Deep Space Craft opens the door to interplanetary flight. It looks at
this world from the vantage point of real operations on a specific
mission, and follows a natural trail from the day-to-day working of this
particular spacecraft, through the functioning of all spacecraft to the
collaboration of the various disciplines to produce the results for
which a spacecraft is designed. These results are of course mostly of a
scientific nature, although a small number of interplanetary missions
are also flown primarily to test and prove new engineering techniques.
The author shows how, in order to make sense of all the scientific data
coming back to Earth, the need for experiments and instrumentation
arises, and follows the design and construction of the instruments
through to their placement and testing on a spacecraft prior to launch.
Examples are given of the interaction between an instrument's science
team and the mission's flight team to plan and specify observations,
gather and analyze data in flight, and finally present the results and
discoveries to the scientific community.
This highly focused, insider's guide to interplanetary space exploration
uses many examples of previous and current endeavors. It will enable the
reader to research almost any topic related to spacecraft and to seek
the latest scientific findings, the newest emerging technologies, or the
current status of a favorite flight. In order to provide easy paths from
the general to the specific, the text constantly refers to the
Appendices. Within the main text, the intent is general familiarization
and categorization of spacecraft and instruments at a high level, to
provide a mental framework to place in context and understand any
spacecraft and any instrument encountered in the reader's experience.
Appendix A gives illustrated descriptions of many interplanetary
spacecraft, some earth-orbiters and ground facilities to reinforce the
classification framework. Appendix B contains illustrated detailed
descriptions of a dozen scientific instruments, including some
ground-breaking engineering appliances that have either already been in
operation or are poised for flight. Each instrument's range of
sensitivity in wavelengths of light, etc, and its physical principle(s)
of operation is described. Appendix C has a few annotated illustrations
to clarify the nomenclature of regions and structures in the solar
system and the planets' ring systems, and places the solar system in
context with the local interstellar environment.
