To date, more than 70 spacecraft have explored the planets from Mercury to Neptune. These missions have led to a quantum leap in developing concepts of the formation, history and evolution of Solar System bodies. Exploration of Terrestrial Planets from Spacecraft provides a definitive overview of the methods and instrumentation used by spacecraft for exploring the composition, structure and properties of the planets and planetary satellites.

This second edition has been completely revised, updated and expanded to cover recent developments in the field, including new results from the Magellan radar-mapping mission to Venus, Clementine data from the Moon, recent studies of Mars, and Galileo spacecraft observations of Jupiter’s satellites. A novel feature is the inclusion of a chapter dealing with the uses of penetrators for exploring Solar System bodies, and a summary of instrumentation for proposed missions to Mars.

The book is divided into two parts. In Part I, the author gives a brief account of the evolution of the Solar System from the earliest stages to the formation of the planets and the differentiation of their material. He then considers in detail the nature, composition and properties of Mercury, Venus, the Moon and Mars and a number of planetary satellites. In Part II, attention is focused on the methods and instrumentation which have been utilised in spacecraft studies of these bodies, including gamma-ray and X-ray spectrometry, neutronmetry, alpha-particle spectrometry and mass spectrometry.

Readership: undergraduate and postgraduate students and research scientists in astronomy, planetary science, physics and geophysics, geochemistry, geology and environmental science, and advanced amateur astronomers and geologists.

Yuri A. Surkov received his Doctorate in Physics and Mathematics from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow in 1970. He is Chief of the Laboratory of Planetary Exploration at the V.I. Vernadsky Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For the past 30 years he has been at the forefront of Solar System research, having designed and flown instruments on the Luna, Venera, Mars, Vega and Phobos spacecraft. He is Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council on Solar System Exploration of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and is a recipient of the prestigious Lenin and State Awards.

Solar power satellites are one option to meet future global energy needs. Their development as practical, commercial power plants has been considered for almost 30 years, and all serious studies have concluded it is technically feasible to gather solar energy in space and transmit the energy to Earth.

This book discusses the use of space power options based on wireless power transmission (WPT) to meet global energy demands, and reduce the current reliance on fossil and nuclear fuels. Such terrestrial energy sources are either finite, lead to unacceptable environmental impacts, or cannot meet the increasing global energy requirements.

The first book to be devoted specifically to solar power satellites, this new expanded edition has been completely revised and updated, drawing on the experience of contributors who are acknowledged leaders in their field. It provides a comprehensive review of the current state of the art in this important and rapidly developing field, and is intended to increase awareness of the potential global benefits of power from space.

The contributors describe the status of applicable technologies, health and safety considerations, economic and competitive issues, and the evolving international regulatory and legal regimes to enable the realization of the solar power satellite concept in Earth orbit, and on the Moon. They assess space and terrestrially-based systems using WPT that are compatible with the Earth’s ecology.

Readership: Professional scientists, engineers and managers in the space and aerospace industries, national space agencies and energy agencies. Postgraduate students and academics involved in research into energy systems, climatic change and wireless power transmission. Economists, politicians, policy makers and strategic planners. Energy resource developers, managers in the electricity generation and supply utilities, and planners in the coal, gas and oil industries. Environmental scientists and social scientists.

Peter E. Glaser, Vice-President (retired) was the senior member of the corporate professional staff responsible for Arthur D. Little, Inc.’s activities in aerospace for government agencies and industry in the USA and internationally. He invented, and was awarded the patent for, the solar power satellite. Frank P. Davidson directed the Macro-Engineering Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1970 until his retirement in 1996. He is Vice-Chancellor and a Director of the American Society for Macro-Engineering, and a member of the founding board of the International Association of Macro-Engineering Societies. Katinka I. Csigi is a consultant on projects for commercial and government clients on the economic and societal impacts of technical developments, specifically those associated with space activities.

Table of Contents:

Directory of contributors
Author biographies
Foreword
Introduction: Solar power satellites - a source of energy from space for use on Earth
Part 1: The solar power satellite concept
Part 2: Perceptions about energy for planet Earth civilization
Part 3: International SPS-related activities
Part 4: Earth-based and space-based infrastructure considerations
Part 5: SPS development
Index

The New Russian Space Programme tells how the Soviet Union became the world's first spacefaring nation. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the Soviet Union shook the world with its Sputnik, the first space shots to the moon, Mars and Venus, and topped these achievements by sending the first men and women into Earth orbit. However, political blunders and rivalry between designers cost the Soviet Union the moon race. Instead, from the early 1970s, the Soviet Union began to build the first manned orbital space stations, crowned by the greatest achievement of Earth orbital spaceflight, the Mir space station.

