Mission to Saturn: Cassini and the Huygens Probe (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) (Paperback)

by David M. Harland (Author) "From his home on the island of Rhodes in the Aegean, Hipparchus, the greatest of the ancient Greek astronomers, drew up a catalogue of the..." (more)
Key Phrases: orangey haze, planetocentric distance, orbital tour, Cassini's Division, Grand Tour, Deep Space Network (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"David Harland takes a long, serious look at Saturn from the first telescopic observations, the theorising about the rings, the early spectroscopy, the vistas and the science revealed by the spacecraft flybys of 1979, 1980 and 1981. Then he tackles the planning, building and journey of the Cassini orbiter, the most highly instrumented spacecraft ever dispatched on a deep space mission, and the Huygens Titan probe. Mission to Saturn is superbly illustrated, well referenced and an eminently readable book." - New Scientist   "We learned more about Saturn in one week than in the entire span of human history."–Bradford Smith, Voyager Imaging Team Leader

Product Description
"We learned more about Saturn in one week than in the entire span of human history." -Bradford Smith, Voyager Imaging Team Leader

In MISSION TO SATURN, David Harland reviews the exploration of Saturn, from the discoveries of the early astronomers through telescopes to the robotic probes and fly-bys of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He then goes on to place our present knowledge in the context of the Cassini-Huygens mission, which is due to enter orbit around Saturn in 2004. This joint US/European venture will make a four-year orbital tour of the Saturnian system, with one highlight being the descent of the Huygens Probe into the atmosphere of Titan, the largest of the system's satellites which - possibly - is laced with the complex molecules which, on Earth, were the precursors to life.

The author explains how the mission was planned, how it will operate, and how its observations, will revolutionize our knowledge and understanding of the Saturnian system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (October 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852336560
• ISBN-13: 978-1852336561
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,696,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harland's "Lord of the Rings", February 10, 2003

By	Alex Blackwell (Wahiawa, HI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In David M. Harland's latest work, MISSION TO SATURN: CASSINI AND THE HUYGENS PROBE, the reader will find an excellent compendium of mankind's efforts to unravel the mysteries of the ringed giant planet culminating in the current joint U.S./European Cassini/Huygens mission, which one should note still has 1.5 years remaining before it reaches its primary target. Readers familiar with Harland's style will not be surprised that he hews closely to the now familiar, and almost formulaic, approach adopted for his well-received book on the Galileo mission to Jupiter. The first four chapters of MISSION TO SATURN are used to recount the centuries of astronomical observations that preceded the modern spacecraft reconnaissance and exploration efforts of Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2; the final extended chapter is devoted almost exclusively to the Cassini/Huygens mission. In true workmanlike fashion, Harland utilizes his historian's eye for details, his archivist-like pursuit of primary source materials, many of which are very hard to find, and his rather considerable talent in rendering technical and scientific matters accessible to a wide range of readers. I highly recommend MISSION TO SATURN, which is richly illustrated and abundantly footnoted, to readers of all levels. The Cassini/Huygens mission will, if all goes as planned, return a veritable flood of data that will revolutionize our knowledge of the saturnian system. In anticipation of this, MISSION TO SATURN should take a prominent place on the planetary scientist's bookshelf.