Bøger i Springer Praxis Books serien

In this book, David Stevenson offers us a look at the evolution of planets as they move from balls of mixed molten rock to vibrant worlds capable of hosting life. Embedded in our everyday architecture and in the literal ground beneath our feet, granite and its kin lie at the heart of many features of the Earth that we take for granted. From volcanism and mountain building to shifting water levels and local weather patterns, these rocks are closely intertwined with the complex processes that continue to shape and reshape our world.This book serves as a wonderful primer for anybody interested in our planet's geological past and that of other planets in our Solar System and beyond. It illustrates not only how our planet's surface evolved, but also how granite played a pivotal role in the creation of complex, intelligent life on Earth. There has long been a missing element in popular astronomy, which Stevenson now aims to fill: how geological and biological evolution work in a complex partnership, and what our planet's own diversity can teach us about other rocky worlds.

Examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. Considers exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as the primary solvent and the question of detecting bio- and geosignatures of such life forms, ranging from earth environments to deep space.Seeks an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter. Avoids scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

This book examines the U.S. space program's triumphs and failures in order to assess what constitutes a successful space policy.

Sonar performance modelling (SPM) is concerned with the prediction of quantitative measures of sonar performance, such as probability of detection. He has written many peer reviewed research articles and conference papers related to sonar performance modeling, making contributions in the fields of sound propagation and detection theory.

In 2014, Rosetta became the first mission to orbit a comet and to deploy a lander onto its surface. This is the story of ESAΓÇÖs pioneering comet explorer, following the mission from its initial inception to its historic touchdown. Read along as the Rosetta orbiter and its lander, Philae, evolve over the years, overcoming early mission hurdles before embarking on their one-way, decade-long voyage to a comet. See how the saga then culminates with Rosetta and Philae at last unveiling their icy target and achieving an unprecedented touchdown on its surface.Award-winning space writer Peter Bond takes us behind the scenes of this historic endeavor, sharing insights from the international team of scientists and engineers who made the mission possible, describing the remarkable technology that they created, and delving into the treasure trove of scientific discoveries that followed.Recounting in vivid detail the inner workings of Rosetta, this book is a celebration of the mission that has left a lasting impact on planetary science and space exploration.

This book offers a survey of the contribution of satellite data to the study of the ocean, focusing on the special insights that only satellite data can bring to oceanography.

This volume tells the fascinating story of Man's conceptualization of the solar system from the earliest times, when star maps represented what could be seen to the naked eye, to the modern age, when powerful telescopes and probes afford fresh insights.

Written for the educated non-scientist and scientist alike, it spans a variety of scientific disciplines, from observational astronomy to particle physics. However the themes are explained in such a way that no prior understanding of science beyond a high school education is necessary.

For the experienced amateur astronomer who is wondering if there is something useful, valuable, and permanent that can be done with his or her observational skills, the answer is, "Yes, there is!" This is THE book for the amateur astronomer who is ready to take the next step in his or her astronomical journey.

Markus Aschwanden introduces the concept of self-organized criticality (SOC) and shows that due to its universality and ubiquity it is a law of nature for which he derives the theoretical framework and specific physical models in this book.

This book details key trends involving the recent formation of scores of companies that build and launch small satellites or provide key components for small satellite constellations.

In 2016, scientist Rosaly Lopes and artist Michael Carroll teamed up as fellows of the National Science Foundation to travel to Mount Erebus, the world¿s southernmost active volcano in Antarctica. The logistics of getting there and complex operations of Antarctica's McMurdo Station echo the kinds of strategies that future explorers will undertake as they set up settlements on Mars and beyond. This exciting popular-level book explores the arduous environment of Antarctica and how it is similar to other icy worlds in the Solar System.The bulk of this story delves into Antarcticäs infrastructure, exploration, and remote camps, culminating on the summit of Erebus. There, the authors explored the caves and ice towers on the volcanös flanks, taking photographs and generating original art depicting scenes in Antarctica and terrestrial analogs on other planets and moons. Readers will see an intimate side of Mount Erebus and Antarctica while surveying the region¿s history, exploration, geology, and volcanology, which includes research funded by the National Science Foundation¿s United States Antarctic Programs. Richly illustrated with photographs and stunning paintings showcasing the beauty of the harsh continent, the book captures the spirit and splendor of the authors¿ journey to Erebus.

