In this book the background and context of Africa's political and socio-economic landscape is presented and unpacked through a primary needs approach which focuses on climate, biodiversity, health, water, education, and space-related capacity building. African theoretical contributions from the International Relations field are discussed, and Africa's new Space Policy and Strategy, along with debates around the establishment of an African Space Agency, are explored. The African International Space Ecosystem is then analyzed, including its dimensions of intra-African space relations and initiatives, African participation in COPUOS, and international space activities, agreements, and initiatives in Africa. The final part is dedicated to the national space infrastructure and activities of African states.

This textbook provides students and the broader aviation community with a complete, accessible guide to the subject of human factors in aviation. It covers the history of the field before breaking down the physical and psychological factors, organizational levels, technology, training, and other pivotal components of a pilot and crew's routine work in the field. The information is organized into easy-to-digest chapters with summaries and exercises based on key concepts covered, and it is supported by more than 100 full-color illustrations and photographs. All knowledge of human factors required in aviation university studies is conveyed in a concise and casual manner, through the use of helpful margin notes and anecdotes that appear throughout the text.

This book provides detailed insights into how space and popular culture intersect across a broad spectrum of examples, including cinema, music, art, arcade games, cartoons, comics, and advertisements. This is a pertinent topic since the use of space themes differs in different cultural contexts, and these themes can be used to explore various aspects of the human condition and provide a context for social commentary on politically sensitive issues. With the use of space imagery evolving over the past sixty years of the space age, this is a topic ripe for in-depth exploration. The book also discusses the contrasting visions of space from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the reality of today, and analyzes space vehicles and habitats in popular depictions of space from an engineering perspective, exploring how many of those ideas have actually been implemented in practice, and why or why not (a case of life imitating art and vice versa). As such, it covers a wide array of relevant and timely topics examining intersections between space and popular culture, and offering accounts of space and its effect on culture, language, and storytelling from the southern regions of the world.

This thesis focuses on ULF (Ultra-low-frequency) waves' interaction with plasmasphere particles and ring current ions in the inner magnetosphere. It first reports and reveals mutual effect between ULF waves and plasmasphere using Van Allen Probes data. The differences and similarities of different ring current ions interacting with ULF waves are extensively explored using Cluster data, which provides a potential explanation for O+-dominated ring current during the magnetic storms. Furthermore, this thesis finds a method to study the phase relationship between ULF waves and drift-bounce resonant particles, and proposes that the phase relationship can be used to diagnose the parallel structure of standing wave electric field and energy transfer directions between waves and particles. The findings in this thesis can significantly promote our understanding of ULF waves' role in the dynamics of inner magnetosphere.

There are few industries in today's world as dynamic and dramatically changing as the space sector, with new ventures and initiatives being announced on a daily basis. As well as emerging countries improving their launching and manufacturing capabilities, private actors are beginning to join public bodies in the space race, and participating in what is frequently being referred to as the new space era. With fantastic opportunities arising for business and economics, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the space sector, exploring recent initiatives, and the most important areas of investment in the industry, including emerging fields of activities such as asteroid mining and space tourism. It also addresses traditional and non-traditional security issues in the sector, together with discussing their legal implications. This interdisciplinary book provides insights for practitioners and researchers alike, particularly those involved in technology and innovation management, emerging markets, international relations, and security studies.

This book includes the proceedings of the conference "Problems of the Geocosmos" held by the Earth Physics Department, St. Petersburg State University, Russia, every two years since 1996. Covering a broad range of topics in solid Earth physics and solar-terrestrial physics, as well as more applied subjects such as engineering geology and ecology, the book reviews the latest research in planetary geophysics, focusing on the interaction between the Earth's shells and the near-Earth space in a unified system. This book is divided into four sections: * Exploration and Environmental Geophysics (EG), which covers two broad areas of environmental and engineering geophysics - near-surface research and deep geoelectric studies; * Paleomagnetism and Rock Magnetism (P), which includes research on magnetostratigraphy, paleomagnetism applied to tectonics, environmental magnetism, and marine magnetic anomalies; * Seismology (S), which covers the theory of seismic wave propagation, Earth's structure from seismic data, global and regional seismicity and sources of earthquakes, and novel seismic instruments and data processing methods; and * Physics of Solar-Terrestrial Connections (STP), which includes magnetospheric phenomena, space weather, and the interrelationship between solar activity and climate.

