Robotic exploration of the solar system. Part 2, Hiatus and renewal 1983-1996
Paolo Ulivi (Author), David M. Harland
This volume, the second book in this series, provides a review of the exploration of the Solar System, focusing on the technology of the robotic space probes that made it possible, including missions which were never completed. It describes planetary and interplanetary space missions, covering missions launched between 1983 and 1996. While the period covered is short, and was marked by a frustrating hiatus with rare missions, it saw the debut of new players, the decline of another, and a number of triumphs and failures. It was also marked by the 'Christmas tree' approach to planetary exploration which on the one hand caused a dearth of planetary missions and on the other hand a number of missions that produced an overwhelming return of results, not all of which were able to be included in this book. The period was also shaped by some peculiar external conditions: the American emphasis on human spaceflight and Shuttle flights, which deprived planetary missions of badly needed funds; the Challenger accident which derailed those few projects that had managed to survive; and finally the Strategic Defense Initiative, which provided technology for the low-cost revolution in deep space missions of the 1990s
eBook, English, ©2009
Springer ; Published in association with Praxis Publishing, Berlin, New York, ©2009