Offering an engaging and complete story of the hunt for new worlds, this volume fully details the detection and exploration of extrasolar planets.

Rex Hall and Dave Shayler provide a unique history of the Soyuz spacecraft programme from conception, through development to its use, detailed in the only English language book available on this topic. Planned for publication in 2003, it will celebrate 40 years since the original concept of the Soyuz craft.

This book presents the best contributions of the the Third International Symposium on Solar Sailing Glasgow, 11 - 13 June 2013. It is a rapid snap-shot of the state-of-the art of solar sail technology in 2013 across the globe, capturing flight programs, technology development programs and new technology and application concepts.

Aimed at enthusiasts and students of planetary sciences alike, this is a comprehensive overview of Man's relationship with his planet's nearest neighbor. This Commemorative Edition includes a foreword by one of the original astronauts and an extra section reviewing the prospect of renewed exploration there.

Here is a focused, comprehensive reference on recent research on severe convective storms and tornadoes. It features many illustrations of severe storm phenomena from mobile Doppler radars, operational Doppler radars, photographs and numerical simulations.

This book describes the history of this now iconic room which represents America's space program during the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and early Space Shuttle eras. It describes the rooms of people supporting this control center;

This book explains how the achievements of the Space Shuttle, the world's first reusable manned spacecraft, were built on the foundation of countless technical challenges.

It is not limited to small arms but also looks at the science of enormous guns such the Paris Gun, for example, and reviews the efforts to build a gun to launch projectiles into space. Extremely fast guns are also covered, such as two-stage guns and rail guns.

For centuries, our ancestors carefully observed the movements of the heavens and wove that astronomical knowledge into their city planning, architecture, mythology, paintings, sculpture, and poetry.

"Contradictions" is a general interest book that exposes the incompatibility between popular religious beliefs and the scientific view of human nature.

This book fills a need for a complete history of the Lunar Roving Vehicle used on Apollo 15, 16 and 17, drawing on many photographs never before published. It also tells the story of the robotic rovers used on Mars, and concludes with a description of the new designs of rovers planned for The New Vision for Exploration now underway at NASA.

In this illustrated book, Denis Savoie presents the basics of astronomy required to understand sundials and describes how to design and build your own classical sundial. He describes how ancient sundials were used and presents a history of time measurement.

Mars Outpost provides a detailed insight into the various technologies, mission architectures, medical requirements, and training needed to send humans to Mars.

Lunar Outpost provides a detailed account of the various technologies, mission architectures, medical requirements and training needed to return humans to the Moon within the next decade.

Specifically traces the impact of Einstein's ideas on astronomy, including the way we interpret observations of stars and galaxies. Presents many applications of relativity that have not been shown in earlier popular-level books and illustrates how deeply physics permeates the way we interpret many astronomical phenomena.

The story of Hubble and Humason is one for the agesΓÇöand in particular, the Cosmic Age. In this compelling book, science writer Ron Voller digs deep into how and why the two scientists continued to investigate their theory of universal expansion in the face of persistent doubt, contrary theories, and calamitous world events.The evolution of this dynamic duoΓÇÖs tenuous friendship and professional partnership is in many ways as intriguing as their groundbreaking work on the evolution of the universe. The book therefore traces their lives from their childhoods into their burgeoning careers, revealing how a World War and their own personal differences stood in the way of initial cooperation. It then shows how despite all this, the two opposites eventually came together in the pursuit of something far greater than themselves.This grand story is inextricably interwoven with that of Albert Einstein, Willem de Sitter, and other great physicists of the era, all of whom took part in the staggering quest to make sense of the Big Bang and what followed.ΓÇ£Edwin Hubble has often been considered as an island of sortsΓÇöa lone wolf of astronomy. But VollerΓÇÖs book shows otherwise, as he examines Milt HumasonΓÇÖs essential contributions to our understanding of the expanding universe.ΓÇ¥ - Daniel Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator, History of Science & Technology, The Huntington Library

This is a book about the mathematical nature of our Universe. Armed with no more than basic high school mathematics, Dr. Joel L.