Book Description
Lifting Titan's Veil is a revealing account of the second largest moon in our solar system. This world in orbit around Saturn is the only body in the solar system with an atmosphere strikingly similar to Earth's. Titan is like a giant frozen laboratory that may help scientists understand the first chemical steps towards the origin of life. Beginning with its discovery in 1655, the authors describe our current knowledge of Titan, including observations made before the space age, results from the Voyager missions of the 1980s, and recent revelations from the world's most advanced telescopes. In Lifting Titan's Veil, Ralph Lorenz includes his personal experiences in preparing for the Cassini mission, which will reach Saturn in 2004 and release the Huygens probe into Titan's atmosphere in 2005. A splendid introduction to Titan, this book will appeal to anyone interested in astronomical discovery and space exploration. Ralph Lorenz trained as an engineer and worked for the European Space Agency at the very beginning of the Huygens project. Since obtaining a PhD at the University of Kent, England, he has worked as a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, Tucson. His research interests focus on Titan, but also include climatology, radar, impact dynamics and spacecraft and instrumentation design. He has been involved in NASA's largest planetary mission (Cassini) and its smallest (the DS-2 Mars Microprobes). Jacqueline Mitton obtained a Ph.D in astrophysics from the University of Cambridge, and is now a full-time writer and media consultant specializing in astronomy. She has served as Press Officer for the Royal Astonomical Society since 1989, and was Editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association 1989-1993. She has written or co-authored sixteen published astronomy books, the most recent, The Cambridge Dictionary of Astronomy (2001).
Customer Reviews:
A Pale Orange Dot.......2004-06-06
Rare is the work that meets the high publication standards within a given scientific discipline while being simultaneously accessible to the public at large. In particular, and notwithstanding its cachet and increasing multidisciplinary approach, the field of planetary sciences often offers up works that are either overspecialized to the point of alienating all but a very select readership or those works appealing to a broad audience but derisively dismissed by experts as popularizing and superficial. Bridging the wide chasm separating these two extremes requires talented writing. LIFTING TITAN'S VEIL: EXPLORING THE GIANT MOON OF SATURN, by Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton, is a book that accomplishes this with a professionally credible, yet highly readable, account of mankind's attempts to unravel the mysteries of Saturn's largest moon. Lorenz and Mitton succeed in this collaboration due in no small part to their highly impressive credentials. The former is one of today's most prolific planetary scientists, especially regarding the study of Titan, and also a participant in the current Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. The latter, with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, is a renowned science writer credited with authorship or co-authorship of sixteen astronomy-related works.
Answering, in the most basic way, the "why" question that often accompanies any discussion of planetary exploration, the authors write, "More than anything else, planetary exploration gives us a sense of perspective, a notion of who we are, where we came from and what our destiny might be. We can learn from all worlds. Each planet and moon in the solar system has its own unique history. Each is an experiment with a different set of conditions..." More specifically, they note that Titan, with its orange-tinted, nitrogen-rich 1.5 bar atmosphere containing traces of hydrocarbons and other organics, might represent an analogue, albeit a cyrogenic one, of the prebiotic atmosphere surrounding early Earth. Considering that mankind has yet to demonstrate time travel, studying Titan may be the only way (outside of modelling and laboratory experiments, both of which have obvious limitations) to explore this critical phase in Earth's history. It goes without saying that studying Titan, especially in situ, is exploration at the cutting edge.
Coming at an especially propitious moment, the book provides a comprehensive synthesis of the body of Titan-related science, which is placed into historical context. Starting with the moon's discovery in 1655 by Christiaan Huygens, the Dutch astronomer, LIFTING TITAN'S VEIL spans a time frame of three and a half centuries of astronomical observations leading up to the modern era of spacecraft reconnaissance and exploration. The book is organized topically, with a distinct narrative style (e.g., the unique "Ralph's Log" feature), and runs the gamut from astronomy to meterology to geology to speculation about future Titan exploration. I highly recommend LIFTING TITAN'S VEIL to all readers. Anyone interested in Titan, this "pale orange dot," will, I think, find something of worth in this work. Indeed, I personally feel that Chapter 3, "Titan's puzzling atmosphere," is alone worth the price of the book.
interesting scientific work.......2003-11-01
This book is fun for whoever loves science.Its an example of applying science to data gathered from earth telescopes and space probes,mainly through the eyes of Hubble and Voyager. Attempts at explaining theoretical models behind possible chemical and physical processes at work on this moon are made.It would be interesting to compare the current thinking with what Cassini will actually reveal in a years time!