With the end of communism and the cold war, the Russian space programme has reorganized. Together with the United States, Russia will build the first international space station early in the new millennium. Although budges and programmes have been slimmed down, Russia remains a great space superpower and has the world's most advanced rocket engine technology. Russia may well dominate the development of the commercial space industry for the next decade and beyond.

Readership: An essential book for enthusiasts of space, astronomy and science, and those working in the American, British and European aerospace industries who need essential information on the Russian space programme, including the facts, the history and the concepts behind it.

Brian Harvey received his BA in History and Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin in 1975 and his MA in History at the University College, Dublin in 1987. He works as a research consultant in the areas of poverty, homelessness, social exclusion and European affairs, and is a writer and broadcaster on space exploration and related themes. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and a Gold Medal winner in the University Philosophical Society, Dublin. He is married to Judith Kiernan. They have a daughter, Valerie, and a son, Alistair.

Table of contents:

• Author's introduction
• Acknowledgements
• List of illustrations
  1. Beginnings
  2. The golden years of Soviet rocketry
  3. Moon race
  4. Behind the scenes
  5. The space fleet
  6. Moon, Mars and Venus
  7. Spaceplanes and space shuttles
  8. The first space stations
  9. Living in space
  10. Mir
  11. Cooperation: the International Space Station
• Endnotes
• Index

Metallurgical Assessment of Spacecraft Parts, Materials and Processes (2nd Edition)
by Barrie D. Dunn, Hard Cover, 1997,  736p., published Wiley -Praxis, $250, ISBN 0-471-96428-X , (16-page colour section incorporating 36 colour photographs

Metallurgical Assessment of Spacecraft Parts, Materials and Processes presents the sciences of metallurgy and metallography and demonstrates how they can be applied as an integral part of the spacecraft product assurance schemes, which involve quality, material and process evaluations and the selection of mechanical and component parts.

In this expanded successor edition, which has been completely revised and updated, engineering problems associated with critical spacecraft hardware and the space environment are highlighted by over 400 micrographs and fractographs. Space hardware captured in orbit by astronauts and returned from long duration applications in space are examined. In depth metallurgical analyses uncover shortcomings inherent in the materials, the design, or induced by incorrect processing parameters.

Detailed case studies, methods of evaluation and equipment are included. This material will be invaluable to those involved in the construction of advanced structures or mechanical and electronic sub-systems, as well as those concerned with maximizing the reliability of new materials and processes for space technology and space engineering.

Readership: Metallurgists, materials science specialists, quality assurance engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, corrosion scientists, mechanical engineers, and failure analysts working in the aerospace, electronics and space industries. This book will also serve as a useful reference work for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying in related subject areas at universities, and those participating in engineering or production technology courses at technical colleges, and undertaking skills training in welding, brazing and soldering.

Barrie D. Dunn gained his B.Tech. (Hons) in Metallurgy at Brunel University in 1969, going on to achieve his M.Phil. in Metallurgy and his Ph.D. in Materials Technology (again at Brunel) in 1984 and 1986, respectively. He joined ESA/ESTEC in 1969 as Head of the Metallurgy Group, moving to take up his present position as Head of Metallic Materials and Processes Section within the same organisation in 1988. He has supported all ESA space projects, particularly the telecommunications satellites and the manned Spacelab and Columbus Space Station element. He provides expertise on spacecraft assembly processes to INTELSAT, INMARSAT and national space organisations. He is a Visiting Lecturer in Space Engineering at the International space University in Strasbourg. Dr Dunn is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, a Member of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, a Member of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (USA), a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Chartered Engineer.

