Deep Space Probes: To the Outer Solar System and Beyond

Springer Praxis Books: Astronautical Engineering

by Gregory L. Matloff

The Space Age is nearly 50 years old but exploration of the outer planets and beyond has only just begun. Deep-Space Probes Second Edition draws on the latest research to explain why we should explore beyond the edge of the Solar System and how we can build highly sophisticated robot spacecraft to make the journey. Many technical problems remain to be solved, among them propulsion systems to permit far higher velocities, and technologies to build vehicles a fraction of the size of todays spacecraft. Beyond the range of effective radio control, robot vehicles for exploring deep space will need to be intelligent, thinking craft able to make vital decisions entirely on their own. Gregory Matloff also looks at the possibility for human travel into interstellar space, and some of the immense problems that such journeys would entail. This second edition includes an entirely new chapter on holographic message plaques for future interstellar probes a NASA-funded project.

242 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Les Johnson is the co-author of three published popular science books, Living Off the Land in Space, Solar Sails, and Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth. His first science fiction novel, Back to the Moon, was published in December 2010 by Baen. Les is the Deputy Manager for NASAs Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. He was technical consultant for the movie, Lost in Space. NPR, CNN, Fox News, The Science Channel and The Discovery Channel have all interviewed him. He appeared on the Discovery Science Channel in their Exodus Earth series and the "How to Build A Starship" episode of Michio Kaku's 2010 Discovery Science Channel Series "Physics of the Impossible. He was the Chief Scientist for the ProSEDS space experiment, twice received NASAs Exceptional Achievement Medal, and holds 3 space technology patents. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and was published in Analog."