Advertisement

© 2012

Robotic Exploration of the Solar System

Part 3: Wows and Woes, 1997-2003

  • The 3-volume series will provide comprehensive coverage with thousands of references to the professional literature that should make it the 'first port of call' for people seeking information on the topic

  • Emphasises the technology of space probes

  • Comprehensive coverage ranges from the earliest planetary probes to the most recent planetary flights and missions

  • Provides multilingual references (including Chinese, Russian, Czech, French, Italian)

  • Details many unflown and unfulfilled missions, which may still be proven and useful in the future

  • Describes the technical rivalry between the US and Soviet Union in the development of launchers

Book

Part of the Springer Praxis Books book series (PRAXIS)

Also part of the Space Exploration book sub series (SPACEE)

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages i-xiii
    PDF
  2. The last flagship
    Paolo Ulivi, David M. Harland
    Pages 1-194
  3. Faster, Cheaper, better Continues
    Paolo Ulivi, David M. Harland
    Pages 195-286
  4. Mars invaded
    Paolo Ulivi, David M. Harland
    Pages 287-467
  5. Back Matter
    Pages 469-529
    PDF

About this book

Introduction

In Robotic Exploration of the Solar System, Paolo Ulivi and David Harland provide a comprehensive account of the design and managment of deep-space missions, the spacecraft involved - some flown, others not - their instruments, and their scientific results.

This third volume in the series covers launches in the period 1997 to 2003 and features:

- a chapter entirely devoted to the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn;

- coverage of planetary missions of the period, including the Deep Space 1 mission and the Stardust and Hayabusa sample returns from comets and asteroids;

- extensive coverage of Mars exploration, the failed 1999 missions, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

The story will continue in Part 4.

Keywords

Cassini Mars Saturn Space Age space probes spacecraft unmanned

Authors and affiliations

  1. 1.Cernusco Sul NaviglioItaly
  2. 2.Space HistorianGlasgowUnited Kingdom

About the authors

Paolo Ulivi was born in Florence, Italy and graduated from the Politecnico di Milano University with a thesis on robotics for Mars sample return missions. He works as a consultant in aerospace structures in Toulouse, France. In his free time, he researches the history of astronautics, astronomy, aeronautics and the Cold War. He is also an amateur astronomer and specializes in Solar System observations.

David Harland studied astronomy to degree level, and pursued a career lecturing in computer science, and academic and industrial research. In 1995, David "retired" to resume his interest in spaec and started to write. He has over two dozen books published to date, a majority of them with Springer/Praxis and several others under contract. These days he considers himself to be an amateur hermit and a professional space historian.

Bibliographic information

Reviews

From the reviews:

Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2013

“Ulivi and Harland remedy this by providing rich, detailed overviews of Cassini, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, and a number of less-well-known missions, such as Stardust. … The book features many illustrations, including images from the missions themselves, diagrams of the trajectories followed, and schematics of the spacecraft. … The book is well-researched and documented and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the exploration of Earth’s solar system. … Summing Up: Essential. All space history collections.” (C. Palma, Choice, Vol. 50 (7), March, 2013)