Best of
Space

1971

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics


Roger R. Bate - 1971
    Air Force Academy and designed as a first course emphasizes the universal variable formulation. Develops the basic two-body and n-body equations of motion; orbit determination; classical orbital elements, coordinate transformations; differential correction; more. Includes specialized applications to lunar and interplanetary flight, example problems, exercises. 1971 edition.

Vaster Than Empires and More Slow


Ursula K. Le Guin - 1971
    One of the ship's crew of 10 is a human empath whose role as ship's Sensor is to detect any presence of intelligent life, but upon their arrival they find vast forests and open fields of grasses, without animals of any kind ... not even an insect. Unable to stand the irritatating emotional excreta of his fellow crewmates, the empath sets up an outpost to do a species count on the local flora, but when he fails to report in on the radio, the others suspect the native vegetation may not be as harmless as it seems. Locus Poll Award Nominee, Hugo Award Nominee

NASA Project Apollo - Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions (NASA History Series Book 4214)


William David Compton - 1971
    How remarkable will be determined by future generations as they attempt to assess and understand the relationship and significance of the Apollo achievements to the development of mankind. We hope that this book will contribute to their assessments and assist in their judgments.Writing the history of Apollo has been a tremendous undertaking. There is so much to tell; there are so many facets. The story of Apollo is filled with facts and figures about complex machines, computers, and facilities, and intricate maneuvers—these are the things with which the Apollo objectives were achieved. But a great effort has also been made to tell the real story of Apollo, to identify and describe the decisions and actions of men and women that led to the creation and operation of those complex machines.The purpose of this book is only partly to record the engineering and scientific accomplishments of the men and women who made it possible for a human to step away from his home planet for the first time. It is primarily an attempt to show how scientists interested in the moon and engineers interested in landing people on the moon worked out their differences and conducted a program that was a major contribution to science as well as a stunning engineering accomplishment. When scientific requirements began to be imposed on manned space flight operations, hardly any aspect was unaffected. The choice of landing sites, the amount of scientific equipment that could be carried, and the weight of lunar material that could be brought back all depended on the capabilities of the spacecraft and mission operations. These considerations limited the earliest missions and constituted the challenge of the later ones. President John F. Kennedy's decision to build the United States' space program around a manned lunar landing owed nothing to any scientific interest in the moon. The primary dividend was to be national prestige, which had suffered from the Soviet Union's early accomplishments in space. A second, equally important result of a manned lunar landing would be the creation of a national capability to operate in space for purposes that might not be foreseeable. Finally, Kennedy felt the need for the country to set aside "business as usual" and commit itself with dedication and discipline to a goal that was both difficult and worthwhile. Kennedy had the assurance of those in the best position to know that it was technologically possible to put a human on the moon within the decade. His political advisers, while stressing the many benefits (including science) that would accrue from a strong space program, recognized at once that humans were the key. If the Soviets sent men and women to the moon, no American robot, however sophisticated or important, would produce an equal impact on the world's consciousness. Hence America's leadership in space would be asserted by landing humans on the moon. A program as complex as Apollo is not easily handled by a simple chronological account. In the early stages, from 1961 to roughly the end of 1966, the several phases of the program had to be hammered out more or less independently and many complex relationships had to be built. For those reasons I have organized the early chapters of the book topically, the better to deal in some detail with these early developments. 348 pages with photos and illustration. Contents hyperlinked for easy navigation.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAMERICA STARTS FOR THE MOON: 1957-1963LINKING SCIENCE TO MANNED SPACE FLIGHTAPOLLO'S LUNAR EXPLORATION PLANSHANDLING SAMPLES FROM THE MOONSELECTING AND TRAINING THE CREWSMISSION AND SCIENCE PLANNINGSETBACK AND RECOVERY: 1967FINAL PREPARATIONS: 1968PRIMARY MISSION ACCOMPLISHE

Project Vanguard: The NASA History


Constance McLaughlin Green - 1971
    satellites, a fascinating Cold War–era chronicle of the nation's earliest battles and triumphs in the Space Race. It recounts the origins, development, and results of Project Vanguard, a pioneering venture in the exploration of outer space. Primarily an analysis of the project's scientific and technical challenges, this volume documents onboard experiments, instrumentation, tracking systems, and test firings. It also portrays the drama of organizing an unprecedented project under the pressure of a strict time limit as well as the tempestuous climate of American opinion during the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launches. The history concludes with an evaluation of the satellite program's significant contributions to scientific knowledge. Numerous historic photographs highlight the text, which is written in accessible, nontechnical language. In addition to a historic foreword by Charles A. Lindbergh, this new edition features an informative introduction by Paul Dickson. Authoritative and inexpensive, it will appeal to students and teachers of history and science as well as aviation enthusiasts.

Space Frontier


Wernher von Braun - 1971
    

Project Paperclip: German Scientists and the Cold War


Clarence G. Lasby - 1971
    Nonfiction.Fascinating look behind the scenes at post-WWII Military Intelligence operations to secure the services of the scientists formerly employed by Germany or who had escaped Nazi Germany.