Life support systems are an integral part of crewed spacecraft designs and habitation systems. This textbook introduces the LSS capabilities that sustain humans who live and work in space, and it is written at a level appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The book begins with the basics of space physiology before detailing the features that make up different kinds of life support systems. It includes concise descriptions of how atmospheric pressure is monitored, how oxygen levels are maintained, how waste management is achieved and how water is recycled, and also describes the processes of fire detection and suppression. Several chapters are devoted to chronicling the evolution of life support systems through the decades. Each chapter includes a list of learning objectives, summary sections and review questions. Additionally, various analogs for spaceflight life support systems are examined, including nuclear submarines and our natural life support system here on Earth! Overall, this book serves as an approachable primer for any student seeking to understand the intricacies of spacecraft life support systems.

Unofficially they called themselves the TFNG, or the Thirty-Five New Guys. Officially, they were NASA's Group 8 astronauts, selected in January 1978 to train for orbital missions aboard the Space Shuttle. Prior to this time only pilots or scientists trained as pilots had been assigned to fly on America's spacecraft, but with the advent of the innovative winged spacecraft the door was finally opened to non-pilots, including women and minorities. In all, 15 of those selected were categorised as Pilot Astronauts, while the other 20 would train under the new designation of Mission Specialist. Altogether, the Group 8 astronauts would be launched on a total of 103 space missions; some flying only once, while others flew into orbit as many as five times. Sadly, four of their number would perish in the Challenger tragedy in January 1986. In their latest collaborative effort, the authors bring to life the amazing story behind the selection of the first group of Space Shuttle astronauts, examining their varied backgrounds and many accomplishments in a fresh and accessible way through deep research and revealing interviews. Throughout its remarkable 30-year history as the workhorse of NASA's human spaceflight exploration, twice halted through tragedy, the Shuttle fleet performed with magnificence. So too did these 35 men and women, swept up in the dynamic thrust and ongoing development of America's Space Shuttle program. "This book on the Group 8 Astronauts, the TFNGs, is an excellent summation of the individuals first selected for the new Space Shuttle Program. It provides insight into what it took to first get the Space Shuttle flying. For any space enthusiast it is a must read." - Robert L. Crippen PLT on STS-1 "As a reader, I had many moments where long, lost memories of the triumph and tragedy of the space shuttle program were brilliantly reawakened at the turn of a page. Loved it! This is a must-have book for every space enthusiast's library." - TFNG Mission Specialist Astronaut Richard 'Mike' Mullane, author of Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut "Many of the anecdotes in the book brought back memories of challenges, opportunities, and a team of men and women who were committed not just to the space program, but to one another...I've gone back to it several times as a reference source." - TFNG Steve Hawley, 5-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut "The TFNG book is incredible and amazingly thorough! The detail in the book is awesome! It is my go-to book for any of the details I've forgotten." - TFNG Dr. Rhea Seddon, 3-time Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Astronaut. "I can't believe how detailed and complete it is!!! FANTASTIC work!!!" - TFNG Robert L."Hoot" Gibson, 5-time Space Shuttle Pilot & Commander and former Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office