Very good book on what we know now........2003-02-04
The authors do a good job in this book and it is a good read. What is interesting is how much we do not know about this amazing satellite. We have no idea about what the surface is like. In less than 5 years the Cassini mission w/ the Huygens lander will make this book obsolete. You have to wonder why this book was written so close to Cassini's arrival. Until then this book should be standard text in any amatuer astronomers library. The authors give too much credit to Carl Sagan and not enough to the real scientists who have contributed to our limited knowledge on the subject. Besides that this book almost gets my highest rating.
Titan And The Pursuit Of Science.......2002-12-31
This is an exciting time for planetary exploration, when after the solar system has been reconnoitered by spacecraft (except Pluto) and now spacecraft are being sent to specific planets and moons, etc., for closer examination. LIFTING TITAN'S VEIL covers the Cassini mission to Saturn and it's large moon Titan, known to possess a thick atmosphere and perhaps a hydrocarbon ocean, due to insert itself into Saturnian orbit in July, 2004, the attached Huygens probe should enter Titan's atmosphere January, 2005.
The authors include a lot of science in this volume, including background information concerning moons and planets across the solar system. Most of this book covers Titan of course, what we know about it and how we came about that knowledge, from early times to the present. Titan's atmosphere and surface and sub-surface conditions recieve the most attention, with the chemistry of the atmosphere discussed at length. Also, the authors debate the possibility of an ethane/methane ocean existing on Titan as the surface temperature, according to available evidence, is close to the triple point of methane. All of this science can of course, as the authors point out, shed light on the formation and evolution of the solar system and in turn give us clues to our own origins in the misty past. As a chemist I especially enjoyed the information on the chemistry of Titan, and the space-buff in me enjoyed all of it. In addition, the Cassini spacecraft is detailed, and there are lots of illustrations, many in color.
On a personal note, I remember being at the space center as a visitor just a few days before the launch of Cassini, in October, 1997, and thinking that here is this spacecraft sitting out there on the pad just a few hundred yards from the Atlantic beach, I wondered then, will Huygens, at the end of it's journey, find another beach? Space travel is cool!
Excellent!.......2002-06-28
In "Lifting Titan's Veil", Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton have written a lucid account of what we know about Titan, and how the Huygens probe which will parachute down to its surface in 2005 is designed to tell us more. As a research scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory whose doctoral thesis was on the topic, Ralph is well placed to sift through the various competing theories. In fact, he designed the probe's spear-like penetrometer which - if all goes to plan - will be the first human artefact to come into contact with this intriguing moon's surface. As an avid reader on the topic, I thoroughly recommend this book.
Average customer rating:
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Jupiter (Exploring the Solar System)
Giles Sparrow
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 1575723956 |
Book Description
In this illuminating activity book, kids delve into the rich history of space exploration, where telescopes, satellites, probes, landers, and human missions lead to amazing discoveries. Tracking astronomers' recent progress—including the discovery of 2003 UB313, what some are calling the tenth planet in the solar system—kids explore the planets and other celestial bodies for themselves through activities such as "walking" from the sun to Pluto or creating their own reentry vehicle to safely return an egg to Earth's surface. With biographies of more than 20 space pioneers, specific mission details, a 20-page field guide to the solar system, and plenty of suggestions for further research, this is the ultimate guidebook to exploring the solar system.
Customer Reviews:
Solar System Book-Space Info.......2006-08-19
I bought this for my 6 yr. daughter. She's very interested in Space. It's a good quality book (no cheap paper). It has a lot of information from the past. First attempt into space they sent a dog. My daughter is very smart and understands what she is reading (or what I help her read). I would say it's more for 8 yrs and up (but perfect for a younger mature child). It has original pictures (not cartoon drawings) and is very educational for the whole family (if you are interested in learning about space). I recommend it for your collection.
