Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez Ae Frans J. M. Rietmeijer Ae Jordi Llorca Ae Diego Janches Originally published in the journal Earth, Moon, and Planets, Volume 102, Nos 1-4. DOI: 10. 1007/s11038-008-9228-0 Springer Science+Business Media B. V. 2008 This volume is a compilation of articles that summarize the most recent results in meteor, meteoroid and related ?elds presented at the Meteoroids 2007 conference held in the impressive CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona, Spain. The conference took place between 11 and 15 of June and was organized by the Institute of Space Sciences (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient?'?cas, CSIC) and the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC). Researchers in meteor science and supporting ?elds representing more than 20 countries participated at this international conference where 126 presentations were delivered in oral and poster forms. The 69 papers included in this volume represent the work of 154 authors from about 70 different institutions across the globe. The Me- oroids conference is an international meeting that takes place every 3 years since the ?rst one held in Bratislava, Slovakia in 1994. The 2007 meeting was the ?rst one where samples of a comet, 81P/Wild 2, were available from the NASA Stardust mission, and results from laboratory characterizations were presented and discussed. Seemingly aware of the upcoming meeting a bolide was observed over La Mancha, Spain, on May 10.

The emphasis of Planetary Atmospheres is on comparative aspects of planetary atmospheres, generally meaning comparison with the Earth, including atmospheric composition, thermal structure, cloud properties, dynamics, weather and climate, and aeronomy. The goal is to look for common processes at work under different boundary conditions in order to reach a fundamental understanding of the physics of atmospheres. As part of a general Physics course, the material is chosen to emphasise certain aspects that will be of broad topical interest:
- evolutionary processes, setting the Earth in its context as a planet and a member of the Solar System
- the properties of atmospheres that affect the climate near the surface of each planet
- measurement techniques and models, where the same experimental and theoretical physics is applied under different conditions to investigate and explain atmospheric behaviour.
These might be thought of as the astronomical, environmental, and technical sides of the discipline respectively.
The book covers the basic physics of planetary atmospheres in a single text for students or anyone interested in this area of science. The approach is the same as in the author's previous book Elementary Climate Physics: an overview, followed by more detailed discussion of key topics arranged by physical phenomenon and not planet by planet as usually found in this field. There is an emphasis on acquiring and interpreting measurements, and the basic physics of instruments and models, with key definitions and some historical background in footnotes and in the glossary at the end of the book.

All magnetized planets in our solar system (Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) interact strongly with the solar wind and possess well developed magnetotails. However, Mars and Venus have no global intrinsic magnetic field, yet they possess induced magnetotails. Comets have a magnetotail that is formed by the draping of the interplanetary magnetic field. In the case of planetary satellites (moons), the magnetotail refers to the wake region behind the satellite in the flow of either the solar wind or the magnetosphere of its parent planet. The largest magnetotail in our solar system is the heliotail, the magnetotail of the heliosphere. The great differences in solar wind conditions, planetary rotation rates, ionospheric conductivity, and physical dimensions provide an outstanding opportunity to extend our understanding of the influence of these factors on magnetotail processes and structure. Volume highlights include: * A discussion of why a magnetotail is a fundamental issue in magnetospheric physics * A unique collection of tutorials that cover a large range of magnetotails in our solar system * A comparative approach to magnetotail phenomena, including reconnection, current sheet, rotation rate, plasmoids, and flux robes * A review of global simulation studies of the effect of ionospheric outflow on the magnetosphere-ionosphere system dynamics Magnetotails in the Solar System brings together for the first time in one book a collection of tutorials and current developments addressing different types of magnetotails. As a result, this book will appeal to a broad community of space scientists and be of interest to astronomers who are looking at tail-like structures beyond our solar system.

On the centenary of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, this book reviews the state-of-the-art research in geomagnetism, aeronomy and space weather. Written by eminent researchers from these fields, it summarises the advances in research over the past 100 years, and looks ahead to current and emerging studies on Earth's magnetic field. It provides a comprehensive overview of the generation of Earth's magnetic field, its history and its response to external forces. Starting at the centre of the Earth, the reader is taken on a journey from the interior core and mantle, through the upper atmosphere and magnetosphere, before reaching the Sun's atmosphere and corona. The applications of this research are also discussed, particularly the societal impact of solar activity on critical infrastructures in our increasingly technologically dependant society. This book provides a valuable resource and reference to academic researchers and students in geomagnetism and aeronomy.