Now is the time to fly to space! New technological developments, commercialisation of spaceflight and advances in space medicine have made human space travel more attainable than ever before. This entertaining but nevertheless authoritative book gives a practical introduction to space travel from a number of viewpoints: How spacecraft are built, how to steer and navigate them, instructions for a comfortable everyday life in space and a guide to remain healthy and strong in weightlessness. The Spacefarer's Handbook is full of advice, tips and anecdotes to prepare the reader for their own trip to space. At the same time, it does not lose the scientific perspective on spaceflight. The authors, a physicist and a space medicine specialist, explain the underlying concepts rigorously and include recent research findings. From the operating principles of rocket engines, via bone loss in weightlessness to the methane lakes of Titan, this book contains everything aspiring spacefarers need to know! It also serves as a very good resource, beyond general space enthusiasts, for science fiction readers & writers who are looking for a better foundation in space flight. "Highly recommended for everyone who wants to fly to space and all passengers of our mothership Earth!" Hans Schlegel, ESA Astronaut

Developed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, this teaching text has been widely known and used throughout the astrodynamics and aerospace engineering communities. Completely revised and updated, this second edition takes into account new developments of the past four decades, especially regarding information technology.

This volume of the series Springer Briefs in Space Life Sciences explains the physics and biology of radiation in space, defines various forms of cosmic radiation and their dosimetry, and presents a range of exposure scenarios. It also discusses the effects of radiation on human health and describes the molecular mechanisms of heavy charged particles' deleterious effects in the body. Lastly, it discusses countermeasures and addresses the vital question: Are we ready for launch? Written for researchers in the space life sciences and space biomedicine, and for master's students in biology, physics, and medicine, the book will also benefit all non-experts endeavouring to understand and enter space.

The European Standard EN 9100 is the industry-specific norm of the aerospace and defence industry. For cooperation with an aerospace company, certification according to this standard is usually mandatory for suppliers. This book provides support in understanding and implementing the standard or when switching from ISO 9001:2015 to EN 9100:2018. After an introduction to the ISO 9001, the emphasis is placed on the core characteristics of EN 9100 and EN 9120. The book focuses primarily on the explanation and translation of the standards' text into the language of everyday business. The structure of the book strictly follows that of EN 9100:2018. Numerous practical examples facilitate the understanding and implementation in your own company. Where appropriate, special characteristics of the distributor standard EN 9120 are also discussed. Finally, the author describes the certification process in great detail. This includes the preparation, the selection of a certification auditor and a certification body as well as the execution of the audit including process measurements, the handling of nonconformities and the issuing of the certificate. Due to the high degree of congruence between the standards of the EN 9100 series, this book is also suitable as a guideline for the EN 9110 for maintenance organisations and the EN 9120 for distributors. The target group This textbook is aimed at employees working in the quality department of suppliers in the aerospace industry.

This book provides a novel perspective on the concept of memetics as applied to the development and evolution of intelligent robots and robotic communities/cultures. It provides a framework for the emergence of a hybrid community of people and intelligent robots collaborating to realize mutual benefits and scientific objectives. It aims to show that as the hybrid community emerges, so does its culture. Once this foundational work is done, the book illustrates the robot memetic ideas in the context of a space exploration scenario based on the development and operation of a human/robot settlement on Mars.

This atlas is based on the lunar global Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of Chang'E-1 (CE-1), and presents CCD stereo image data with digital photogrammetry. The spatial resolution of the DEM in this atlas is 500m, with horizontal accuracy of 192m and vertical accuracy of 120m. Color-shaded relief maps with contour lines are used to show the lunar topographical characteristics. The topographical data gathered by CE-1 can provide fundamental information for the study of lunar topographical, morphological and geological structures, as well as for lunar evolution research.

This book presents lecture materials from the Third LOFAR Data School, transformed into a coherent and complete reference book describing the LOFAR design, along with descriptions of primary science cases, data processing techniques, and recipes for data handling. Together with hands-on exercises the chapters, based on the lecture notes, teach fundamentals and practical knowledge. LOFAR is a new and innovative radio telescope operating at low radio frequencies (10-250 MHz) and is the first of a new generation of radio interferometers that are leading the way to the ambitious Square Kilometre Array (SKA) to be built in the next decade. This unique reference guide serves as a primary information source for research groups around the world that seek to make the most of LOFAR data, as well as those who will push these topics forward to the next level with the design, construction, and realization of the SKA. This book will also be useful as supplementary reading material for any astrophysics overview or astrophysical techniques course, particularly those geared towards radio astronomy (and radio astronomy techniques).

