What do we know about Mars? What remains to be understood? Is there evidence of life there? Will humans ever travel there? The dream of exploring Mars has been around since the early days of human civilization and still forms part of our vision of the future for the human race. Today, we send unmanned spacecraft to explore this neighbouring world to examine its climate, search for evidence of past or present life, and learn how conditions there relate to those on Earth. Plans are now being prepared for a manned mission to Mars, set against an uncertain background of political, practical, technical and financial considerations. This unique book provides a complete description of the past, present and future of Mars exploration. Written by a scientist intimately involved with missions to Mars, it provides a personal firsthand account. It will appeal to anyone interested in this fascinating planet.
The Cambridge Photographic Guide to the Planets contains a selection of the latest and most interesting images of the planets, moons, comets and asteroids of our Solar System. The book begins with a general introduction to the planetary system, its origin and evolution. Each subsequent chapter is devoted to a different planet or solar system body, and contains a comprehensive introduction to the body, and its moons and rings where relevant. This is followed by a selection of carefully chosen images from planetary missions, with explanatory captions. The author provides an authoritative description of what these images reveal and the puzzles that they pose for scientists. This photographic guide will be of interest to anybody with a fascination of the planets, from the amateur to the professional astronomer.
Venus is the brightest 'star' in the night sky and it has been observed since ancient times. Often dubbed Earth's 'twin', it is the planet most similar to the Earth in size, mass and composition. There the similarity ends: Venus is shrouded by a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, its surface is dominated by thousands of volcanoes and it lacks a protective magnetic field to shield it from energetic solar particles. So why isn't Venus more like Earth? In this book, a leading researcher of Venus addresses this question by explaining what we know through our investigations of the planet. Venus presents an intriguing case study for planetary astronomers and atmospheric scientists, especially in light of the current challenges of global warming, which supports, and potentially threatens, life on Earth. Scientifically rigorous, yet written in a friendly non-technical style, this is a broad introduction for students and astronomy and space enthusiasts.
Titan: Exploring an Earthlike World presents the only comprehensive description in book form of what is currently known about Titan, the largest satellite of the planet Saturn and arguably the most in
