Interstellar travel

Author: [British] McNab
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: In the past four decades, humans have broken free from Earth's, launching a series of space probes to conduct scientific explorations in other celestial worlds orbiting the Sun. We have visited all planets except Pluto, discovering dozens of new moons orbiting other planets. People no longer cling to the myths and fantasies about extraterrestrial planets that have been passed down for hundreds of years, gradually revealing their true faces. This exquisite book elaborates on humanity's journey to the planetary world, the formation and evolution of each planet, and how humanity's understanding of the solar system has gradually developed from early stargazers to Galileo and into the modern era. McNab and Young have gathered rich material by meeting scientists and astronauts from the United States and the Soviet Union, obtaining stunning computer-generated images, and reviewing archival files related to space competition. They vividly narrate the story of humanity's exploration of these wondrous planetary worlds in the book. The author also uses many fascinating and exquisite images obtained from the Apollo, Voyager, Pioneer, and Viking space missions to showcase the diverse and astonishing sights of the planetary world: volcanoes three times the height of Mount Everest; worlds covered in methane oceans; lava flows longer than the Nile River; clouds rich in sulfides; pure and shiny metal snow caps, and more. Additionally, it speculates on the future evolution of the solar system over the next 5 billion years—up to the death of the Sun.