Thirty years ago when Sir Richard Branson called up Boeing and asked if they had a spare 747, few would have predicted the brash entrepreneur would so radically transform the placid business of air travel. But today, Branson flies airlines on six continents, employs hundreds of jets and, in 2014, was predicting that his spaceship company - Virgin Galactic - would soon open the space frontier to commercial astronauts, payload specialists, scientists and space tourists. With more than 600 seats sold at $250,000 each, what started off as a dream to send people just for the excitement to look back and marvel at Earth, was on the cusp of finally being turned into a business. Then, on October 21, 2014, tragedy struck. SpaceShipTwo was on its most ambitious test flight to date. Seconds after firing its engine, Virgin Galactic's spaceship was breaking through the sound barrier. In just the three seconds that it took for the vehicle to climb from Mach 0.94 to Mach 1.02, co-pilot Mike Alsbury made what many close to the event believe was a fatal mistake that led to his death and the disintegration of SpaceShipTwo. Miraculously, the pilot, Peter Siebold, survived the 16-km fall back to Earth. Soon after the event Branson vowed to continue his space tourism venture in spite of this. Already a second SpaceShipTwo is being built, and ticket-holders eagerly await the day when Virgin Galactic offers quick, routine and affordable access to the edge of space. This book explains the hurdles Virgin Galactic had and still has to overcome en route to developing suborbital space travel as a profitable economic entity, and describes the missions that will be flown on board SpaceShipTwo Mk II, including high-altitude science studies, astronomy, life sciences, and microgravity physics.

The future evolution of the debris environment will be forecast on the basis of traffic models and possible hazard mitigation practices. The text shows how large trackable objects will have re-entry pinpointed and predictions made on related risk assessment for possible ground impact. Models will also be described for meteoroids which are also a prevailing risk.

This book presents a detailed, independent review of essentially all the technical aspects of "in situ resource utilization" (ISRU), offering the first in-depth discussion of the issues of crew size, ascent from Mars, and ISRU processes. It also provides data on lunar ISRU not previously available to the public. This new edition provides a short synopsis of the Mars mission, and discusses various topics, including solid oxide electrolysis, which promises to be an important part of the ISRU picture. In addition, it explores ancillary needs for Mars ISRU and how to obtain water on Mars. It is the go-to resource for professionals involved in planning space missions or working on ISRU processes, as well as students planning careers in space technology.

Ever since early stargazers discovered that some heavenly bodies wandered among the others, people have been fascinated by the planets. Kepler calculated their orbits from naked-eye observations; Galileo's telescope made it possible to discern their markings; now observations from spacecraft provide electronically enhanced images that bring these distant worlds even closer. In Worlds in the Sky, William Sheehan gives us a history of this long fascination, weaving together scientific history, anecdotes surrounding planetary discoveries, and the personal reflections of an incurable amateur astronomer. He describes how we arrived at our current understanding of the Moon and the planets and shows how certain individuals in history shaped the world's knowledge about the Solar System. The University of Arizona Press's Century Collection employs the latest in digital technology to make previously out-of-print books from our notable backlist available once again. Enriching historical and cultural experiences for readers, this collection offers these volumes unaltered from their original publication and in affordable digital or paperback formats.

In recent decades, great progress has been made in our understanding of zonal jets across many subjects - atmospheric science, oceanography, planetary science, geophysical fluid dynamics, plasma physics, magnetohydrodynamics, turbulence theory - but communication between researchers from different fields has been weak or non-existent. Even the terminology in different fields may be so disparate that researchers working on similar problems do not understand each other. This comprehensive, multidisciplinary volume will break cross-disciplinary barriers and aid the advancement of the subject. It presents a state-of-the-art summary of all relevant branches of the physics of zonal jets, from the leading experts. The phenomena and concepts are introduced at a level accessible to beginning graduate students and researchers from different fields. The book also includes a very extensive bibliography.