Table of Contents:

• Preface to the first edition
• Preface to the second edition
• Acknowledgements
• List of illustrations and tables
  1. Introduction
  2. Requirements for spacecraft materials
  3. The integration of metallurgy into product assurance schemes
  4. Metallography applied to spacecraft production
  5. Metallography applied to spacecraft test failures
  6. Failure analysis of electrical interconnections and recommended processes
  7. Whisker growths
  8. Assessment of post-flight materials
• References
• Appendices
• Glossary
• Index

For most people the Mir space station is synonymous with calamity - a fire, collision with an unmanned Progress M-34 supply vehicle, and countless life-threatening technical failures. 

Unfortunately that tends to eclipse the fact that the American and Russian space agencies successfully co-operated on this project for six years. NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts worked together to overcome mechanical and engineering breakdowns, cultural differences, political crises and mistrust to contribute significantly to scientific advancement. 

Here is the untold story of the Shuttle-Mir program. 

Challenges of Human Space Exploration describes, in detail and in the words of the astronauts who lived aboard Mir, the major scientific achievements of the program. Not the least, these include lessons learned about reducing risks and stress, and the implications for the forthcoming International Space Station. 

If you want to look beyond the headlines of the Shuttle-Mir missions this is the book for you. 

Table of contents:

• Foreword 
• Author's Preface 
• Acknowledgements 
• List of Illustrations 

1. Skylab sets the stage 
2. Americans and Russians on Mir 
3. Growing food in space 
4. A biorevolution through tissue engineering 
5. Space crystals fight against disease 
6. The lessons learned from Mir 
7. Science on an international space laboratory 

• Appendix 1: American long-duration missions on Mir 
• Appendix 2: Psychological support of the American astronauts on Mir 
• Appendix 3: Scientific investigations on Mir 
• Bibliography 
• Index 

The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization
by David Schrunk, Burton Sharpe, Bonnie Cooper and Madhu Thangavelu, 1999, 432p.,  published by Wiley-Praxis, Hard Cover, ISBN 0-471-97635-0 (148 illustration, 15 tables) , $140.00

In the past five years, there has been growing interest in the idea of an immediate return to the Moon, and its development as a platform for science, industrialization and exploration of our Solar System and beyond, This book describes the reasons why we should now return to lunar development and settlement, and how this goal may be accomplished.

In The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization, the authors consider the rationale and steps necessary for establishing permanent bases on the Moon. Their innovative and scientific-based analysis concludes that the Moon has sufficient resources for large-scale human development. Their case for development includes arguments for a solar-powered electric grid and railroad, creation of a utilities infrastructure, habitable facilities, scientific operations and the involvement of private enterprise with the public sector in the macroproject.

By transferring and adapting existing technologies to the lunar environment, it will be possible to use lunar resources and solar power to build a global lunar power-communication- transportation-manufacturing infrastructure. This will support the migration of increasing numbers of people from Earth, and realization of the Moon's scientific potential. As an inhabited world, the Moon will become a center for Solar System exploration, human settlement, and exploitation of the resources of near-Earth objects, The development on the Moon. of an 'off-Earth economy' will result in substantial benefits on our home planet.

Readership: Undergraduate and postgraduate students in astronautics, space science, life sciences, space engineering and technology. Professional space scientists, engineers and technologists in space projects, and those interested in the future human space program and exploitation of Solar System resources. Space enthusiasts with a particular interest in the future development and colonization of the Moon.

David Schrunk received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University and his M.D. at the University of Iowa. His experience includes periods at NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center, the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics and the University of Missouri. He is founder of the Science of laws Institute.
Burton Sharpe has 36 years' experience in aerospace-related management, systems engineering and flight operations in both government and private industry. He worked at NASA's Johnson Space Center during the Apollo Moon missions, then on the Viking Mars program, and trained NASA flight controllers.
Bonnie Cooper received her B.S. in Geology and her Ph.D. in Geosciences, both at the University of Texas. She has worked in the petroleum industry at the University of Texas, and at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Recently she was involved in the analysis of images of the Moon acquired by NASA's Clementine spacecraft.
Madhu Thangavelu conducts the Space Exploration Architectures Concept Synthesis Studio in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California. He is an Alumnus of the International Space University, and has published original concepts of space system architectures. He is Vice Chairman for Education Programs in the Los Angeles Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
List of illustrations and tables

