About the Book
Beginning in the early days of the Space Age - well before the advent of manned spaceflight - the United States, followed soon by other nations, undertook an ambitious effort to study the planets of the solar system. The remarkable fruits of this research revolutionized the public's view of their celestial neighbors, capturing the imaginations of people from all backgrounds like nothing else save the Apollo lunar missions. From the first space probes to the most recent planetary rovers, they have continually delivered impressive discoveries and reshaped our understanding of the cosmos. Offering fascinating investigations into this crucial chapter in space history, this collection of specially commissioned essays from leading historians opens new vistas in our understanding of the development of planetary science.
Table of Contents:
PART I: MANAGING PLANETARY SCIENCE Homer Newell and the Origins of Planetary Science in the United States; J.D.Ruley The Survival Crisis of the U.S. Solar System Exploration Program; J.M.Logsdon Faster, Better, Cheaper: A Sociotechnical Perspective on Programmatic Choice, Success, and Failure in NASA's Solar System Exploration Program; A.P.Kaminski PART II: DEVELOPING NEW APPROACHES TO PLANETARY EXPLORATION Redefining Celestial Mechanics in the Space Age: Astronomy, Astrodynamics, Deep-Space Navigation, and the Pursuit of Accuracy; A.J.Butrica Big Science in Space: Viking, Cassini, and the Hubble Space Telescope; W.H.Lambright Visual Imagery in Solar System Exploration; P.J.Westwick Returning Scientific Data to Earth: The Parallel but Unequal Careers of Genesis and Stardust and the Problem of Sample Return to Earth; R.D.Launius PART III: EXPLORING THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS Planetary Science and the 'Discovery' of Global Warming; E.M.Conway Exploring Planet Earth: The Development of Satellite Remote Sensing for Earth Science; A.K.Johnston Venus-Earth-Mars: Comparative Climatology and the Search for Life in the Solar System; R.D.Launius Missions to Mars: Reimagining the Red Planet in the Age of Spaceflight; R.Markley PART IV: UNVEILING THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM Parachuting onto Another World: The EuropeAn Space Agency's Huygens Mission to Titan; A.Russo Pluto: The Problem Planet and its Scientists; D.A.DeVorkin Transcendence and Meaning in Solar System Exploration; W.E.Burrows
About the Author :
WILLIAM E. BURROWS New York University, USA ANDREW J. BUTRICA Independent Scholar ERIK M. CONWAY Jet Propulsion Laboratory DAVID A. DEVORKIN Smithsonian Institution, USA ANDREW K. JOHNSTON Smithsonian Institution, USA AMY PAIGE KAMINSKI NASA Headquarters, USA W. HENRY LAMBWRIGHT Syracuse University, USA JOHN M. LOGSDON George Washington University, USA ROBERT MARKLEY University of Illinois, USA JOHN D. RULEY Indepdent Scholar ARTURO RUSSO University of Palermo, Italy PETER J. WESTWICK The Huntington Library, USA
Review :
"Today, the scientific community is concerned about NASA's declining budget and the corresponding impact on the future of planetary exploration. In this context, Exploring the Solar System, edited by Launius (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum), is a very timely work. The book's 14 essays focus on the history of NASA and solar system exploration from the earliest days of the space agency. The volume fills a unique niche in the literature since the essays on the scientific motivation behind and accomplishments of missions like Voyager, Galileo, Magellan, and Cassini are accompanied by others on the organization and management of NASA during the development and launch of these and other missions. These latter essays discuss the tensions between scientists, administrators, and the politicians who were responsible for the NASA budget, revealing many of the important issues that surround past, current, and future solar system exploration. This combination of aerospace history and planetary science provides the entire picture of the full life cycle of these missions - not just their most successful moments. Part of the 'Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology' series." - Chris Palma, Senior Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University, USA "Fifty years after Mariner 2 flew past Venus, Exploring the Solar System, instrumented with some of the best scholars around, gives us a historical flyby of what has evolved since that first encounter. The book instantly claims standing in the canon." - Stephen J. Pyne, Regent's Professor in the School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, USA, and author of Voyager: Exploration, Space, and the Third Great Age of Discovery "For anyone who wants to understand how planetary exploration actually occurs, this book is essential reading. It adroitly explains the management, science, imagination, and public policy that have produced spectacular revelations about our planetary neighbors." - Howard McCurdy, Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University, USA "In Exploring the Solar System, Roger D. Launius brings together a fascinating collection of essays that explains our attempts to scientifically understand our planetary neighbors. As important, by examining the political, technological, and even cultural history of this quest during the post-World War II era, this book highlights the essential role played by space exploration in shaping our understanding of life back on Earth." - Neil M. Maher, Associate Professor of History, Federated History Department at NJIT - Rutgers University, Newark, USA