This book is the first to provide a comprehensive, readily understandable report on the European Space Agency's Gaia mission that will meet the needs of a general audience. It takes the reader on an exciting journey of discovery, explaining how such a scientific satellite is made, presenting the scientific results available from Gaia to date, and examining how the collected data will be used and their likely scientific consequences. The Gaia mission will provide a complete and high-precision map of the positions, distances, and motions of the stars in our galaxy. It will revolutionize our knowledge on the origin and evolution of the Milky Way, on the effects of mysterious dark matter, and on the birth and evolution of stars and extrasolar planets. The Gaia satellite was launched in December 2013 and has a foreseen operational lifetime of five to six years, culminating in a final stellar catalogue in the early 2020s. This book will appeal to all who have an interest in the mission and the profound impact that it will have on astronomy.

The Earth has limited resources while the resources in space are virtually unlimited. Further development of humanity will require going beyond our planet and exploring of extraterrestrial bodies and their resources. This book investigates Outer Solar Systems and their prospective energy and material resources. It presents past missions and future technologies and solutions to old problems that could become reality in our life time. The book therefore is a great resource of condensed information for specialists interested in current and impending Outer Solar Systems related activities and a good starting point for space researchers, inventors, technologists and potential investors.

This Festschrift dedicated to the 60th birth anniversary of Prof. Sandip K. Chakrabarti, a well-known Indian astrophysicist, presents a collection of contributions by about fifty scientists who work on diverse topics in contemporary astrophysics and space science including new and low-cost balloon borne experiments, planetary science, astrochemistry and the origin of life, ionospheric research and earthquake predictions, relativistic astrophysics around black holes, and finally, the observational signatures and radiative properties of compact objects. All the authors are well known scholars in their respective subject and are all PhD students of Prof. Sandip K. Chakrabarti. The book demonstrates a two-dimensional evolution of research areas triggered by Sandip Chakrabarti over the past few decades. The first dimension represents the evolution and diversification of Chakrabarti's own research in which new students were trained. A second dimension arises from the evolution of the research topics pursued by Chakrabarti's fifty odd doctoral students, many of whom have become renowned scientists in their own right, after starting with a certain subject under Chakrabarti and then migrating to completely new subjects with dexterity. The editors have compiled and edited the articles appropriately to some extent to suit the spirit of this Festschrift on the one hand and to keep balance in diverse topics on the other. Thus this volume also provides an overview for whosoever wishes to enter the important subjects of compact objects, astrochemistry, ionospheric science or space exploration in near space. New graduates, PhD scholars, teachers and researchers will benefit from this volume. Moreover it is a record of tremendous success of a school in a range of vast topics.

This book describes essential concepts of, and the status quo in, the field of ionospheric space weather. It explains why our society on planet Earth and moving outwards into space cannot work safely, function efficiently, or progress steadily without committed and comprehensive research initiatives addressing space weather. These initiatives must provide space environment specifications, warnings, and forecasts, all of which need to be timely, accurate and reliable. Cause and effect models of the Earth's ionosphere are discussed in terms of the spatial and temporal dimensions of background variability, storms, gradients, irregularities, and waves in both current and long-term research activities. Starting from dynamic processes on the Sun, in the interplanetary medium, and in the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere, the text focuses on the dominant features of the plasma medium under normal and extreme conditions over the European zone during the last few Solar Cycles. One of the book's most unique features is a series of fundamental examples that offer profound insights into ionospheric climate and weather. Various approaches for acquiring and disseminating the necessary data and forecasting analyses are discussed, and interesting analogies are observed between terrestrial and space weather - both of which could produce lasting social consequences, with not only academic but also concrete economic implications. The book's primary goal is to foster the development of ionospheric space weather products and services that are capable of satisfying the ever-growing demand for space-based technology, and are ready for the society of the not-so-distant future.