New Cosmic Horizons
Space Astronomy from the V2 to the Hubble Space Telescope

An extensively illustrated account of the development and achievements of astronomical observations from space since WWII.

David Leverington (Author)

9780521658331, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 1 February 2001

520 pages, 126 b/w illus. 15 tables
24.4 x 17 x 2.7 cm, 0.82 kg

'I found this book a good read and it brought home the fact that, without the use of spacecraft, we would be limited in what we could hope to understand of our neighbours in the Solar System and beyond.' Astronomy and Space

New Cosmic Horizons tells the extraordinary story of space-based astronomy since the Second World War. Starting with the launch of the V2 rocket in 1946, this book explores the triumphs of space experiments and spacecraft designs and the amazing astronomical results that they have produced. It also examines the fascinating way in which the changing political imperatives of the USA, USSR and Western Europe have modified their space astronomy programmes. This history of astronomy from space is extensively illustrated and unique in its coverage of such a broad range of topics in language accessible to amateur and professional astronomers, and other technically-minded readers. All major astronomy missions of the first fifty years of space research are covered: the Soviet Sputnik and American Explorer projects, the subsequent race to the moon, solar and planetary missions, and the wonders of modern astrophysics culminating in the exciting results of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Preface
1. The sounding rocket era
2. The start of the space race
3. Initial exploration of the Solar System
4. Lunar exploration
5. Mars and Venus: early results
6. Mars and Venus: the middle period
7. Venus, Mars and cometary spacecraft post-1980
8. Early missions to the outer planets
9. The Voyager missions to the outer planets
10. The Sun
11. Early spacecraft observations of non-solar system sources
12. A period of rapid growth
13. The high energy astronomy observatory programme
14. IUE, IRAS and Exosat - spacecraft for the early 1980s
15. Hiatus
16. Business as usual
17. The Hubble Space Telescope.

Subject Areas: Popular astronomy & space [WNX], Astrophysics [PHVB], Cosmology & the universe [PGK], Astronomy, space & time [PG], History of science [PDX]