Charting Our Extraterrestrial Efforts

摘要

General and specialist readers alike will find The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space an accessible introduction to space activities conducted by all countries since the mid-20th century. The volume, revised from the authors' Atlas de geographic de l'espace (Editions Belin, Paris, 1997), is a gold mine of facts both mainstream and obscure that provides efficient access to a wealth of fascinating details. Organized thematically instead of alphabetically, the book opens with descriptions of the environments of space probed by missions launched from Earth: near space (Earth's atmosphere and magneto-sphere) and deep space (the solar system). The authors offer definitions based on physical characteristics of established regions and chose not to discuss the various political, national, and institutional definitions of space that often plague classifiers and commentators. A chapter on orbital mechanics provides a lucid elementary exposition that will be welcomed by general-ist readers. It is accompanied by a helpful discussion of how to read and interpret ground tracks, which specifically covers how orbits are depicted for various purposes by scientists, the military, and the media.