Dreams of Other Worlds: The Amazing Story of Unmanned Space Exploration - Revised and Updated Edition

by Christopher Impey, Holly Henry

Overview

The story of unmanned space exploration, from Viking to today

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691169224
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	04/19/2016
Edition description:	Revised and Updated Edition
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Chris Impey is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. His books include The Living Cosmos, How It Ends, and How It Began. Holly Henry is professor of English at California State University, San Bernardino. She is the author of Virginia Woolf and the Discourse of Science: The Aesthetics of Astronomy.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Viking: Discovering the Red Planet 13

3 MER: The Little Rovers That Could 40

4 Voyager: Grand Tour of the Solar System 74

5 Cassini: Bright Rings and Icy Worlds 111

6 Stardust: Catching a Comet by the Tail 137

7 SOHO: Living with a Restless Star 161

8 Hipparcos: Mapping the Milky Way 186

9 Spitzer: Unveiling the Cool Cosmos 211

10 Chandra: Exploring the Violent Cosmos 242

11 HST: The Universe in Sharp Focus 270

12 WMAP: Mapping the Infant Universe 302

13 Conclusion: New Horizons, New Worlds 327

Notes 343

Selected Bibliography 405

Index 417

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"When the history of the last fifty years can be viewed in a more balanced perspective, some of its most inspirational highlights will surely be the major space projects—often international in scope—that have voyaged to distant planets, extended our cosmic horizons, and deepened our understanding of Earth's place in the wider universe. This fascinating and finely written book chronicles the peak achievements in this grand exploratory endeavor, showing that credit is due to the cutting-edge technology as well as to visionary science."—Martin Rees, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and Astronomer Royal

"Until we build the starship Enterprise, our efforts to boldly seek out new worlds will depend on mechanical surrogates. This book gives voice to their exploits—adventures not equaled since the great Age of Exploration four centuries ago. The flood of imagery sent back by these craft has revealed—for the first time—a universe of uncanny beauty, terrifying desolation, and inspiring promise. Surely, this is the most wondrous legacy of our generation."—Seth Shostak, SETI Institute

"Dreams of Other Worlds interweaves cutting-edge science, popular culture, and history, using each mission as a springboard to launch into what are sometimes quite unexpected directions. There is really nothing else quite like this book out there."—Michael A. Strauss, Princeton University

"In writing that is clear, engaging, and at times almost lyrical, Dreams of Other Worlds provides deep treatments of these important space missions and their cultural relevance. Scientifically attentive readers will gain a great deal from this book."—Stephen P. Maran, author of Astronomy for Dummies

"Dreams of Other Worlds traces the history of ideas about the cosmos from the Greeks to the latest space missions. Exciting to read and accessible to lay readers, this book offers inspiration and intriguing speculations in addition to facts."—Larry Esposito, author of Planetary Rings

Editorial Reviews

"[W]ell-balanced. . . . This richly illustrated work of remarkable scholarship spans the depths of the solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond, revealing how the great leaps forward in astronomy have brought into focus a landscape few could have imagined. The authors present a combination of hard science and edifying narrative that is both informative and entertaining. Recommended for NASA 'nerds' and anyone with even a passing interest in astronomy."

Library Journal

"A fantastic journey throughout the world of space exploration over the last 40 years. Even though at a first glance the well over 400 pages seem overwhelming, within just a few hours you will find yourself desperate for more. . . . A smooth, skillfully written account of the beginning of the extraterrestrial history of humankind, a history that started just a few decades ago."

Read about Science

"Although less sexy than manned space travel, satellites, probes and landers have produced a scientific bonanza with more to come. Impey and Henry team up for an enthusiastic account of a dozen programs. . . . The authors' largely uncritical, gee-whiz approach is entirely appropriate since these programs were not only technological marvels, but produced dazzling, quantum-leap discoveries."

Kirkus Reviews

"Noted astronomer Impey has teamed up with English professor Henry to write an interesting book about NASA's unmanned space explorations. . . . People with an interest in space exploration will want to read this fascinating work."

Choice

Winner of the 2013 Eugene E. Emme Award for Astronautical Literature, American Astronautical Society

"Dreams of Other Worlds synthesizes that knowledge as it has been derived from unmanned spacecraft in the half-century since NASA was founded in 1958. . . . One of the strengths of Dreams of Other Worlds is its discussion of how the data generated by any given mission continues to produce results long after the mission ends. . . . An account of a magnificent panorama of knowledge."—-Konstantin Kakaes, Wall Street Journal

"Refreshing. . . . [W]ell-analysed and presented in a scholarly yet engaging way. . . . [F]rom the interior of the Sun to the outer reaches of our Solar System—Impey and Henry are able guides. They explain the scientific imperative of these missions in a way that is accessible and interesting to specialists and generalists."—-John Zarnecki, Nature

From the Publisher

2013-08-15
Although less sexy than manned space travel, satellites, probes and landers have produced a scientific bonanza with more to come. Impey (Astronomy/Univ. of Arizona; How It Began: A Time-Traveler's Guide to the Universe, 2012, etc.) and Henry (English/California State Univ., San Bernardino; Virginia Woolf and the Discourse of Science: The Aesthetics of Astronomy, 2003) team up for an enthusiastic account of a dozen programs. When the technologically primitive, glitch-prone Mariner 4 flew past Mars in 1965, sending back 21 grainy black-and-white photographs, the world exulted. Within a decade, two Viking landers settled on Mars, sending back far superior pictures and some unsettling news: Maybe there is life beyond Earth, but maybe not. Two Voyager craft, 35 years after their launch, are still returning data from far outside the solar system after passing close to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Probes have visited comets, gathered their dust and returned to Earth. Readers aware that that the Hubble telescope produces vastly sharper pictures than terrestrial observatories will learn that other space telescopes named Spitzer, Chandra and Wilkinson produce even better images due to their increased sensitivity to infrared, X-ray and microwave radiation blocked by the atmosphere. Countless readers are fascinated by the existence of planets around distant stars; the sprinkling turned up by Earth-based telescopes turned into an avalanche with the 2009 launch of the Kepler satellite. Few deny that manned space exploration is inevitable and that a great nation must lead the way; however, since Congress is unwilling to foot the bill, that great nation is likely to be China. The authors' largely uncritical, gee-whiz approach is entirely appropriate since these programs were not only technological marvels, but produced dazzling, quantum-leap discoveries.

Kirkus Reviews