Space Exploration For Dummies

by Phillips, Cynthia; Priwer, Shana

• ISBN13: 9780470445730
• ISBN10: 0470445734
• Edition: Original
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-02
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Your comprehensive guide to remarkable achievements in spaceDo you long to explore the universe? This plain-English, fully illustrated guide explains the great discoveries and advancements in space exploration throughout history, from early astronomers to the International Space Station. You'll learn about the first satellites, rockets, and people in space; explore space programs around the world; and ponder the controversial question: Why continue to explore space?Take a quick tour of astronomy - get to know the solar system and our place in the galaxy, take a crash course in rocket science, and live a day in the life of an astronautRun the Great Space Race - trace the growth of the Space Age from Sputnik to the Apollo moon landings and meet the robots that explored the cosmosWatch as space exploration matures - from the birth of the Space Shuttle to the creation of the Mir Space Station to successes and failures in Mars exploration, see how space programs reached new levelsJourney among the planets - check out the discoveries made during historic voyages to the inner and outer reaches of the solar systemUnderstand current exploration - review the telescopes in space, take a tour of the International Space Station, and see the latest sights on MarsLook into the future - learn about upcoming space missions and increased access to space travelOpen the book and find:Descriptions of space milestones and future missionsAn easy-to-follow chronological structureColor and black-and-white photosThe nitty-gritty details of becoming an astronautA grand tour of the solar system through space missionsExplanations of tragedies and narrow escapesFacts on the creation of space stations by NASA and the USSRTen places to look for life beyond Earth

Author Biography

Cynthia Phillips, PhD, and Shana Priwer are the coauthors of 14 books on subjects including astronomy, Einstein, da Vinci, the physics of the built environment, and a variety of other topics. Phillips works at the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute. Priwer works for an architectural/design software company.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Space Exploration: Where, Who, and How

Space Exploration in a Nutshell

A Tour of the Universe

Yes, I's Rocket (And Spacecraft) Science After All

The Life and Times of an Astronaut

Tragedies in Space

The Great Space Race

A Small Beeping Sphere and the Dawn of the Space Age

What a Ride! The First People in Space

Sending Robots to the Moon

Man on the Moon: Project Apollo

Continued Lunar Exploration after Apollo 11

Going on a Grand Tour of the Solar System

The First Space Stations and the End of the Space Race

Second-Generation Missions

The Space Shuttle and Mir Space Station: The Dawn of Modern Space Exploration

Prime Time for the Space Shuttle: From the 1980s into the 21st Century

Revenge of the Red Planet: Successes and Failures in Mars Exploration

Exploring the Inner Solar System

Voyages to the Outer Solar System

Current Space Exploration

What a View! Telescopes in Space

A Symbol of Global Cooperation: The International Space Station

New Views of Mars in the New Millennium

The Future of Space Exploration

More in Store: Upcoming Space Missions

Increasing Access to Space

Why Continue to Explore Space?

The Part of Tens

Ten Places to Look for Life beyond Earth

Ten Ways Space Travel Isn;t Like Television or the Movies

Ten Types of Everyday Items Brought to You Courtesy of NASA

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.