An awesome choice for our star-crazy young ones!.......2006-04-01
In true Mary Kay Carson fashion, Exploring the Solar System : A History with 22 Activities isn't dumbed down even the slightest. Carson respects children and seems to grasp well what they can be expected to understand - which is often more than what they are credited with. As a result, her text is thorough and frank and can easily be read to would-be astronauts as young as 4 or 5 years. And the illustrative photos are stunning, the perfect foil for the text in capturing the imagination. From interviews with well-regarded scientists (including explanations of how they themselves became interested in studying space) to easy-to-execute activities to a very thorough timeline of space exploration, Carson has once again thought of everything for engaging our own little scientists. I simply cannot recommend this book enough.
Average customer rating:
- Facsinating!
- A fascinating introduction to the Solar System
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Exploring the Planets (2nd Edition)
Eric H. Christiansen , and
Kenneth W. Hamblin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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Understanding Earth
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The New Solar System
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Earth's Dynamic Systems, 10th Edition
ASIN: 0023224215 |
Customer Reviews:
Facsinating!.......2002-04-22
Very well written. I used this book for a class from one of the authors of the book. He does a really good job with up-to-date info in the book. Very well-written. Keeps you wanting to read more. It could definitely be enhanced if it had color pictures, though.
A fascinating introduction to the Solar System.......1998-02-28
Dr. Christiansen is my professor for my Astrogeology class. This book is wonderful, the photos are awesome and more than that, it really is interesting. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the planets. It's worth the price.
Book Description
Five billion years ago, a starship passing through our region of space would not have slowed down for a second look. There was nothing to see. No Earth, no sun, no solar system. Nothing but a huge tenuous cloud of gas.
Now, as the result of billions of years of evolution, and centuries of scientific research, we can chart our way through the solar system . . . with Sally Ride as our navigator. Starting from the sun and working outward, Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy take readers on a tour of the nine planets and explain the formation, current conditions, and possibility of life on each.
Filled with crisp, full-color photographs and lucid prose, this comprehensive volume untangles the complexities of space and allows readers to feel like masters of the universe.
Customer Reviews:
Review from FirstScience Online Newsletter.......2005-09-01
"Five billion years ago, a starship passing through our region of space would not have slowed down for a second look. There was nothing to see. No Earth, no sun, no solar system. Nothing but a huge tenuous cloud of gas.
Now, as the result of billions of years of evolution, and centuries of scientific research, we can chart our way through the solar system . . . with Sally Ride as our navigator. Starting from the sun and working outward, Sally Ride and Tam O'Shaughnessy take readers on a tour of the nine planets (Editors Note - Now it's 10 they will need a new edition!!) and explain the formation, current conditions, and possibility of life on each.
Filled with crisp, full-colour photographs and lucid prose, this comprehensive volume untangles the complexities of space and allows readers to feel like masters of the universe."
With over a hundred color photos and diagrams.......2003-12-14
Exploring Our Solar System is a definitive guide to space will particularly interest readers ages 10 and older with its survey of the planets by former astronaut Sally Ride, who begins with the Sun and moves outward. Over a hundred color photos and diagrams lends to classroom assignment and research use.
This Book Rocks My Solar System!.......2003-11-16
This is an outstanding book! My mother bought it for my younger sister but I borrowed it to help me research a report for my 10th grade science class. It is extremely clear and well written, and the pictures are cool! My science teacher liked it so much that she bought a copy for our classroom. I highly recommend Sally Ride's book for kids (and teachers) of any age.
Spectacular View of Our Solar System!.......2003-11-14
Wow! This book offers a fabulous introduction to the solar system and our place in it. It is more than the usual description of the sun and 9 planets -- it describes how the solar system was formed, how the planets came to be so different, and why the Earth is unique. And the pictures are spectacular!
Book Description
For the first time, in one volume, Ben Evans with David Harland will not only tell the story of the hugely successful Voyager missions, but also that of the men and women who have devoted their entire working lives to them. Illustrated with stunning images, some in color, they describe the missions from their conception, through their spectacular encounters with the outer planets and on to their ultimate and, as yet, unknown destination among the stars in the so-called Voyager Interstellar Mission
Customer Reviews:
Voyager...and much more!.......2007-01-09
The book is an excellent overview of the Voyager missions sent to explore the largest planets of our solar system: Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus. The book gives a complete account of the spacecrafts' respective journeys and their discoveries but most important the author also brings up-to-date information that has been gathered since the Voyagers executed their fly-bys of those distant moons (information gathered via ground-based telescopes, Hubble and other spacecraft like Galileo). Although the Cassini spacecraft now orbiting planet Saturn will certainly add more information about the planet and its moons than the book contains, this work will remain as a true reference for a long time.
The books is solid account of what we know of our solar system.
A Good Introduction to the Spectacular Missions of the Voyager Space Probes to the Outer Solar System.......2006-12-28
In the last decade Springer-Praxis has published a significant number of new titles on the history of space exploration. Some are better than others, of course, and unfortunately this is not one of the more notable entries in the series. Written for the non-specialist, "NASA's Voyager Missions" offers a general introduction to what turned out to be a stunning "grand tour" of the outer gas giants of the solar system in the latter 1970s and 1980s. The basics of the story are present including the mission's origins in the 1960s, its launch in 1977, encounters with the outer planets, and the scientific windfall that resulted from the mission. This work also discusses the individuals who devoted their entire working lives to them, from the planetary work of the 1970s and 1980s to the recent Voyager Interstellar Mission.
These missions, launched from Kennedy Space Center in 1977 were intended only to image Jupiter and Saturn as they flew by, essentially a windshield tour. As the mission progressed, with the successful achievement of all its early objectives, additional flybys of the two outermost giant planets, Uranus and Neptune, proved possible--and irresistible--to mission scientists. Eventually, between them, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 explored all the giant outer planets, 48 of their moons, and the unique systems of rings and magnetic fields those planets possess. The two Voyagers took well over 100,000 images of the outer planets, rings, and satellites, as well as millions of magnetic, chemical spectra, and radiation measurements. Without question, they returned information to Earth that revolutionized the science of planetary astronomy.
This work is suited for introductory history and science classes, but it is too unsophisticated for the serious student. It leaves unanswered a myriad of questions, and fails to explore issues of interest to historians. Unfortunately, the full history of this mission still awaits its historian. There are some other good works on the subject but those also fail to tell the story fully. Among those other books are Henry C. Dethloff and Ronald A. Schorn, "Voyager's Grand Tour: To the Outer Planets and Beyond" (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003); Robert S. Kraemer, "Beyond the Moon: Golden Age of Planetary Exploration 1971-1978" (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001); and David W. Swift, "Voyager Tales: Personal Views of the Grand Tour" (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1997). These other works should be read along with "NASA's Voyager Missions" to gain a more rounded portrait of the Voyagers missions and their accomplishments.
Evans & Harland Highly Recommended.......2005-07-01
The Voyager 1 & 2 missions launched in 1977 revolutionised our knowledge of the outer solar system. This book summarises the missions, how they were planned and executed, what when wrong and what worked better than expected.
Most of all it explains what we learnt about the planets that we never knew before. Except for Galileo's recent sojourn at Jupiter, and Cassini's introduction to Saturn, the Voyagers have provided practically all our knowledge of the giant planets of the outer Solar System and their moons. What the Voyagers provided just cannot be measured from Earth based telescopes, even telescopes like the HST in Earth orbit. There is just no substitute for getting in close with an array of instruments.
The book starts with a bit of history about mankind's discovery of the nature of the solar system with a specially good section on the discovery of the new planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The historical encounters of John Adams (who was one of two who predicted the position of the as yet undiscovered Neptune) with George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, who couldn't be bothered looking, were particularly of interest.
The exploration program was initially planned as a 'Grand Tour' with two launches to Jupiter, Saturn then Pluto followed by two launches to Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. However funding these missions was competing with the development of the Space Shuttle, and the inevitable happened, budget cuts. Even with the reduction in funds, the opportunity could still not be missed, as the optimal alignment of the planets for taking advantage of such a progressive gravitational slingshot would not reoccur until the twenty second century, the 'chance of three lifetimes' for sure. A reduced budget mission was eventually given approval.
Of surprise to this reader was that the final Voyager missions (the name was not chosen until shortly before launch) were initially planned as Jupiter plus Saturn missions only, due of course to funding restrictions. The final configuration of the space craft was very different from those of the earlier 'Grand Tour' plans which had included the drop off of a probe into the atmosphere of Jupiter, finally executed by Galileo decades later. The final Voyagers were closely related to the successful Mariner series.
While some interesting background detail is provided on the spacecraft themselves, their power, computer and instrumentation systems, and the intensity of the mission planning debates at the time of each encounter, the planets of course are the stars of the book. Evans & Harland spend over 50 pages discussing the discoveries at Jupiter, 40 pages on Saturn and its rings, and almost 30 pages each on Uranus and Neptune and their unusual collection of moons.
With Jupiter, both the Voyager's discoveries and the more recent additions to our knowledge from Galileo are covered. Cassini of course is in the process of re-writing the history of our knowledge of Saturn and its environs. But don't let that disturb you. Cassini will take at least four years to make its discoveries, and this book is such a thoroughly good read, you should read it now. Highly recommended.
Higly recommended!.......2004-09-12
This book, as was to be expected from a volume in the excellent Springer-Praxis series in astronomy and space sciences, is absolute quality. Although I haven't read its American `competitor' Voyager's Grand Tour by Henry C. Dethloff, I cannot believe that it could be done better than this. Especially if you're interested in the scientific aspects (planetary science, that is) of the Voyager missions, you won't be disappointed. It's all very well covered, extensively, with lots of interesting details and totally up-to-date (Galileo results are included in the discussions and there's a preview of the Cassini and JIMO (to Jupiter's moons) missions). The author may not be a planetary scientist himself, he is definitely an excellent science writer, offering an approach that's technical and detailed (and `problem-conscious') enough to satisfy even professional astronomers while he's writing in such a way so as to convey the sheer excitement of solar system exploration in every sentence. Very readable also, nowhere dry or dull.
The book is more heavily focused on the scientific results of the voyager missions than it is on the technical, engineering parts of it, but that is really not a problem. Most of the on-board instrumentation of the Voyager probes is explained well enough. The book has a lot of stunning black-and-white photographs and many illustrations and diagrams, and it even features a middle section with 13 colour plates. There's a bibliography and also a huge list of useful internet resources. All in all a great book. Very, very much recommended! Don't let yourself be scared off by its considerable price. It's worth every penny.
Book Description
If you have ever asked yourself What did the astronauts do on the lunar surface? What did they say while they were there? What did they photograph? How did their discoveries alter our understanding of lunar geology? Will we ever go back to the moon? If so,
Exploring the Moon is the book for you. This unique insight into the three Apollo missions (15, 16 and 17) answers all these questions and much more. Using the actual transcripts of what the astronauts said to each other whilst carrying out their duties, and numerous photographs taken at each step of the exploration, this book provides a graphic illustration of what can arguably be described as Mankinds greatest feat of exploration.
Customer Reviews:
A Detailed Account of what the Astronauts Did on the Moon.......2006-02-01
In the last decade no one has been more productive than British writer David M. Harland at turning out histories of spaceflight written for a popular audience. All have similar features, a mastery of the secondary literature, especially that available through the NASA History Series, a digestion of a wealth of scientific and technical information, and an engaging writing style that focuses on narrative rather than analysis. "Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions" is very much in sync with Harland's earlier works and serves as a useful introduction to the subject. Not a scholarly work--there are no footnotes--but it does have an extensive bibliography. His emphasis in this book is on the work of the six crews of astronauts that landed on the Moon, although there is an opening chapter on the robotic precursors and concluding chapters on Apollo in context and exploration of the Moon in the 1990s.
The heart of this book are the six chapters dealing with the lunar surface activities of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Harland expends the majority of the books space on the last three of this, and appropriately so because they represented the most significant scientific return of the program. NASA took a building block approach to exploration, something that seems obviously rational now but was not so well accepted at the time, with time on the surface and complexity of the mission advancing with every flight. The last three missions, of course, were extraordinary in collecting superb scientific data about the Moon, its origins, and the evolution of the solar system. Collectively, experiments carried out as a result of Apollo yielded more than 10,000 scientific papers and a major reinterpretation of the origins and evolution of the Moon.
"Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions" is a solid discussion, if uninspired history of lunar surface activity. Readers should read it in conjunction with two other major sources. The first is NASA's official history of the Apollo lunar surface activities entitled "Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions," by W. David Compton (Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration SP-4214, 1989). Is conveniently available on-line for those who do not need a physical copy at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4214/cover.html. Second, anyone who hopes to understand these missions must read the "Apollo Lunar Surface Journal," the brainchild of Eric Jones. Jones has placed on-line more detailed information about the astronauts on the lunar surface than anyone previously. This is available for all to review at http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/.
A MUST FOR THOSE INTO SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION.......2000-12-29
David Harland's book is one of the finest I have ever seen on the Apollo program or on Solar System exploration in general. Getting beyond the techincal aspects of spaceflight, the spacecraft or the astronauts' personalities which have been done by other authors, this book brings out the excitement of exploration and the discovery of the unknown that the Apollo astronauts participated in. Many people have been exposed to a taste of this in the episode about Apollo 15 in Tom Hanks' excellent television series "From the Earth to the Moon" which showed how, under excellent teachers, the astronauts, coming from a background of engineering and aeronautics, became true scientists and explorers.
It is true that a lot of geological concepts are thrown at the reader from the beginning and those (like myself) who have no previous background in geology might be intimidated but I find that a careful reading of the excellent glossary contained in the book should give enough background to make the science generally accessible. Harland makes clear why the various landing sites were chosen and what the geological issues were that were to be investigated. Traverse maps showing the various geological features to be explored are included for each mission. The many photographs presented illustrate the main discoveries and their significance. Of special note are the panoramas personally assembled by Harland (which are also available on the internet's Apollo Lunar Surface Journal) which give a stunning view of the Lunar environment as the astronauts saw it.
Finally, I strongly urge someone who finds himself becoming more interested in the subject of Lunar geology to also read Don Wilhelm's "To a Rocky Moon" which presents the historical development of our ideas about the Moon up through the famous Kona Conference in 1984 which determined that the Moon was probably created due to a giant body impacting with the fledgling Earth and also Paul Spudis' "The Once and Future Moon" which gives a summary of our state of knowledge up to the mid-1990's and directions for future exploration.
Apollo - telling it like it was.......2000-09-29
At last,a book about the Apollo missions that does not dwell on Buzz's drinking, one-small-steps or the "unfolding human near-tragedy" that was Apollo 13. These are all great topics but they have been done to death. What Harland has done is chronicle the real reason - well, it later became the real reason - that Nasa went to the Moon. Once the euphoria ofbeating the Russians had worn off, six missions were sent to explore the surface of another planet. One failed, but the 10 men who followed in Aldrin's and Armstrong's footsteps managed to revolutionise our knowledge about the big white disc in the sky. Most of what they did was geology - so there are plenty of rocks here. If you don't know your pyroxenes from your olivines you might struggle a bit, but there is a helpful glossary. You are struck by just how damn hard these men worked in the precious hours and days they had on the lunar surface. there is human drama in this book, but it is in the imagined sweat and tears that must have been exuded to get these results. Finally, you are left reeling by the tragedy of "what might have been". Apollos 18-thru-20 were cancelled, and the Saturn 5s that were to carry further lunar missions now sit rusting in a Nasa carpark. As Harland points out, "they got bored with exploring another planet".
If you are interested in the Moon, or simply in why humanity goes into space, read this book.
A steep learning curve for most, but worth it........2000-09-23
A great book for anyone who has a tenacious desire to go beyond their initial romance with a trip to the moon and learn what the "missions" were really all about. It was a tough read though - at least in the beginning. I found that I had to study the glossary for a day or two before I was qualified to understand the complex geological prose that Harland launches into right from page 1. But by the time I finished Apollo 15, I felt like I was an expert at planetary geology and couldn't wait to "explore" more with Apollos 16 and 17!
Overall a really terrific book, but nevertheless, I agree with some other reader's criticisms:
1. The basic geological terms and principles should have been explained to laymen throughout the first half of the book. So much of the wonder and excitement of the adventure is dependent on a thorough understanding of what the scientists were searching for. Patient readers (like me) will wade through and learn "the hard way" (checking the glossary often) but Harland could have made the book a smoother ride with a little more "teaching."
2. The pictures could definitely be better. In particular, every mission should have a detailed traverse map up front with all craters and landmarks noted that are mentioned in the text. I found that I had to supplement the book with charts and photos from the internet in order to properly follow along.
That's it! I've learned a tremendous amount and am grateful to the author for making me into more of an expert on a subject that I have always loved.
Good, But Not Great.......2000-09-08
Despite a few misgivings I have about the book, it is worth reading if you want to understand current thinking in lunar geology. However, it has some weak points and it's not for the faint of heart.
The author throws around far too many hard-to-understand geology phrases. So much so, you might think he's chatting with the "boys at the lab." I've been reading up on lunar geology for years, but found I needed to keep my geology dictionary nearby just follow along.
Although well illustrated, most of the pictures are tiny and hard to see, and have a pixelated apperance as if he scanned them or copied from the Internet. You will be disappointed in them.
The last fault is the writing style. While it is informative, it is not very lively or easy going. It is slightly dry and you will have to concentrate on getting through it.
If you are an Apollo or Moon fan you will probably be glad you got it. But as I said in the title -- it's good but not great.
Book Description
An amazing journey throughout the universe in a search for other planets and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
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- Blowin' Up Around the Solar System
- A superb book about the volcanoes of our solar system
- Great Volcanoe Book
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Volcanic Worlds: Exploring The Solar System's Volcanoes (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)
Rosaly M.C. Lopes , and
Tracy K.P. Gregg
Manufacturer: Springer
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Europa The Ocean Moon: Search For An Alien Biosphere (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)
ASIN: 3540004319 |
Book Description
Written by active research scientists who study the volcanism of Earth and of other planets, the contributions provide the first general review of volcanic activity throughout the Solar System. Successive chapters describe past and present volcanic activity as it is observed throughout the Solar System. These chapters relate to readers not only our present knowledge of volcanism throughout the Solar System but also how frontline scientists working in this field conduct their research.
Customer Reviews:
Blowin' Up Around the Solar System.......2006-01-14
Despite being presented for the community of professional astronomers, this book is fascinating and essential for anyone interested in geologic phenomena around our solar system. Thanks to recent discoveries by the various spacecrafts that have been sent to the furthest reaches of the solar system, plus steadily improving earthbound observations, we can see that volcanoes are very common on other worlds and also offer a great amount of variety in their structures and behaviors. This book is composed of chapters written by various planetary geologists, starting out with volcanoes right here on Earth, in order to establish basic knowledge on volcanic processes. We then learn about the volcanoes of Venus and Mars, plus several of the solid moons of the giant outer planets. Most interesting are two of Jupiter's moons, the hot-headed sulfur-spitting Io, and the watery and possibly life-supporting Europa. For the interested layperson, note that there are some readability issues with this book. It was written by scientists for scientists, so the prose is not exactly compelling, and a glossary (or at least better explanations of the many obscure scientific terms and jargon) sure would be helpful. Meanwhile, there is a vague feminist slant to this book because all of the chapters were submitted by women scientists, but fortunately this only applies to some of the introductions, and in any case this concept can be dismissed as inconsequential. That's because anyone is capable of teaching us about these fascinating aspects of nearby worlds. [~doomsdayer520~]
A superb book about the volcanoes of our solar system.......2005-03-16
Can ladies do science?
Of course.
As Sally Ride says in the Foreword, this is the first edited book on planetary geology written solely by women. Let's hear it for Rosaly Lopes, Tracy Gregg, Katherine Cashman, Ellen Stofan, Lisa Gaddis, Susan Sakimoto, Joy Crisp, Louise Prockter, Mary Chapman, Gudrun Larsen, and Susan Kieffer! These ladies were the logical authorities to be chosen to write their respective chapters. And they did a great job.
Cashman leads off with a discussion of hot spot volcanism and subduction zone volcanism. The part on hot spots deals mostly with volcanoes in Hawaii, but the Laki volcano in Iceland is chosen as the most dramatic example of "the deleterious effects of volcanic gases." The section on subduction zone volcanism includes topics such as silicic lava flows and lava domes as well as caldera collapse. And there's plenty about the hazards associated with such volcanism, including a speculation that the eruption of Toba, Sumatra (74,000 years ago) may have reduced the human population to less than 100,000 back then.
Gregg talks about the exploration of volcanoes hidden at the sea floor on mid-ocean ridges. This includes some discussion of hydrothermal venting there, which can raise the ocean water temperature near a vent to over 400 degrees Celsius. And, of course, it is mentioned that there is speculation about similar volcanism (and even life) on the Jovian moon Europa.
What about "Earth's evil twin," as Stofan appropriately calls Venus? Thousands of volcanoes have been identified on Venus. We learn about lava flows there as well as long sinuous channels. Some of the lava flows there are much longer than were predicted. Hopefully, we'll learn from them how to better predict how far lava flows will travel on our own planet!
Gaddis tells us about lunar volcanoes. She shows a picture of a sinuous rille on the Moon. A few decades ago, some people speculated that such rilles were produced by water, but Gaddis explains that they are now known to have been carved by lava. And she says that volcanoes on the Moon range from about 4.3 billion years old (since the formation of the lunar crust) to 3 billion years old. There hasn't been any volcanic activity on the moon in the past billion years or so.
Sakamoto and Crisp then have sections on Martian volcanoes. Besides an overview, we get a detailed discussion of what Mars Pathfinder discovered from the Martian surface.
Lopes (who is almost literally the girl from Ipanema) has a fascinating section on the Io volcanoes observed by the Voyager and Galileo missions. She is now working on the Cassini Mission, where she is getting a chance to investigate calderas and cryovolcanism on Titan. I think we'll need a new edition to tell us about this!
Procter's section is on ice volcanism. She shows us evidence of cryoclastic eruptions on Europa and on other moons of major planets. The most interesting part is the discussion of the "cantaloupe terrain" of Triton.
Well, what do volcanoes produce? Um, ash! And Chapman and Larsen tell us plenty about it. Larsen is an expert in tephrachronology, and she knows all about the varied ages and types of ash deposits in Iceland. This detailed knowledge is used by the authors to draw conclusions about volcanic deposits on Mars (Chapman's specialty).
The book concludes with a chapter by Kieffer. She begins with the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. She contrasts these geyser eruptions with volcanic plumes on Mars, Io, and Mount Saint Helens. And from here, she makes analogies with volcanism on Triton and Titan.
Volcanoes are very interesting. But one can see that it takes hard work and talent to do work in this field. In my opinion, there is one other requirement, namely courage. Volcanoes are dangerous! In any case, let me express my sincere admiration for all the authors in producing this fine book.
Great Volcanoe Book.......2005-01-08
This is a great book for everyone interested in volcanoes. It is very readable and talks not only about the science but also how the researchers do the science - with some very charming stories. It is really amazing that all chapters are written by female experts. We hear a lot about the lack of women scientists but there seems to be no lack of women studying volcanoes! A great book to give as a gift to a high school or college age daughter or niece.
Book Description
The exploration and colonization of Mars, as discussed in the more than 130 papers and essays from the Mars Society's annual conferences, is presented in this second volume of the On to Mars series. Formed in 1998 to support the exploration and settlement of Mars, the Mars Society seeks to educate and convince political powers, industry leaders, and the public about the necessity of committing resources to the development of a Mars settlement program. Covering recent technological and planning advances, these essays cover the last three years of Mars Society meetings and discuss such topics as habitat infrastructure, exploration technique, and colony organization as they have been explored at the Mars Society's Analog Research Stations at Devon Island, Nunavuit in Canada and in Hanksville, Utah. Two short videos, Stepping Stones to Mars and Robert Zubrin's testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce at the Hearings on the Future of the U.S. Space Program, are featured on the included CD-ROM.
Customer Reviews:
A serious and artistic look at the future of space exploration.......2007-09-18
This book is for the serious reader and the space enthusiast who sees Mars as a real future endeavor. If you believe in the reality of space exploration and wish to see just how we can go about getting there, then this book is for you. There is also poetry, light hearted looks at Mars themes, etc. It comes with a CD as well. It is a culmination of several serious space related authors who came together, like Lewis & Clark, to explore new frontiers. Only this time they look beyond our blue planet.
only for the serious amateur/scientist.......2007-09-11
this book is actually a collection of scientific papers on the topic of Mars mission planning. If you are not a serious scientist or amateur engrossed in the subject you will be bored. I was expecting more material from Zubrin. I recommend instead Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
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