Dreams of other worlds : the amazing story of unmanned space exploration / Chris Impey and Holly Henry

Author: Impey, Chris
Additional Titles: Unmanned space exploration
Published: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2013]
Copyright Date: ©2013
Physical Description: 450 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm
Additional Creators: Henry, Holly

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Contents

Viking : discovering the Red Planet -- MER : the little rovers that could -- Voyager : grand tour of the solar system -- Cassini : bright rings and icy worlds -- Stardust : catching a comet by the tail -- SOHO : living with a restless star -- Hipparcos : mapping the Milky Way -- Spitzer : unveiling the cool cosmos -- Chandra : exploring the violent cosmos -- HST : the universe in sharp focus -- WMAP : mapping the infant universe -- New horizons, new worlds.

Summary

Dreams of Other Worlds describes the unmanned space missions that have opened new windows on distant worlds. Spanning four decades of dramatic advances in astronomy and planetary science, Impey and Henry tell the story of eleven iconic exploratory missions and how they have fundamentally transformed our scientific and cultural perspectives on the universe and our place in it.
"Dreams of Other Worlds describes the unmanned space missions that have opened new windows on distant worlds. Spanning four decades of dramatic advances in astronomy and planetary science, this book tells the story of eleven iconic exploratory missions and how they have fundamentally transformed our scientific and cultural perspectives on the universe and our place in it. The journey begins with the Viking and Mars Exploration Rover missions to Mars, which paint a startling picture of a planet at the cusp of habitability. It then moves into the realm of the gas giants with the Voyager probes and Cassini's ongoing exploration of the moons of Saturn. The Stardust probe's dramatic round-trip encounter with a comet is brought vividly to life, as are the SOHO and Hipparcos missions to study the Sun and Milky Way. This stunningly illustrated book also explores how our view of the universe has been brought into sharp focus by NASA's great observatories--Spitzer, Chandra, and Hubble--and how the WMAP mission has provided rare glimpses of the dawn of creation. Dreams of Other Worlds reveals how these unmanned exploratory missions have redefined what it means to be the temporary tenants of a small planet in a vast cosmos." -- Publisher's description.

Subject(s)

ISBN

9780691147536 (acid-free paper)
0691147531 (acid-free paper)

Bibliography Note

Includes bibliographical references (pages [343]-415) and index.

Source of Acquisition

Purchased with funds from the Robert E. and Joyce L. Umbaugh Libraries Endowment for the Penn State DuBois Campus Library; 2013

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