Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology and Heritage

Some might think that the 27 thousand tons of material launched by earthlings into outer space is nothing more than floating piles of debris. However, when looking at these artifacts through the eyes of historians and anthropologists, instead of celestial pollution, they are seen as links to human history and heritage.

Space: The New Frontier for Archeologists

Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology and Heritage, published this month by CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group, brings together 43 anthropologists, historians, physicists, and engineers, a scientific team as culturally diverse as the crew of any science fiction cruiser. They offer a range of novel historical and technological perspectives on humankind’s experience in space. This ambitious work presents an informative, thought-provoking, and educational text that discusses the evolution of space engineering, spacecraft reliability and forensics, field techniques, and mission planning, as well as space programs for the future. The book is edited by a pair of scientists from different sides of the campus: Ann Garrison Darrin, aerospace engineer and NASA veteran and Beth Laura O’Leary, anthropologist and member of the World Archaeological Congress Space Heritage Task Force.

The handbook delves into the evolution of space archaeology and heritage, including the emerging fields of Archaeoastronomy, Ethnoastronomy, and Cultural Astronomy. It also covers space basics and the history of the space age from Sputnik to modern day satellites. It discusses the cultural landscape of space, including orbital artifacts in space, as well as objects left on planetary surfaces and includes a look at the culture of Apollo as a catalog of manned exploration of the moon. It also considers the application of forensic investigation to the solving of cold case mysteries including failed Mars mission landing sites and lost spacecraft, and even investigates the archaeology of the putative Roswell UFO crash site and appraises material culture in science fiction.

Ann Garrison Darrin has worked at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for more than 10 years. Ann Darrin is a member of the principal staff and is the manager in the Milton S. Eisenhower Research Center for the Aerospace and Materials Sciences group. Prior to joining the laboratory, Ann worked at NASA Goddard Space Center in aerospace engineering and was the Division Chief for Assurance Technologies. She is the author of numerous papers and an author and editor of the book MEMS and Microstructures for Aerospace Applications. As a technologist, Ann holds numerous patents and has participated in several exciting, albeit small, technology "firsts" in space. Ann is the founder and co-chair of the MEMS Alliance Mid-Atlantic and holds degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland University College.

Beth Laura O’Leary has taught anthropology at New Mexico State University since 1991. She has worked in cultural resource management for the federal government, private firms, and universities. She is currently vice chairperson of the Cultural Properties Review Committee, a governor-appointed policymaking board on historic preservation for the state of New Mexico. Beth is a recognized expert in the emerging field of space archaeology and heritage. In 1999, she received a grant from the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium to document the archaeological assemblage at the Apollo 11 lunar landing site and to investigate ways to manage and preserve sites on the Moon for the future. She has co-chaired several international symposia on space heritage in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Ireland and is a member of the World Archaeological Congress Space Heritage Task Force. Beth has a BA from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of New Mexico.

All Sky SurveyIntroduction, A. Garrison Darrin and B.L. O’LearyArchaeology: The Basics, E. StaskiThe Evolution of Space Archaeology and Heritage, B.L. O’LearySpace Basics: The Solar System, J. EmhoffSpace Basics: Orbital Mechanics, J. EmhoffSpace Basics: Getting to and Staying in Space, M.M. DoneganGround Segment: Ground Systems and Operations, R. M. FurrowLaunch Segment: Launch Vehicles and Spacelift, D.E. Clemens and B. LearySpace Segment: Space Vehicles and Payloads, A. Garrison Darrin and T. MehokeThe Sky: A Cultural PerspectiveArchaeoastronomy, Ethnoastronomy, and Cultural Astronomy, S. MilbrathIntroduction to the Space AgeHistory of the Space Age, A. MillbrookeFrom Vengeance 2 to Sputnik 1: The Beginnings, R. OsianderThe Space Race and the Cold War, R. Sturdevant and G. OrndorffOrigin and Developments in Commercial Space, P.A. StadterThe Maturing Space Age, R.L. McNutt, Jr.The Landscape of SpaceThe Cultural Landscape of Space, A. GormanOrbital Artifacts in Space, D.E. ClemensIntroduction to Space Debris, R. Osiander and P. OstdiekHeritage of Earth Orbit: Orbital Debris—Its Mitigation and Cultural Heritage, A. GormanSpacecraft and Objects Left on Planetary Surfaces, R. GoldThe Culture of Apollo: A Catalog of Manned Exploration of the Moon, P.J. CapelottiSpacecraft Forensics and Mystery SolvingSpace Hardware: Mystery Solving, A. Garrison Darrin and P. PrettymanFailed Mars Mission Landing Sites: Heritage Places or Forensic Investigation Scenes?, D.H.R. Spennemann and G. MurphyLost Spacecraft, P.J. StookeSpace Hardware: Models, Spares, and Debris, R.D. LorenzEnvironmental Effects and the Material RecordNatural Formation Processes and Their Effects on Exoatmospheric Objects, Structures, and Sites, E. Staski and R. GerkeSpace Environmental Effects, J.L. SampleSpace, Atmospheric, and Terrestrial Radiation Environments, J.L. BarthThermal Environment and the Effects on Aging, D. MehokePotential Effects: Atmospheres of Space Bodies on Materials, W.S. HeapsWear and Tear: Mechanical, T.S. SwansonThe Space Environment and Spacecraft Electrical Systems, A. Garrison DarrinContamination Control and Planetary Protection, M.M. DoneganStudies in Aging, P.J. BiermannPreservation of Space Objects and Case StudiesSpace Technology: Vanguard 1, Explorer 7, and GRAB—Materials and Museum Concerns, H. SzczepanowskaCORONA KH-4B Museum Preservation of Reconnaissance Space Artifacts: A Case Study, H. SzczepanowskaIn Situ Preservation of Historic Spacecraft, R. Barclay and R. BrooksArchaeology of the Putative Roswell UFO Crash Site: A Case Study, W. DolemanSpace Policy and PreservationInternational Space Community and Space Law, S. DoyleOne Giant Leap: Preserving Cultural Resources on the Moon, B. L. O’LearyOn the Nature of the Cultural Heritage Values of Spacecraft Crash Sites, D.H.R. SpennemannMission Planning—Space Archaeology and Preservation Planning: System Engineering Perspective, A.Q. Rogers and A. Garrison DarrinThe Future and Space ArchaeologyThe Plan for the Future Preservation of Space, B.L. O’LearySpace Exploration: The Next 100 Years, R. L. McNutt, Jr.Surveying Fermi’s Paradox, Mapping Dyson’s Sphere: Approaches to Archaeological Field Research in Space, P. J. CapelottiThe Mind and the CosmosDeveloping Exoarchaeology in the Solar System and Beyond, J.B. CampbellTechnology and Material Culture in Science Fiction, T.S. MehokeSpace Archaeology and Science Fiction, L.J. PaxtonSpace Archaeology and the Historiography of Science Fiction, B.G. BooneAppendicesndex