Based on components already in existence, this manual details a reference design for an interplanetary spacecraft that is simple, durable, fully reusable and comprised mostly of water. Using such an accessible material leads to a spacecraft architecture that is radically simpler, safer and cheaper than conventional capsule based designs. If developed, the potential affordability of the design will substantially open all of the inner solar system to human exploration. A spacecraft that is comprised mostly of water will be much more like a living cell or a terrarium than a conventional rocket and capsule design. It will use water for many purposes before it is superheated in electric engines for propulsion, purposes which include radiation shielding, heat management, basic life support, crew consumption and comfort. The authors coined the term "spacecoaches" to describe them, as an allusion to the Prairie Schooners of the Old West, which were simple, rugged, and could live off the land.
A true revolution has rocked the space industry, as Silicon Valley and new startup companies around the world have shaken up the status quo. This has in turn triggered a hefty response among traditional aerospace companies, launching the sector into the new Space 2.0. This book explains how and why this remarkable change has happened, starting from the industry’s origins during the Space Age and working its way to the present day. No other industry in the world has experienced the dramatic shift in technology and services as rapidly as the field of satellite services and rocket launch systems has. This book analyzes the dynamic shift over the past decade in how satellites are designed, manufactured, launched, and operated. It also turns an eye to the future, discussing the amazing feats and potential issues we can expect from this shifting arena by 2030. With its beginner-friendly writing style and plethora of illustrations, this book serves as a perfect introductory text to students and professionals alike wishing to learn more about the key trends in the field of space applications and launch systems.
The Yearbook on Space Policy, edited by the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), is the reference publication analysing space policy developments. Each year it presents issues and trends in space policy and the space sector as a whole. Its scope is global and its perspective is European. The Yearbook also links space policy with other policy areas. It highlights specific events and issues, and provides useful insights, data and information on space activities. The first part of the Yearbook sets out a comprehensive overview of the economic, political, technological and institutional trends that have affected space activities. The second part of the Yearbook offers a more analytical perspective on the yearly ESPI theme and consists of external contributions written by professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. The third part of the Yearbook carries forward the character of the Yearbook as an archive of space activities. The Yearbook is designed for government decision-makers and agencies, industry professionals, as well as the service sectors, researchers and scientists and the interested public.
This book takes a unique interdisciplinary approach to the planned return of humans to the Moon. With the Artemis Project, the US and its partners have planned an ambitious project with the creation of the Lunar Gateway, to be followed by the landing of the first woman and next man on the Moon. This book explains that the Artemis project then forms the basis of planned sustained human missions to Mars. Russia and China have also announced their intentions to establish a permanent base on the Moon and have commenced the deployment of modules which will form part of this project. This book states that whilst there has been a permanent human presence in Low Earth Orbit since 2000, with the continued crew rotation on the International Space Station, perhaps the most successful international collaboration of modern times, the establishment of a base on the Moon will generate new challenges for human survival and success. The continued human presence on the space station has provided an incredible opportunity to observe and study the effect of being in space upon the human body and the human psyche. In addition, this book explores that it has provided the scope and context for a vast range of scientific experiments. Now that it has become likely that more humans will need to live and work in space for sustained periods of time, it is essential that we consider matters beyond the engineering questions of how we go to space to the broader questions of how we will live there? What will we need? What will the effects of sustained living in space be for us, emotionally, cognitively, physically and how do we need to consider the impact we will have on the environment to which we are travelling. This book is unique in that, not only does it bring together a diverse yet complementary set of expertise, but it also consciously brings those different experts together in jointly authored chapters, mirroring the way we will have to work together as teams of diverse experts in space. It creates interwoven chapters co-written by various teams of psychologists, lawyers, engineers, regulators, policy experts, architects and cultural studies experts. This book will enable the fielding and addressing of the difficult questions that need to be considered before space habitation may be a successful and sustained mode of existence. This book fills a gap in the area of space studies which tends to focus on narrow, discipline specific issues. It provides a thought-provoking launchpad for further work in this area and above all, stresses the needs of the human in a hostile environment.
Solar sail technology is very close to becoming an engineering reality and it will soon be used in the exploration of the solar system and beyond. This fascinating book provides an accessible introduction to solar sails and details how they work and what they will be used for in the exploration of space. It also examines current plans for solar sails and how advanced technology, such as nanotechnology, might enhance their performance. Coverage shows how solar sail propulsion will make space exploration more affordable and demonstrates how access to destinations within (and beyond) the solar system will become within reach.
Wright was one of the first to introduce the concept of propulsion using light pressure. He reports on his continuing work, mostly at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, for scientists, engineers, and space enthusiasts with little technical background. The first space sailors are probably in junior high now. Printed on acidic paper. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This book captures the most exciting advances in the harnessing of space as a global resource. The authors track the growing number of space businesses and opportunities for investors, and the many possible benefits of spaceplanes, space stations and even space colonies. The authors also discuss the need for more regulatory reform. Companies like Planetary Resources are now forming to find mineral-rich asteroids and bring back new riches to Earth. Solar power satellites in the next few years will start to beam clean energy back to Earth, to meet the growing demands of a still-developing world. Innovative space industries are vital to the survival of modern human life, and the authors demonstrate what can be done to encourage the growing of the "New Space" frontier. From lassoing and then mining asteroids to developing new methods of defending the planet from space hazards and setting up new hotels and adventures for tourists in space, this new industry will have profound effects on Earth, especially on its economy. This book is based on a study of international experts commissioned ahead of the UNISPACE+50 meeting, having distilled the results of this comprehensive fact-finding process into a compact and very readable form. It can serve as an excellent starting point for understanding all the activities underway or planned to make space truly our next frontier.
This book provides a systematic in-depth analysis of nonparametric regression with random design. It covers almost all known estimates. The emphasis is on distribution-free properties of the estimates.
