The Century of Space Science (v. 1&2) [Hardcover]

J.A. Bleeker (Editor), Johannes Geiss (Editor), M. Huber (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0792371968 | ISBN-13: 978-0792371960 | Publication Date: September 2002 | Edition: 1

The 20th century can truly be called the `Century of Space Science', for it was in the 20th century that the multidisciplinary study of space science (as opposed to astronomy) was conceived. Today, as we start a new century of discovery, we are able to cast our perspective back in order to chronicle how the field began, review how it developed, and discuss how it reached its current levels. We are able to overview the historical development and to put early discoveries in context, to document our current understanding and to look forward to the coming century with some degree of optimism.

One of the most attractive features of this young discipline is that many of the original pioneers and key players involved are still available to describe their field. Hence, at this point in history we are in a unique position to gain first-hand insight into the field and its development. To this end, The Century of Space Science, a scholarly, authoritative, reference book presents a chapter-by-chapter retrospective of space science as studied in the 20th century. The level is academic and focuses on key discoveries, how these were arrived at, their scientific consequences and how these discoveries advanced the thoughts of the key players involved.

With over 90 world-class contributors, such as James Van Allen, Cornelis de Jager, Eugene Parker, Reimar Lüst, and Ernst Stuhlinger, and with a Foreword by Lodewijk Woltjer (past ESO Director General), this book will be immensely useful to readers in the fields of space science, astronomy, and the history of science. Both academic institutions and researchers will find that this major reference work makes an invaluable addition to their collection. The work is published in two large-format volumes and contains colour images throughout. It includes several appendices (for example a basic chronology of the field and a complete list of every space science mission ever launched) and is extensively and comprehensively indexed.

The scientific editorial team consists of Johan A.M. Bleeker (of SRON, The Netherlands), Johannes Geiss (of the International Space Science Institute, Berne) and Martin Huber (of ESA) and history consultant Arturo Russo (of the University of Palermo, Italy).

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:
"Exploration is a risky business. You may fail, but when you succeed, a revolution occurs! And this happened in the 20th century with space exploration. Not all missions worked as expected: some failed completely but others were fabulously successful and pushed the border of the unknown further away, more than any other technique was ever able to do. "The Century of Space Science" strikingly evinces the role that new technologies played in deepening our insight into the ways cosmic structures form, evolve and interact. The tremendous expansion of knowledge is clearly the merit of those who restlessly, never gave up in the face of risk and technical or managerial adversity."
(Roger M. Bonnet, Former Director of ESA's Scientific Programme, currently Directeur Général Adjoint Scientifique of CNES, Paris)
"Revolutionary developments in space science, in the second half of the 20th century, were marked by a spirit of international cooperation. From the early years, when the world was politically divided, space scientists from all over the world worked together in the pursuit of space science. Important vehicles of that collaboration have been COSPAR and IACG, the latter consisting of American, European, Japanese, and Soviet (later Russian) space agencies. I am pleased to see that the vast knowledge and deep understanding of space harvested from the monumental cooperation are adeptly presented in "The Century of Space Science". The wealth of information contained in this volume should be among the richest of the legacies that the 20th century gave for the future."
(A. Nishida, Retired Director General, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science)
"Presenting a comprehensive summary of the accomplishments of space science in the final decades of the twentieth century, this extraordinary book is deep as well as broad. Its chapters include historical overviews and cover the full range of topics from fundamental physics and cosmology to the terrestrial environment &endash; with a rich selection of stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astrophysics in between. Research students and scientists in any of these fields will find the volume both thorough and accessible, even outside their own areas of specialty."
(Joseph H. Taylor, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Physics, Princeton University)
"Some books are so big that they are hard to pick up, let alone put down. This magnificent two-volume reference work, which provides an authoritative overview of space science, weighs in at a whopping 7.5 kg! The vast size of this work is a sign of the many achievements in space science during the past century."
(Physics World, January 2003)
"The publishers of The Century of Space Science, found not just one but three well known space scientists to edit the project, and these remarkable men did the job with aplomb. The authors of these well-written and well-illustrated essays include many of the pioneers of space science, as well as many of today's most prestigious practitioners. The result is ... a truly unique publishing accomplishment: a splendid collection of authoritative reviews that transcends academic disciplines. Although the notion of this publishing project would have seemed improbable to me, I have now seen it, lifted it (with some difficulty), and recommend it as an important milestone along the amazing road of space science."
(Paul Hodge in Nature, 421 (January 2003)
"This set, nearly 2000 pages, has information and pictures to satisfy anyone's interest in space science. The list of contributors reads like an international who's who in space science. The articles are authoritative and scholarly, and this resource will be invaluable to readers in the fields of astronomy, cosmology, space science, and the history of science. Summing up: Highly recommended. Upper division undergraduates through professionals."
(Choice, May 2003)
"This massive two volume set is very readable and immensely informative. It is a vast resource of detailed accurate information. If you want to know what a century of space science has brought us look no further. Very highly recommended for content and accuracy."
(Spaceflight, 45:12 (2003)
"This is a monumental pair of volumes by any measure. Purchase of it is a "must" for libraries in universities that have departments of astronomy or astrophysics. [...] The editors are to be congratulated on putting together a collection of 67 articles, largely authored by people who are household names, that give a broad coverage of many topics addressed using space techniques. [...] a splendid pair of volumes. [...] I strongly recommend this text as an important reference source for all workers in astrophysics and astronomy."
(Alan A. Watson in Astronomy and Geophysics, 44:3)
"...every imaginable aspect of space science is carefully explained by a highly qualified expert in that field. ...filled with important facts and figures, full-color pictures and illustrations, timelines, appendices and indices to help the reader absorb and interpret the copious information that each chapter contains. ...it surely belongs in any library that boasts reference material on space science."
(Phillip Davis in Science and Theology News, September 2003)
"the first comprehensive attempt in English to address this field of study... Members of the space research communities of the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Hungary, Russia, Switzerland, and Japan trace the evolution of all major sub disciplines of this complex topic in sixty-seven well organized and detailed articles accompanied by lengthy bibliographies. This work can function equally well as a reference work for libraries wishing to have state-of-the-art data on the status of space research as of the early twenty-first century, or as part of collections on astronomy, chemistry and particle physics."
(Robert R. Ridinger in (e-streams, 6:6)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1868 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792371968
• ISBN-13: 978-0792371960
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9 x 4.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 17.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,777,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and inaccurate, September 24, 2005