Facts and images for Apollo missions 12 through 17 are covered in this concise guide to the program's essentials--mission objectives, dates, flight plans, astronauts, space suits, and vehicles--for collectors, educators, space enthusiasts, and those just discovering the history of the space program.

If you always thought that it was Giovanni Schiaparelli who first coined the phrase 'Canali' pertaining to the straight lines he appeared to observe on Mars you'd be wrong. In 1858, an astronomer working at the Vatican observatory named father Pietro Angelo Secchi took it upon himself to create his own drawings of Mars. The red planet was now nearing a close approach to earth and the powerful Vatican telescope was capable of resolving detail previously invisible to most astronomers. Secchi thought he saw a series of straight lines on the Martian surface so he made an innocuous notation in his notes. His sketches and articles were published in 1859 in which he referred several times to 'Canale Atlantico' or 'Canale Ceruleo'. His regrettable choice of words would not have an impact for another eight years. This volume tells not only of people and places that have influenced mankind's relationship with the enigmatic red planet, but it also shows you the colour drawings that Secchi made, which were provided to us directly by the Vatican itself. Along with many other interesting stories, drawings and photographs this book will be a prize for both the novice or ardent student of Mars.

Fred Hoyle was one of the most widely acclaimed and colourful scientists of the twentieth century, a down-to-earth Yorkshireman who combined a brilliant scientific mind with a relish for communication and controversy. Best known for his steady-state theory of cosmology, he described a universe with both an infinite past and an infinite future. He coined the phrase 'big bang' to describe the main competing theory, and sustained a long-running, sometimes ill-tempered, and typically public debate with his scientific rivals. He showed how the elements are formed by nuclear reactions inside stars, and explained how we are therefore all formed from stardust. He also claimed that diseases fall from the sky, attacked Darwinism, and branded the famous fossil of the feathered Archaeopteryx a fake. Throughout his career, Hoyle played a major role in the popularization of science. Through his radio broadcasts and his highly successful science fiction novels he became a household name, though his outspokenness and support for increasingly outlandish causes later in life at times antagonized the scientific community. Jane Gregory builds up a vivid picture of Hoyle's role in the ideas, the organization, and the popularization of astronomy in post-war Britain, and provides a fascinating examination of the relationship between a maverick scientist, the scientific establishment, and the public. Through the life of Hoyle, this book chronicles the triumphs, jealousies, rewards, and feuds of a rapidly developing scientific field, in a narrative animated by a cast of colourful astronomers, keeping secrets, losing their tempers, and building their careers here on Earth while contemplating the nature of the stars.

An account of the discovery of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet and its spectacular collision with Jupiter, just 6 months later, written by one of the comet's discoverers.

A look at the creation and composition of asteroids and the frightening eventuality of a collision with the earth.

The intriguing narrative of one of astronomy's strangest searches for a planet that never existed.

An amazing journey throughout the universe in a search for other planets and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

CD-ROM and Book. The Red Planet has been a beacon to every race of mankind since the dawn of history. Today Mars stands as a symbol of the high frontier the next logical step in our exploration of the universe around us. In 1964 the United States of America launched Mariner 4 towards Mars in the hope that a handful of pictures returned by the spacecraft might answer some age-old questions. Was there an ancient Martian civilisation? Would there be any signs of life? So began the first step in a close examination of our neighbouring planet. Between Mariner 4 and Mars Global Surveyor in 1988 the United States has sent a fleet of robots to Mars with wildly varying degrees of success. Thanks to these versatile probes we now know almost as much about Mars on a global scale as we do about our own Earth. In this book the triumphs and tribulations of the American Mars programme is gathered together in one place. Press Kits and Mission Reports from every Mars mission are collected together for the first time. Reading these documents presented here in chronological order gives a fascinating insight into how our understanding of the Red Planet has grown over the past four decades.;These robot voyages are the advance guard, scouting out the path for the day when men will launch a manned mission to Mars.

