Planetary Landers and Entry Probes

Overview of planetary landers for professionals, academic researchers and graduate students in planetary science, aerospace engineering and space mission development.

Andrew Ball (Author), James Garry (Author), Ralph Lorenz (Author), Viktor Kerzhanovich (Author)

9780521129589, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 February 2010

364 pages
24.4 x 17 x 1.9 cm, 0.58 kg

Review of the hardback: '… very nicely written … an excellent addition to technical space literature.' Spaceflight

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Physics [PH], Astronomy, space & time [PG]