By 

D. Mitchell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Century of Space Science (v. 1&2) (Hardcover)

I own this handsome two-volume set, but I was very disappointed by many of the articles. It fails to achieve the quality that I would expect from an historical collection on this subject.

The best books on space have been written by professional historians and authors, who attempted to view the field with objectivity and a uniform style. The outdated but amazing _McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Space_ is one of the best examples, beautifully produced, and covering all of the aspects of technology, history and nationality.

The Century of Space Science is written by a collection of mostly European scientists, who each present a rather narrow, often self-serving and sometimes very inaccurate view of various fields. The Soviet space program is almost completely ignored, and American contributions come in second in the highly Euro-centric stance of these articles.

An article by a principal investigator on Pioneer Venus begins by saying that almost everything we know about the planet results from the PV mission. Absurd, given that Soviet missions *landed* on Venus ten times. It then goes on to state that Pioneer Venus was the first artificial satellite of Venus. In fact it was the third, and you have to wonder, how a professional in this field could not know anything about Venera-9 and Venera-10?

An article on rocket engines, written by a German firm, makes the false claim of inventing the staged-combustion engine in 1963 -- three years after the Soviet Molniya rocket had a staged-combustion engine in its fourth stage. These are typical examples of what I found all throughout this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excerpt of review from Nature Magazine, June 9, 2004

By 

"kluwermarketing" (Plymouth, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Century of Space Science (v. 1&2) (Hardcover)

'If a publishing house had mentioned to me that it proposed to publish a compendium of 100 essays that covered all of the important topics in space science, totalling nearly 2,000 pages and written by the world's leading space scientists, I would have expressed enthusiasm but great doubt that it could be done..... But I would have been quite wrong. Kluwer, the publishers of The Century of Space Science, found not just one but three well-known space scientists to edit the project, and these remarkable men did the job with aplomb.... The result is a truly unique publishing accomplishment: a splendid collection of authoritative reviews that transcends academic disciplines.' Paul Hodge Nature, VOL 421 January 23,2003