise close formation flying in presence of such difficulties. In addition to in-depth discussion of the relevant topics, MATLAB program files for the results included are also provided for the benefit of the readers. Since this book has concise information about the various guidance techniques, it will be useful reference for researchers and practising engineers in the space field.

This thesis develops and establishes several methods to determine the detailed geometric architecture of transiting exoplanetary systems (planets orbiting around, and periodically passing in front of, stars other than the sun) using high-precision photometric data collected by the Kepler space telescope. It highlights the measurement of stellar obliquity - the tilt of the stellar equator with respect to the planetary orbital plane(s) - and presents methods for more precise obliquity measurements in individual systems of particular interest, as well as for measurements in systems that have been out of reach of previous methods. Such information is useful for investigating the dynamical evolution of the planetary orbit, which is the key to understanding the diverse architecture of exoplanetary systems. The thesis also demonstrates a wide range of unique applications of high-precision photometric data, which expand the capability of future space-based photometry.

"The First Space Race" reveals the inside story of an epic adventure with world-altering stakes. From 1955 to 1958, American and Soviet engineers battled to capture the world's imagination by successfully launching the world's first satellite. The race to orbit featured two American teams led by rival services--the Army and the Navy--and a Soviet effort so secret that few even knew it existed. This race ushered in the Space Age with a saga of science, politics, technology, engineering, and human dreams.
Before 1955, the concept of an artificial satellite had been demonstrated only on paper. The first nation to transform theory into practice would gain advantages in science, the Cold War propaganda contest, and the military balance of power. Visionaries such as America's Wernher von Braun and Russia's Sergey Korolev knew these fields of endeavor would be affected by the launch of a satellite. Moved by patriotism, inquisitiveness, and pride, people on both sides of the Iron Curtain put forth heroic efforts to make that first satellite possible.
Some aspects of this story, like the Navy's NOTSNIK satellite project, are almost unknown. Even some details of well-known programs, such as the appearance of America's pioneering "Explorer 1" satellite and the contributions made by its rival, Project Vanguard, are generally misremembered. In this book, authors Matt Bille and Erika Lishock tell the whole story of the first space race. They trace the tale from the origins of spaceflight theory and through the military and political events that engendered the all-out efforts needed to turn dreams into reality and thus shape the modern world.

Spacecraft Technology: The early years charts the fascinating story of the early Space Age, encompassing the launch of the first satellites and the landing of men on the Moon. While concentrating on the most significant technology developments, it places them in the context of historical events, specific missions and the individuals that made it all happen. Following a chapter on the pre-history of space exploration and another on the development of rocketry, the book covers the early development of space science satellites, Earth observation satellites, communications satellites, lunar probes and manned space capsules. Three chapters are dedicated to the hardware designed for the Apollo programme and its role in transporting men to the Moon, landing them there and transporting them across the lunar surface. Spacecraft Technology: The early years is aimed at scientists and engineers with an interest in the history of space activity and the general reader who enjoys delving into the background of modern technology.

This book is the result of a working group sponsored by ISSI in Bern, which was initially created to study possible ways to calibrate a Far Ultraviolet (FUV) instrument after launch. In most cases, ultraviolet instruments are well calibrated on the ground, but unfortunately, optics and detectors in the FUV are very sensitive to contaminants and it is very challenging to prevent contamination before and during the test and launch sequences of a space mission. Therefore, ground calibrations need to be confirmed after launch and it is necessary to keep track of the temporal evolution of the sensitivity of the instrument during the mission.
The studies presented here cover various fields of FUV spectroscopy, including a catalog of stellar spectra, datasets of Moon Irradiance, observations of comets and measurements of the interplanetary background. Detailed modelling of the interplanetary background is presented as well. This work also includes comparisons of older datasets with current ones. This raises the question of the consistency of the existing datasets. Previous experiments have been calibrated independently and comparison of the datasets may lead to inconsistencies. The authors have tried to check that possibility in the datasets and when relevant suggest a correction factor for the corresponding data."

In this newly updated directory, the latest in cutting-edge audio equipment is provided, including how to choose the best audio equipment on a budget, how to get the best sound for the money, and how to set up a system for maximum performance. Revised and expanded to include all the latest audio technologies, this book is packed with expert advice how to make speakers sound up to 50 percent better at no cost, avoid the most common system set-up mistakes, and how to choose the one speaker in 50 worth owning. Among the new topics covered are streaming audio, computer-based music servers, music-management apps, wireless streaming, high-resolution digital audio. A short course on listening-room acoustics is presented and additional information on audio for home theater, multichannel audio, system set-up secrets, and what each component's specifications and measurements mean is also provided.

This book investigates Venus and Mercury prospective energy and material resources. It is a collection of topics related to exploration and utilization of these bodies. It presents past and future technologies and solutions to old problems that could become reality in our life time. The book therefore is a great source of condensed information for specialists interested in current and impending Venus and Mercury related activities and a good starting point for space researchers, inventors, technologists and potential investors. Written for researchers, engineers, and businessmen interested in Venus and Mercury exploration and exploitation.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage on robot fish including design, modeling and optimization, control, autonomous control and applications. It gathers contributions by the leading researchers in the area. Readers will find the book very useful for designing and building robot fish, not only in theory but also in practice. Moreover, the book discusses various important issues for future research and development, including design methodology, control methodology, and autonomous control strategy. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the fields of robotics, ocean engineering and related areas.

The inner magnetosphere plasma is a very unique composition of different plasma particles and waves. It covers a huge energy plasma range with spatial and time variations of many orders of magnitude. In such a situation, the kinetic approach is the key element, and the starting point of the theoretical description of this plasma phenomena which requires a dedicated book to this particular area of research.