Part 1: Lunar origins and physical features
Part 2: Science opportunities - engineering challenges
Part 3: Lunar resources
Part 4: Lunar logistics
Part 5: Mining and manufacturing
Part 6: Circumferential lunar utilities
Part 7: Governance of the Moon
Part 8: The mission to the South Pole
Part 9: Colonization of the Moon
Part 10: Exploration of space from the Moon
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography
Index

The Space Shuttle: Roles, Missions and Accomplishments
by David M. Harland, 1998, 560p., published by Wiley-Praxis, Hard Cover, $70, ISBN 0-471-98138-9 (approximately 116 line diagrams and black and white photographs)

The U.S. Space Shuttle, which entered service in 1981, is the most successful spacecraft ever developed. Although it was conceived as a reusable spacecraft to provide cheap access to low Earth orbit, and to supersede expendable launch vehicles, serving as the National Space Transportation System, it now coexists with a new range of commercial rockets.

In The Space Shuttle: Roles, Missions and Accomplishments, David Harland explains, for the first time, the scientific contribution that the Space Shuttle has made to the international space program. He focuses on the utility of the Space Shuttle instead of its development and, rather than employ a mission log format, each chapter is devoted to a specific type of operation, and the missions are discussed in this context.

The book begins with a review of the origins of the Space Shuttle, and summaries of ground facilities and early test flights. Succeeding chapters are devoted to satellite operations (including deployment and retrieval of commercial satellites, TDRS, tethered satellites and free flyers); the Great Observatories (including the Hubble Space Telescope); solar system probes deployed from the Shuttle cargo bay; Earth sciences missions; life sciences and microgravity research (including Spacelab and Spacehab); and Department of Defense missions.

The Challenger accident and its consequences are reviewed in detail, and there are chapters describing the Shuttle’s role in supporting the American presence on the Russian Mir Space Station, and in facilitating the assembly in orbit of the International Space Station. After discussing possible future developments, the book concludes with tables of mission statistics, crews and payloads, and a comprehensive Glossary and Bibliography. This book serves as a companion to the author’s The Mir Space Station: A Precursor to Space Colonization.

Readership: Undergraduate and postgraduate students in astronautics and space science, engineering and technology. Professional space scientists, aerospace engineers and technologists involved in space projects, and experiments in microgravity, physical and life sciences. Those interested in the political and commercial aspects of the space business, in space policy and space markets. Spaceflight enthusiasts with a particular interest in the space shuttle.

Table of contents:
Foreword
Author’s Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations and Tables

1. Origins
2. Shuttle Operations
3. Communications satellites
4. No Mission too Difficult
5. The Darker Side
6. Materials Processing
7. Facilities for Commercial Research
8. Biology
9. The Hubble Space Telescope
10. The Gamma Ray Observatory
11. Spacelabs and Free-Flyers
12. Forthcoming Attractions
13. Galileo’s Ordeal
14. Dante’s Inferno
15. Magellan’s Triumph
16. Home Planet
17. Unexpected Opportunity
18. An Island in the Sky
19. The Evolving
20. Role

The Chinese Space Programme:
From Conception to Future Capabilities
by Brian Harvey, 1998, 202p., published by Wiley-Praxis, Hard Cover, $60, ISBN 0-471-97588-5 ( Approximately 50 line diagrams and photographs)

The Chinese space program is one of the least well-known national programs of space exploration. Yet astronomy, rocketry and space exploration have a long tradition in China: the rocket was invented there and the Chinese space program was formally established in 1956, before the first Sputnik even orbited the Earth.

In The Chinese Space Programme: From Conception to Future Capabilities, Brian Harvey traces the origins and development of the Chinese space program. He records how the Chinese Communist leadership recruited scientists expelled from the United States to build a program to match those of the Americans and the Russians. He describes the political turmoil which then interrupted the development of the program - the great leap forward, the cultural revolution, political reorganization and diplomatic isolation. Not until 1970 did China launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong ("The East is Red").

The author outlines how China has since developed a space program comprising over 50 scientific probes, recoverable cabins, weather and communications satellites. China has built a family of launchers in the Long March series, constructed three launch sites and developed a formidable infrastructure of space facilities. Chinese launchers have made a modest impact on the world commercial launcher market. The author looks forward to Chinese plans to put cosmonauts in space and become the world's third great space power.

This is the first comprehensive account of the Chinese space program. Brian Harvey describes the history of the program, assesses its current capabilities and standards and outlines its plans for the future. Glossaries and key dates are provided as well as technical information on Chinese launchers and satellites.

