Planetary Landers and Entry Probes
Planetary Landers and Entry Probes
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This book provides a concise but broad overview of the engineering, science and flight history of planetary landers and atmospheric entry probes designed to explore the atmospheres and surfaces of other planets. It covers engineering aspects specific to such vehicles which are not usually treated in traditional spacecraft engineering texts. Examples are drawn from over thirty different lander and entry probe designs that have been used for lunar and planetary missions since the early 1960s. The authors provide detailed illustrations of many vehicle designs from different international space programs, and give basic information on their missions and payloads, irrespective of the mission's success or failure. Several missions are discussed in more detail to demonstrate the broad range of the challenges involved and the solutions implemented. This will form an important reference for professionals, academic researchers and graduate students involved in planetary science, aerospace engineering and space mission development.
- Covers engineering aspects specific to landers and entry probes in one volume
- Includes drawings and basic information on every lander or probe design flown
- Provides references to a broad range of literature and includes a detailed bibliography
Reviews & endorsements
"This book is the most complete general introduction to spacecraft designed to probe, land or penetrate into solar system objects other than the Earth.... One surprising result of reading the book is to realize the large number of missions that have been launched -- about a hundred. The book is an excellent history of what (hopefully) will be considered to be the early years of space travel."
Publisher Review
Product details
- Published: June 2007
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9780521820028
- Length: 364 pages
- Dimensions: 255 × 180 × 23 mm
- Weight: 0.78kg
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part I. Engineering Issues Specific to Entry Probes, Landers or Penetrators:
- 1. Mission goals and system engineering
- 2. Accommodation, launch, cruise and arrival from orbit or interplanetary trajectory
- 3. Entering atmospheres
- 4. Descent through an atmosphere
- 5. Descent to an airless body
- 6. Planetary balloons, aircraft, submarines and cryobots
- 7. Arrival at a surface
- 8. Thermal control of landers and entry probes
- 9. Power systems
- 10. Communication and tracking of entry probes
- 11. Radiation environment
- 12. Surface activities: arms, drills, moles and mobility
- 13. Structures
- 14. Contamination of spacecraft and planets
- Part II. Previous Atmosphere/Surface Vehicles and Their Payloads:
- 15. Destructive impact probes
- 16. Atmospheric entry probes
- 17. Pod landers
- 18. Legged landers
- 19. Payload delivery penetrators
- 20. Small body surface missions
- Part III. 'Case Studies':
- 21. Surveyor landers
- 22. Galileo probe
- 23. Huygens
- 24. Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner
- 25. Deep Space 2 Mars microprobes
- 26. Rosetta lander Philae
- 27. Mars exploration rovers: Spirit and Opportunity
- Appendix: Some key parameters for bodies in the Solar System
- List of acronyms
- Bibliography
- References
- Index.
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