Introduction to Planetary Science

Table of Contents
Preface xvii
1. The Urge to Explore 1
1.1. The Exploration of Planet Earth 2
1.2. Visionaries and Rocket Scientists 4
1.3. Principles of Rocketry and Space Navigation 7
1.4. Summary 9
1.5. Science Briefs 10
1.6. Problems 11
1.7. Further Reading 11
2. From Speculation to Understanding 13
2.1. The Geocentric Cosmology of Ancient Greece 13
2.2. The Scientific Method 14
2.3. Units of Measurement 16
2.3.1. Distance 16
2.3.2. Time 17
2.3.3. Velocity and Speed 17
2.3.4. Mass 18
2.3.5. Temperature 18
2.3.6. Pressure 19
2.4. Summary 19
2.5. Science Briefs 20
2.6. Problems 21
2.7. Further Reading 21
3. The Planets of the Solar System 23
3.1. The Sun and the Planets of the Solar System 23
3.2. The Titius-Bode Rule 25
3.3. Average Orbital Velocities 27
3.4. Surface Temperatures 28
3.5. Bulk Densities 28
3.6. Summary 32
3.7. Science Briefs 32
3.8. Problems 34
3.9. Further Reading 34
4. Life and Death of Stars 35
4.1. The Big Bang 35
4.2. Stellar Evolution 39
4.3. Nucleosynthesis
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