Readership: Professional space scientists, aerospace engineers and technologists involved in space projects; those interested in the political and commercial aspects of the space business, policy, markets and operations; spaceflight enthusiasts; undergraduate and postgraduate students of modern Chinese politics, science and its military capabilities.

Brian Harvey has a BA in history and political science from Dublin University (Trinity College) and a MA from University College Dublin. He is author of The New Russian Space Programme: From Competition to Collaboration. He is a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society. Besides being a writer and broadcaster on space exploration, he works as a research consultant in the areas of poverty, community development, social exclusion and European affairs. He is married to Judith Kiernan. They have a daughter, Valerie and a son, Alistair.

Table of Contents:
Author's preface
Acknowledgements
List of illustrations, maps and tables

1. Origins: the fiery dragon (1000 - 1959)
2. Dong Fang Hong - the East is Red (1960 - 1971)
3. Expansion of the Chinese Space Programme (1972 - 1983)
4. Development of space programmes (1984 - 1998)
5. Making it all possible: China's space industry
6. Launch sites, launchers and engines
7.China's future in space

References
Principal milestones in the development of the Chinese space programme
List of all Chinese space launchings
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

The Mir Space Station: A Precursor to Space Colonization
by David M. Harland, Hard Cover, 1997, $70, 476p., published by Wiley-Praxis, ISBN 0 471 97587-7

The development and long-term operation of the Mir Space Station has unquestionably been one of the most significant contributions of the Russian space program. The experience of long-duration human spaceflight which has been gained from its continued operation for well over a decade is justifiably considered vital to future space station operations and human missions to the Moon and Mars. Recently, Mir has also served as a means of integrating the Russian and American space programs.

In The Mir Space Station, David Harland reviews the beginnings of the Russian space station program, and the highly successful flights of Salyuts 6 and 7, and presents an up-to-date, comprehensive, chronological review of the construction and operation of Mir from an engineering perspective. Mir is clearly seen to be an evolutionary outgrowth of the Salyut experience.

The author outlines the design and construction of Mir, providing detailed descriptions of its structure, environmental, power supply and maneuvering systems. The operation of the Mir complex is presented in detail, with a comprehensive chronological summary of activities to launch, dock, commission and adapt the various modules.

This is the first book to focus specifically on the development and operation of the Mir Space Station, concentrating on the technology involved and engineering aspects of the construction and utilization of a large orbital complex designed to be continuously occupied over a long period of time. As the International Space Station takes shape, this timely review of the Mir experience will be essential background reading.

Readership: Undergraduate and postgraduate students in astronautics and space science, engineering and technology. Professional space scientists, aerospace engineers and technologists involved in space projects, and those interested in the political and commercial aspects of the space business, in space policy and space markets. Spaceflight enthusiasts with a particular interest in space station operations.

David Harland gained a B.Sc. in Astronomy in 1977 and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of St Andrews in 1978 and 1981, respectively. He subsequently worked as Technical Director of a high technology company, and as Director of an engineering design research center. He later undertook a technological review of missile-based weapons systems as Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. His interest in the technology and engineering aspects of spaceflight spans more than 25 years.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Salyut
    Origins
    Initial engineering development
    Routine operations
    A step towards permanent occupancy

Part II: Mir
    A base block for modular construction
    An astrophysics laboratory
    A microgravity laboratory for hire
    Expansion or abandonment?
    Shuttle-Mir
    Fully booked

Part III: International Space Station
    Origins
    Competition
    Unification
    ISS

LIFE AT THE EXTREMES: The Science of Survival
by Frances Ashcroft, 2000, 348p., published by The University of California Press, Soft Cover $17.95 ISBN 0-520-23420-0

Excerpt from the Introduction: "This book describes the physiological
response of the body to extreme environments and explores the limits to human survival. It considers what happens when you find yourself locked in the freezer, trapped under the ice, or stranded in the desert without water; why an elite mountaineer can climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, yet if an aircraft depressurized at the same altitude its occupants would lose consciousness in seconds; why astronauts may find it difficult to stand without fainting on their return to Earth; why deep-sea divers suffer from bone disease; and other such puzzles. Solving these problems has presented many challenges for physiologists, both physical and intellectual."