This work is an account of one of the most thrilling topics in science - the search for life on Mars - and how it may ultimately lead us to the origins of life in the universe. Hidden beneath the sterile surface of Earth's neighbouring planet may be the keys to unlocking the origins of life in the universe. An expert on extreme-life environments, Malcolm Walter argues that the best place to find evidence of life on Mars is in the rocks and subsurface water of the Red Planet - out of reach of telescopes and space probes. In this book, Walter unveils his dramatic plan - already adopted by NASA - for finding these elusive traces of life.

Until very recently, all we really knew about Venus, our nearest planetary neighbour, was that it was roughly the same size and mass as the earth and was surrounded by a thick atmosphere. Then, in 1989, American scientists launched Magellan,the spacecraft that would revolutionize our vision of this mysterious planet. Venus Revealed is the first book to explain the breathtaking results of this mission, which unveiled a Venusian world of active volcanoes, shining mountains, and river valleys carved by torrents of flowing lava. At one time, Venus may have even had a wet, temperate climate, much like Earth's. What happened to turn it into a hostile, burning acid world? The answer could very well help us solve some of our most pressing environmental problems,from global warming to acid rain. In Venus Revealed, David Grinspoon eloquently argues that studying our exotic twin will inevitable teach us more about ourselves.

This popular guide to cosmic debris introduces the fascinating world of meteorites, astroids, comets, and impact craters. With more than 50 new photographs and updated illustrations, new and expanded appendixes, and some fun cosmic humor, "Rocks from Space, 2nd Edition" journeys into the last frontier for close-up looks at the latest astronomical discoveries.

Rain of Iron and Ice shows us the unmistakable evidence--from spaceprobe flybys of the planets to the scars on our own Earth--of cataclysmic comet and asteroid impacts. By comparing what we know about the earth's geology and paleontology with the ages of the other planets and moons in our solar system, Lewis makes the strongest case yet for sudden, dramatic extinctions and assesses the risks to planet Earth.

Carbon plays a fundamental role on Earth. It forms the chemical backbone for all essential organic molecules produced by living organisms. Carbon-based fuels supply most of society's energy, and atmospheric carbon dioxide has a huge impact on Earth's climate. This book provides a complete history of the emergence and development of the new interdisciplinary field of deep carbon science. It traces four centuries of history during which the inner workings of the dynamic Earth were discovered, and documents extraordinary scientific revolutions that changed our understanding of carbon on Earth forever: carbon's origin in exploding stars; the discovery of the internal heat source driving the Earth's carbon cycle; and the tectonic revolution. Written with an engaging narrative style and covering the scientific endeavours of more than a hundred pioneers of deep geoscience, this is a fascinating book for students and researchers working in Earth system science and deep carbon research.

From deep ocean trenches and the geographical poles to outer space, organisms can be found living in remarkably extreme conditions. This book provides a captivating account of these systems and their extraordinary inhabitants, 'extremophiles'. A diverse, multidisciplinary group of experts discuss responses and adaptations to change; biodiversity, bioenergetic processes, and biotic and abiotic interactions; polar environments; and life and habitability, including searching for biosignatures in the extraterrestrial environment. The editors emphasize that understanding these systems is important for increasing our knowledge and utilizing their potential, but this remains an understudied area. Given the threat to these environments and their biota caused by climate change and human impact, this timely book also addresses the urgency to document these systems. It will help graduate students and researchers in conservation, marine biology, evolutionary biology, environmental change and astrobiology better understand how life exists in these environments and their susceptibility or resilience to change.

In this book, Velikovsky s ideas are seriously discussed and criticized by three astronomers, a sociologist, and an expert on ancient astronomical records. The result is a full-scale critique of Velikovsky s work from several perspectives. Lucid and informative, the book not only shows the deficiencies of Velikovsky s views, but also makes clear why these views have attracted such a strong public following."

Fully updated throughout, including revised illustrations and new images from NASA missions, this new edition provides an overview of Earth's history from a planetary science perspective for Earth science undergraduates. Earth's evolution is described in the context of what we know about other planets and the cosmos at large, from the origin of the cosmos to the processes that shape planetary environments and from the origins of life to the inner workings of cells. Astronomy, Earth science, planetary science and astrobiology are integrated to give students the whole picture of how the Earth has come to its present state and an understanding of the relationship between key ideas in different fields. The book presents concepts in nontechnical language and mathematical treatments are avoided where possible. New end-of-chapter summaries and questions allow students to check their understanding and critical thinking is emphasized to encourage students to explore ideas scientifically for themselves.