Book

The design and engineering of Curiosity : how the Mars rover performs its job

Lakdawalla, Emily, author

Overview

This book describes the most complex machine ever sent to another planet: Curiosity. It is a one-ton robot with two brains, seventeen cameras, six wheels, nuclear power, and a laser beam on its head. No one human understands how all of its systems and instruments work. This essential reference to the Curiosity mission explains the engineering behind every system on the rover, from its rocket-powered jetpack to its radioisotope thermoelectric generator to its fiendishly complex sample handling system. Its lavishly illustrated text explains how all the instruments work -- its cameras, spectrometers, sample-cooking oven, and weather station -- and describes the instruments' abilities and limitations. It tells you how the systems have functioned on Mars, and how scientists and engineers have worked around problems developed on a faraway planet: holey wheels and broken focus lasers. And it explains the grueling mission operations schedule that keeps the rover working day in and day out.

• Publisher: Springer ; Springer, published in association with Praxis Publishing
• Subject: Curiosity (Spacecraft) / Roving vehicles (Astronautics) / Space vehicles Design and construction. / TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Industrial Design / General. / Mars (Planet) Exploration.
• ISBN: 9783319681443, 3319681443

Item info:

1 item available

1 item total in all locations

Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
TL475.L35 2018	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE