This fascinating book is a detailed history of unmanned missions that have explored our solar system. The subject is treated wherever possible from an engineering and scientific standpoint and includes technical descriptions of the spacecraft, their mission designs and their instrumentations.

Provides a comprehensive review of the exploration of the Solar System

Focusing on the technology of the robotic space probes that made it possible

Including missions which for a variety of reasons were never completed

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

Autorentext

The Second World War left among its many and painful heritages a new technology, ballistic missiles, that was to change the world, providing a way to carry into space instruments, satellites and probes that revolutionized science and technology.

Prior to launching artificial satellites, both the then Soviet Union and the United States developed more powerful intercontinental missiles with a range of thousands of miles. In the 1950s, the Soviets designed the huge 8K71 "Semiorka" (little seven, after the military designator R 7), a single staged rocket equipped with four large boosters and able to carry an heavy thermonuclear warhead to the continental US. In the USA, competition between the different armed forces prevailed, and the Army developed the medium range Redstone and Jupiter missiles, whilst the Air Force developed the Thor and two different ICBMs, Atlas and Titan and the Navy developed the Polaris submarine launched missiles.

The potential of all of these rockets to boost spacecraft were huge, but while in the Soviet Union it was decided to modify an 8K71 to carry a scientific payload into space, the United States decided that the Navy would develop a tiny new rocket called Vanguard, specifically designed for the task. This decision was to have grave repercussions: on 4 October 1957 the Soviet Union launched its PS-1 satellite, better known as Sputnik, which rocked the USA. This was compounded a month later by the launch of the PS-2, carrying the dog Laika. Following the explosion of the first Vanguard on December 6, the US Army then had the task to restore the American confidence by successfully carrying Explorer 1 into space on 1 February 1958 using the modified Redstone rocket called Juno 1. During the same year, the superpowers started working on new versions of their missiles able to carry small payloads to the Moon and, potentially, to the near planets. The space race had begun.

Inhalt
Introduction.- The beginning.- Of landers and orbiters.- The grandest tour.- Acronyms.- Glossary.- Appendices.- Chapter references.- Further reading.- Index.