Book review
After the appearance of the 3rd
edition of the German version of the “Handbook of Space Technology,” edited and
published in 2008 by Professors Ley, Wittmann and Hallmann of the University of
Aachen and highly appreciated by students of space technologies as well as by
technology-interested laypeople, the publishing company (HANSER Verlag) decided
to put an English version on the market.
Having had the opportunity
to read the 900-odd pages before its official publishing date (15th June
2009) in my judgment the translation was worth the effort!
To my knowledge this is the
first complete and systematic compilation of the status of European space
technology. It covers not only current projects but also describes the
underlying technology, industrial and institutional research efforts, and
future plans. Also included is a historical overview of the major projects executed
by European national space agencies and ESA. The book has a slight European and
German bias in project coverage, but many international co-operative projects
are also discussed, in particular systems, scientific and operational aspects
of the ISS.
The book provides a complete
survey of all aspects of space exploration and utilization, and spacecraft and
mission design including detailed system engineering with the theoretical
background and the basic formulas. Modern project management aspects are
described in detail based on ESA “ best practices” and international standards,
and issues of space law are covered.
Reading through the book I
was a little reminded of Bill Bryson’s successful “A Short History of Nearly
Everything,” just transposed to space. After 30 years in the European space
business it enabled me to update my technical and scientific knowledge from the
point I left university to the present – and gave me the opportunity to catch
up on technical fields I never used during my carrier because of specialization
- and I enjoyed it all because it was easy to understand thanks to the
excellent text, practical diagrams explaining principles and many high quality photographs
of real project applications and their implementation.
An extensive index makes
orientation easy and lends itself to using the book as a “handbook,” looking up
things one currently needs or is curious about.
For space engineers another real
benefit is the detailed reference section at the end of each topic, identifying
peer reviewed papers and relevant academic/industrial publications.
Over 70 different authors –
all acknowledged specialists in their respective fields – contributed to the
book, thus providing “state-of-the-art” information on their subjects of
expertise.
In summary this book will
enhance the library of every “space-enthusiast,” whether layperson, student,
engineer, scientist or space operations specialist, and whether still on the
job or retired from the space business but not too old to be interested in
developments.
Joachim J. Kehr Editor SpaceOps News